The Dutch Empire Three Centuries on Five Continents

The Netherlands is a small country in northwestern Europe. The inhabitants of the Netherlands are known as the Dutch. As very accomplished navigators and explorers, the Dutch dominated trade and controlled many distant territories from the 17th to 20th centuries. The legacy of the Dutch empire continues to impact the current geography of the world. The Dutch East India Company The Dutch East India Company, also known as the VOC, was founded in 1602 as a joint stock company. The company existed for 200 years and brought great wealth to the Netherlands. The Dutch traded for coveted luxuries such as Asian tea, coffee, sugar, rice, rubber, tobacco, silk, textiles, porcelain, and spices such as cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and cloves. The company was able to build forts in the colonies, maintain an army and navy, and sign treaties with native rulers. The company is now considered the first multinational corporation, which is a company that conducts business in more than one country. Important Former Colonies in Asia   Indonesia:  Then known as the Dutch East Indies, the thousands of islands of present-day Indonesia provided many highly-desired resources for the Dutch. The Dutch base in Indonesia was Batavia, now known as Jakarta (Indonesias capital). The Dutch controlled Indonesia until 1945. Japan:  The Dutch, who were once the only Europeans allowed to trade with the Japanese, received Japanese silver and other goods on the specially-built island of Deshima, located near Nagasaki. In return, the Japanese were introduced to Western approaches to medicine, mathematics, science, and other disciplines. South Africa: In 1652, many Dutch people settled near the Cape of Good Hope. Their descendants developed the Afrikaner ethnic group and the Afrikaans language. Additional Posts in Asia and Africa The Dutch established trading posts in many more places in the Eastern Hemisphere. Examples include: Eastern AfricaMiddle East- especially IranIndiaMalaysiaCeylon (presently Sri Lanka)Formosa (presently Taiwan) The Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company was founded in 1621 as a trading company in the New World. It established colonies in the following places: New York City: Led by explorer Henry Hudson, the Dutch claimed present-day New York, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut and Delaware as the New Netherlands. The Dutch traded with the Native Americans, primarily for fur. In 1626, the Dutch purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans and founded a fort called New Amsterdam. The British attacked the important seaport in 1664 and the outnumbered Dutch surrendered it. The British renamed New Amsterdam New York -- now the most populated city in the United States. Suriname: In return for New Amsterdam, the Dutch received Suriname from the British. Known as Dutch Guiana, cash crops were grown on plantations. Suriname received its independence from the Netherlands in November 1975. Various Caribbean Islands:  The Dutch are associated with several islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Dutch still control the ABC Islands, or Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, all located off the coast of Venezuela. The Dutch also control the central Caribbean islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, and the southern half of the island of Sint Maarten. The amount of sovereignty that each island possesses has changed several times in the last few years. The Dutch controlled parts of northeastern Brazil and Guyana, before they became Portuguese and British, respectively. The Decline of Both Companies The profitably of the Dutch East and West India Companies eventually declined. Compared to other imperialistic European countries, the Dutch had less success convincing its citizens to emigrate to the colonies. The empire fought several wars and lost valuable territory to other European countries. The debts of the companies rose rapidly. By the 19th century, the deteriorating Dutch empire was overshadowed by the empires of other European countries, such as England, France, Spain, and Portugal. Criticism of the Dutch Empire Like all European imperialistic countries, the Dutch faced severe criticism for their actions. Although colonization made the Dutch very wealthy, they were accused of brutal enslavement of native inhabitants and exploitation of the natural resources of their colonies. The Dutch Empire Domination of Trade The Dutch colonial empire is tremendously important geographically and historically. A small country was able to develop an expansive, successful empire. Features of Dutch culture, such as the Dutch language, still exist in the Netherlands former and current territories. Migrants from its territories have made the Netherlands a very multiethnic, fascinating country.

How to Improve the Australian Diet - 541 Words

The Australian government is always looking for ways to improve the Australian diet. Ways that this has been done is through health campaigns. Two campaigns that the government has used and could work really effectively is Shape up Australia and Measure Up. Both these campaigns are aimed at Men and Women. The Shape up Australia campaign effectiveness cannot be judged as the campaign has not finished but could have a rough guess on how the campaign is going. The measure up campaign was about allowing people to understand why having excess weight around your waist can be unhealthy for you. The campaign was proposed to run from 2006 to 2010 but then was extended to July 2013. As the Measure up campaign was more heard about it was deemed to be the more effective campaign. The Measure up campaign was about allowing people to understand why carrying unhealthy amount of weight around your hips can be dangerous. When people carry unhealthy amounts of weight around the waist, they might not realise that it also increase the risks of lifestyle related chronic diseases such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes and arthritis (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). Throughout the campaign it has been proven that the campaign reached the target audience and got the aim of the campaign and how to stop this. The campaign reached the vast majority of the Australian population, and had a very high level of campaign recognition with 91% of the people recognized the campaign. TheShow MoreRelatedNutrition Is Essential For The Development Of Physical And Cognitive Health1394 Words   |  6 Pagesand other diet related diseases. Another objective of the â€Å"ministry of food† was to prove cooking healthy meals can be quick, easy and beneficial. 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The Amazon Rainforest Free Essays

An issue in the world today that is extremely troubling is the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest. The world’s largest remaining natural resource is at risk of total destruction. This beautiful South American forest represents 40% of the continent and 54% of the total remaining rain forests that are left. We will write a custom essay sample on The Amazon Rainforest or any similar topic only for you Order Now It covers nine of the countries in South America which include Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. From May 2000 to August 2006, approximately 150,000 square kilometers of the rain forest in Brazil was lost. This is an area larger than the country of Greece. What is even more frightening is the fact that since 1970, over 232,000 square miles of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed. The Amazon Rainforest is a tropical rainforest ecosystem. They are known to be found near the equator. What makes them known as â€Å"rain forests† refers to the moisture and humidity that they contain. These forests which are lush with trees and other amazing plant life have year-round warm temperatures with high humidity and heavy—almost daily rainfall. It does not rain every day in the Amazon Rainforest but it does receive an average of nine feet of rain per year. The Rainforest of the world now only cover 2% of the globe, however ecologists do estimate they hold half of the world’s plant and animal species. R. A. N. is one of the organizations advocating for the Rain Forest to be left alone. It stands for the Rainforest Action Network. One of the issues that RAN has cites is that pulp from cleared rainforests is made into cheap copy paper, books, tissue and toilet paper and luxury shopping bags that are then sold to consumers in the United States, Europe and Asia. RAN’s Rainforest-Free Paper Campaign is working against corporations and the Indonesian government to stop turning forests into paper plantations. They have made significant progress such as pressuring Boise Incorporated to stop buying wood fiber taken from the traditional territory of the Grassy Narrows. Shortly after, Abitibi Bowater, the largest paper company in the world, agreed to stay off of Grassy Narrows land. According to dictionary. com the definition of deforestation is, â€Å"the cutting down and removal of all or most of the trees in a forested area. Deforestation can erode soils, contribute to desertification and the pollution of waterways, and decrease biodiversity through the destruction of habitat. † Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires for its timber value and then are followed by farming and ranching operations. The latest statistics show that rainforest land which is made into cattle farms gets the land owner $60 per acre and if timber is harvested, the land is worth $400 per acre. Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. This has been going on since the 1970s. Approximately 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 is due to large-scale cattle ranching. Unfortunately the present day situation may be even worse. According to the Center for International Forestry Research, â€Å"between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of Europe’s processed meat imports that came from Brazil rose from 40 to 74 percent and by 2003 for the first time ever, the growth in Brazilian cattle production—80 percent of which was in the Amazon—was largely export driven. This issue affects the tribes that still live in the Amazon Rainforest. These people and their ancestors have been living off of the land for thousands of years. Their culture is formed from the rainforest itself. There are even some tribes that have never had contact with any other person outside of their own tribe. If they are taken out of their homes over time they will lose their languages, art, tales and knowledge of the forest and past. Th ere were an estimated ten million of these people living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000. Thousands upon thousands of species other than humans live in the rainforest such as bacteria, plants and mammals. Thousands of other species once existed in this ecosystem but due to deforestation and other causes, they are now extinct. There are estimations that 137 plant, animal and insect species go extinct every single day due to said deforestation. That means about 50,000 species are lost each year. As these species only found in the Amazon Rainforest leave this world, many possible cures for life-threatening diseases follow. There are presently 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide that come from Amazon plants. A good 25% drugs that come from rainforest ingredients have tropical trees and plants of which less than 1% have been tested by licensed scientists. In the long run, the destruction of the rainforest will kill almost every living thing on the plants. According to www. amazon-rainforest. org, the Amazon Rainforest has been described as the â€Å"Lungs of our Planet. † This is because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. The survival of the human race depends on the survival of the Amazon Rainforest. WORKS CITED â€Å"About RAN | Rainforest Action Network. † Rainforest Action Network | Environmentalism with Teeth. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. ;lt;http://www. ran. org/content/about-ran;gt;. â€Å"Amazon Rainforest. † Blue Planet Biomes. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. ;lt;http://www. blueplanetbiomes. org/amazon. htm;gt;. â€Å"AMAZON RAINFOREST FACTS. † UNIQUE SOUTHAMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. ;lt;http://www. unique-southamerica-travel-experience. com/amazon-rainforest-facts. html;gt;. â€Å"The Amazon Rainforest. † Rainforests. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. ;lt;http://rainforests. mongabay. com/amazon/;gt;. â€Å"Deforestation in the Amazon. Rainforest – Mongabay. com. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. lt;http://www. mongabay. com/brazil. htmlgt;. â€Å"Endangered Rain Forest Animals. † Liza’s Reef -Coral Reef Art. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. lt;http://www. lizasreef. com/HOPE FOR THE RAIN FORESTS/endangered_rain_forest_animals. htmgt;. â€Å"How Big Is The Amazon Rain forest In Square Miles? † Ask Questions, Get Free Answers – Blurtit. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. lt;http://www. blurtit. com/q145171. htmlgt;. Spoolman, Scott E. â€Å"7: Climate and Biodiversity. † Environmental Science. By G. Tyler Miller. 13th ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2010. 134-36. Print. How to cite The Amazon Rainforest, Papers

Construction Project and Procurement free essay sample

In the 1950’s the Phillip’s report reiterated the recommendation in the use of selective tendering and explained the need for co-operation from all parties in the construction process (HMSO 1950). However by this time new procurement systems such as negotiated tenders and design and build had come about. Through the 1960’s to the 1970’s the need for co-operation between the industry and its professions was further expressed in the Emmerson report 1962 and Banwell 1964, they also reiterated in this period the recommendations of the Simon report 1944 and the use for selective tendering. Over all from the end of the war to the 1970’s this was a time of uninterrupted economic growth in which construction procurement in terms of conventional methods prevailed, only where few unconventional methods where being used on smaller projects, Despite a number of reports in the period recommending the adoption of more co-operative approaches from members of the project team. Over all from the end of the war to the 1970’s this was a time of uninterrupted economic growth in which construction procurement in terms of conventional methods prevailed, only where few unconventional methods where being used on smaller projects, Despite a number of reports in the period recommending the adoption of more co-operative approaches from members of the project team. 1. 2)Phase 2 1973 – 1980: Phase 2 was a period of recession and instability, which was a result due to large price increase of crude oil from other countries, Post the 2nd World War after the economic boom this was lead due to high inflation rates. A number of case studies during the 1970 had brought to attention the use of non-conventional procurement methods. The wood report 1975 examined purchasing policies and procurement, although the report was restricted to the public sector it stated that public authorities used inappropriate procurement methods due to circumstances and found that 40% of the projects that were examined still used non-conventional procurement. Reports that followed this stated the need for improvement and urged a state of recovery as clients did not want to commit themselves to building projects during a time economic uncertainty. . 3)Phase 3 1980 – 1990: This phase was a time of post-recession the period of adjustment and recovery, big changes were made in the economy and the construction industry it introduced labour-only subcontracting and changed attitudes of major clients. Major clients and organisations had decide that old existing procurement methods were inefficient and caused delays there fore leading to extra cost at the end of projects, So bigger organisations such as the British property federation (BPF) started to use ideas from the US to improve their own management and procurement systems. In this period conventional methods were popular and were still widely being used, there was also a substantial increase in the design n build and management contracting, however management contracting proved in early years to take longer and dissatisfy clients if poor management was involved due to projects being overrun so there was a suggestion to reduce this method. 1. 4)Phase 4 1990 – 2008: The period from around 1990 up to the credit crunch (recession 2008) contained around equal phase of recession and recovery as it did from the post war period. In past decade the advent of partnering and the increase in various private finance initiatives had come about, there were also efforts by the governments to improve the performance in the construction industry. Two main reports were the means of vastly improving the industry, these reports were made by ‘Sir Michael Latham’ (Constructing the Team) and by ‘Sir John Egan’ (Rethinking Construction), these two reports changed the industry by improving the inefficiencies towards procurement and contractual agreements within the construction industry. The reports brought about a number of initiatives such as; †¢M4I – the Movement for Innovation was formed in 1998 I was to co-ordinate the report ‘Rethinking Construction’ through the use of demonstration projects, working groups and knowledge exchange, †¢KPI’s – are a product from ‘M4I’ and the ‘Egan Report’ they were set to create targets in which had to be met in order to achieve improvement, a number of ‘KPI’s’ were created but were refined in the year 2000 to around elven different aspects of the process of construction, PFI’s – private finance initiates were brought about by the government to enable public projects to be funded without the need for the capital from the government, †¢Partnering and framework agreements – had already come about before 1994 but were given great impact by the ‘Latham Report’. Partnering is where contractor’s works with client to reduce and share costs, the partnering framework agreements are the contractual agreements between both parties.

Swot Playstation free essay sample

A well-structured and user-friendly online appearance reflects the identity of a successful company and its products. Thus, e-marketing has to be combined with the classic marketing tools in order to develop an effective marketing strategy. The aim of this report is to compile an e-marketing plan for an existing company and to state and describe the core aspects of the company’s existing Internet marketing strategy as well as to analyse and evaluate the company’s current position and identify opportunities for improvement. By using Sony PlayStation as a relevant industrial example the implications of the analysis will be discussed, as well as the evaluation, planning for practitioners and marketing decision-makers. 2. E-Marketing First of all, the term ‘e-marketing’ has to be defined in this context. The notation ‘electronic marketing’ â€Å"refers to the application of marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the Internet† (Quirk. biz, 2006). There is lots of evidence that e-marketing is a very important field, if not even â€Å"at the heart of e-business† as and Smith (2008, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Playstation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3) claim. Although, it can be related differently to e-commerce and e-business, namely, overlapping, replacing or involving, its principal task is to provide direct access to the customer in order to obtain a better understanding of their needs and get closer to them. Moreover, adding value to products and widening distribution channels to boost sales, for instance, represent further functions of e-marketing (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). Therefore, its components are intimately connected with those of marketing in general but based on the Internet (Quirk. iz, 2006). â€Å"(†¦) eMarketing encompasses all the activities a business conducts via the worldwide web with the aim of attracting new business, retaining current business and developing its brand identity. † (Quirk. biz, 2006) So, as this quote summarises, the internet helps over all small firms to reach a huge international audience in a short time and a relatively cost-effective way. Furthermore, this two-way communic ation channel allows interaction with the customer, while conventional marketing is largely about advertising the brand only (Quirk. biz, 2006). Another advantageous difference to traditional marketing represents amongst others the independence of the location where the business takes place. The internet enables the supplier to communicate with the customers make a deal without being physically present (Bach, 2007). 3. Marketing Mix The marketing mix is a well-established framework with which marketers can plan their approach to their target market. The model became famous in the 1960s when Jerome McCarthy talked the first time about the â€Å"4P’s† in marketing: product, place, price and promotion. Those are elements, which should help to plan the marketing strategy. The above mentioned model was extended by Booms and Bitner (1981), because in their point of view the model was only suitable for products, but not for the service industry. So they created the â€Å"7P’s†, which means they added three more â€Å"P’s†; physical evidence, people and process to the existing model. As a company you should sell only a product, which is affordable, can be delivered, and which has a high qualitative standard. In the online world there is always the opportunity for launching new versions, or slightly different variations and even new products. Within the internet industry the prices change minute-by-minute, so they put the market prices under pressure, with methods like price comparison and auctions, the internet business can reach a reduction in the offline market prices. Changes in the place of distribution, promotion, purchase and usage of products are considered, when the place is specified as an element of mix. It is same online and offline: increasing the presentation and making it widely accessible to the customers and is the principle. Online, there are a lot of options to promote a product from advertisements, PR, selling, direct mail, merchandising, exhibitions, sponsorship and packaging to word of mouth and all should be reviewed for the promoting part of the marketing mix. There are also some devising key issues, for example, integration, creativity and globalisation for the promotional mix. People are online and offline a significant contributor, and in case they make the difference. A company has to find the balance between automatic online customer service and traditional human service, for providing the clients the service and quality and, while they also need to minimize the service costs. For online distribution companies, the quality of the site is the physical evidence, so it is very important to reassure, that the customers who buys intangible services online, through a site that is meeting acceptable standards of speed and an which is easy use. On the one hand, a company can create an advantage in the competitive market with good processes and systems, but on the other, poor processes can damage the brand or kill the sales. Briefly summarized, all processes impact customers in terms of product and service quality. (Cp. Chaffey and Smith 2008, pp. 50-89) 4. Target market According to Internet World Stats (2011) the most import online markets are North America, Oceania / Australia and Europe. Therefore, around 80 per cent of the North American households have access to the World Wide Web, followed by Oceania / Australia as well as Europe with around 60 per cent of Internet users. These figures show clearly the importance of an online presence and, therefore, an elaborated e-marketing plan in these countries. Although the main focus of e-marketing concentrates on the well-developed countries, Asia and Africa are highly proposed to become big future players (Internet World Stats, 2011). 5. Sony PlayStation According playstation-presse. e (2011) Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), with the headquarter in London, is responsible for distribution, marketing and sales for the hardware as well as for the software for the products of PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP (PlayStation Portable) and PlayStation Network in 99 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania / Australia. In addition, Sony PlayStation develops, publishes, promotes and distributes game softwa re for these formats and accounts third party programs for the platforms of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe territories. Since the launch from the PlayStation 3 gaming console in November 2006 over 55. 5 million units were sold. With more than 153. 6 sold units PlayStation 2 still belongs to the most successful consumer electronics products in history. Since the launch by end of 2004 more than 73 million units of PlayStation portable gaming consoles were sold worldwide, which highlights the importance of the portable gaming. Throughout the increasing interest and the growth of network applications and network-gaming, over 1. 91 billion downloads of more than 90 million users could be registered at the interactive and free PlayStation Network. . Homepage 6. 1 Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) The PlayStation homepage is easily accessible through search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Therefore, the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) gives the user the possibility to enter the sub pages directly. The first impression of the landing page gives a well-structured overview of all the different sections. Throug h the graphical elements such as pictures, animations and videos consumers are attracted and curious about the content of the page, whereas other pages overwhelm the consumers by presenting too much text. Therefore, visitors are more likely to stay on the page and spend time by informing themselves about the different products. The website provides the latest information about Sony products. Moreover, this page is linked to a PlayStation Blog where the producers introduce their new technical innovations. The header is divided into two parts. The upper part provides all significant links to the diverse products such as PlayStation Network, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2. The lower bar focuses on the social aspects such as the Forums or the PlayStation Blog. Every link leads to subpages, which are again divided into different sections to gain an insight into the different products and services. The footer, placed on the bottom of the page, has a very clear design and is easy to navigate throughout the sections mentioned before. One of the main focuses of the homepage lies on social networks, where a significant part of the landing page deals with a Facebook integration. Users will find the ‘Facebook-Recommend’-button on news, support and competition pages on eu. playstation. com. By clicking on this button, users can quickly and easily let their friends know which PlayStation content they like. Users can post comments and share all the latest PlayStation happenings on the Wall along with the rest of the PlayStation community and their friends. Furthermore, they can share their excitement and enthusiasm with the community by letting them know exactly how much they want to play an upcoming release on PlayStation, rate any game that they already own on PS3 and PSP and find out, if their friends own it too. By further investigation a ‘Twitter’- and ‘Google+’-button are placed on one of the sub-pages. Compared to the Facebook Integration window the other social media links are not set on the landing page and, therefore, hard to find. Another significant part the of the landing page deals with the gaming software by providing the visitors with information on gaming software regarding release date, general information about the games, multiplayer experiences and add-ons. Furthermore, every game is linked to a specially designed subpage which also leads to the official product site. Moreover, users have the possibility to follow certain games on Facebook by ‘liking’ the link provided on these gaming sub sites. 7. E-Marketing Plan 7. 1 SWOT Analysis SWOT is an â€Å"acronym where the letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Treatsâ€Å", as shown in table 1 (Evans et al. , 2003, p. 196). Its aim is to visualise the possible results and effects of an intended project, for instance, after an analysis has been carried out. Thus, it â€Å"provides a platform for going on to formulate the strategy for the futureâ€Å" (Evans et al. , 2003, p. 197). StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats well-structuredtoo many linksimplementation of a keyword searchpage seems confusing ? visitors are leaving the site visual contentrequires a lot of RAMsimpler animationscapacity overload ? browser crashes product presentation and informationno direct sale via online shopsetting up an official PlayStation online shopSkipping retailers ? loss of sales partners Table 1: SWOT analysis by the authors (2011) According to the SWOT analysis the page is well-structured, but has too many links which may confuse the visitors while navigating through the site. Eventually, this could cause a loss of traffic. A possible solution would be an implementation of a keyword search in order to help the user to find the requested information easier and faster. A further strength represents the visual content, which attracts lots of visitors to stay longer on the site by providing many pictures and recent videos of the latest products. Although the website is well-designed and modern, the majority of the flash animations require a high random access memory (RAM) as well as a fast internet connection. Otherwise, the animations are rather stalled than flowing and it may cause a capacity overload followed by a crash of the browser. This problem could be prevented by providing a simple hypertext mark-up language (HTML) view. Although the product presentation and information on the web page is well-arranged, a direct sale opportunity via an online shop is missing. Skipping retailers by creating an official online store could increase the sales on the one hand, but on the other it may cause a loss of sales partners. Through the comparison of the results gained from the SWOT analysis a more specific marketing strategy is provided by the following SOSTAC analysis, which is a commonly used method to create a marketing plan. 7. 2 SOSTAC Model The SOSTAC-acronym stands for Situation analysis, Objectives, Strategy, Tactics, Action and Control and derives from Smith in the 1990s. The initial situation analysis, which can carried out, for example, by a SWOT analysis, defines the present position of the company. Afterwards, the aim and its objectives were formulated followed by a strategy, including the definition of the target market. In addition, the concrete tactic must be determined by defining the tools of the strategy in more detail. Finally, the specific actions required for the implementation must be identified. To conclude, the whole process, the success or failure must be evaluated by reviewing, updating and modifying. (Cp. Smith 1998 paraphrased in Businessballs 2006) Thus, this model is well applicable to create an e-marketing plan for Sony PlayStation: Situation: At the moment the PlayStation homepage is well-structured, informative and product related. Objectives: Through integrating an official online store traffic should be increased and, consequently, the product sales should rise. Strategy: Set up an official online store run by Sony PlayStation. Tactics: Every visitor of the homepage is more likely to become a customer by providing special offers via an online store. Action: Hiring a company (web designer) which develops and implements the PlayStation online shop. Control: Maintenance – this means to control the traffic on the website in order to analyse and improve the online appearance. 8. Conclusion To summarise, the customers represent the number one priority within a company and, therefore, the company’s main task is to attract, keep and maintain their loyalty. This can be done by developing an in-depth marketing plan including an e-marketing plan. As demonstrated above, the implementation of the SWOT-analysis and the SOSTAC-model is the initial framework to create a strategy plan. In the case of Sony PlayStation, this means adding an option for online sales to their already well-designed homepage might increase their overall product sales and, consequently, their business volume. For the implementation of an online store a web designer might be required. As mentioned before, the whole process needs to be monitored constantly, which includes obtaining regularly the customers’ feedback. All in all, related to the results of the analysis an e-marketing plan represents an essential tool for developing a successful webpage. References Bach, B. (2007) Implications of Enabling Technologies for Apple Inc. : Cybermarketing and enabling technologies. Googlebooks [Online]. Available at: http://books. google. co. uk/books? l=enlr=id=yJbwFr1M4HUCoi=fndpg=PA2dq=emarketing+independence+of+location+ots=j7bgNOf78asig=jQRagQ8cBrj0cpskyc2B2lM00M#v=onepageq=independence%20of%20locationf=false (Accessed: 16 November 2011). Chaffey, D. Smith, P. R. (2008) eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimising your digital marketing. 3rd edn. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Chapman, A. (2006) Businessballs [Online]. Available at: http://www. businessballs. com/pr_smiths_ sostac_plan ning_method. htm (Accessed: 16 November 2011). Evans, N. , Campbell, D. Stonehouse, G. (2003) Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism. EBLIB [Online]. Available at:

Jap Theatre essay essays

Jap Theatre essay essays Essay Question: How do we equate the dark and serious theatre of the 1960s in Japan with the lighter, fluffy theatre of the 1990s? Is this a fair description of both theatres? Are they part of the same movement? Are they simply a mirror to contemporary Japanese society? Shogeki-Jo, the little theatre movement of the 1960s, also called the underground (angura) theatre has formed the basis of contemporary theatre in Japan. This theatre developed in a spirit of revolt against the post war Japanese mainstream. The first generation artist of angura, such as Terayama Shuji, Suzuki Tadashi and Kara Juro, created a dark world of passions that broke the conventional frame of theatre; the first modern theatre that is uniquely Japanese in aesthetics and practice. In the 1980s and the 90s, as the social conditions in Japan changed drastically, the focus of angura theatre also shifted. It developed mainly in two directions. One is the light, fluffy theatre of Noda Hideki and the quiet theatre of Hirata Oriza, where the radical element of underground theatre has been replaced by normalization and popularization; hence its relation to the original angura impetus becomes uncertain. However, the other strand of the angura development demonstrates the return of ra dical theatre in the 1990s. Dealing with issues concerning the despair of post bubble Japan, theatre groups such as Daisan Erotica, Gekidan Kaitaisha and Dumb Type integrated theory and practice in their performances, presenting a theatre that can  ¡intervene in and subvert dominant construct of Japanese social reality ¡ . Despite their differences in style and concept, traits of 1960s angura theatre are evident in both of these later developments, as they are indeed all, unique expressions concerning the contemporary Japanese society. The 1960s in Japan was an era of radical social changes due to the wide spread political movement against the renewal of the US ¡VJapan Security Tre...

Discuss how mechanical engineering has helped the human race to Assignment

Discuss how mechanical engineering has helped the human race to develop - Assignment Example Among the aspects of human lives, that mechanical engineering has influenced includes transportation. Throughout the history of humans, the transportation of products to the commercial centers was one of the biggest challenges to the development and faster civilization of humans. However, with the discovery of mechanical engineering, humans have fast tracked developments in communication and transportation technologies thus developing stronger economies of the contemporary society. Introduction Mechanical engineering began in the 18th century in central Europe during the industrial revolution. The wave of industrial revolution in Europe influenced numerous discoveries with the view of increasing the use of machines to replace the extensive human labor that had preceded the agrarian revolution. Humans thus concerted their effort in determining the best ways of harnessing heat energy and using it to run machines. Among the several areas, that humans concentrated on was transportation. Humans had tried developing faster and easier ways of transportation to help facilitate the movements of both people and products. After the invention of the wheel much earlier, humans concentrated on inventing ways of propelling the wheel and using it to facilitate transportation. Through mechanical engineering, humans discovered the use of fossil and among other fuels to produce heat capable of propelling engines. The invention of automobiles, ships and airplanes in the modern societies origi nated from the concerted efforts of such early mundane mechanical engineers as Isaac Newton and Archimedes to explain some of the developments in the field. Integration and interaction were and still are essential psychological concepts that have influenced every aspect of humanity including politics ad economy. Humans needed effective and efficient ways of transporting their products to the market. This was essential for survival since after the agrarian revolution, the climatic disparity resulted in different regions producing specific products. Humans therefore needed effective platforms to trade their products thus develop stronger and more cohesive societies. Additionally, humans had invented and started using some of the basic tools such as hoes and ploughs during the agrarian revolution. With such basic knowledge on the use of tools, humans therefore sought to incorporate the use of machines to pull carts and wagons. With the invention of mechanical engineering, humans could therefore begin developing machines capable of increasing the efficiency of the previously existing tools. The development of effective means of transportation led to the faster industrialization of the European economies. The basic knowledge of propelling motors with fuel is fundamental in the design of motor vehicle among other machines that operate on motion and movable gears. Mechanical engineering aided the discovery of effective means of turning fossil fuel into heat energy thus operating the machines of the basic principles of mechanical engineering (James, 1987). The principles include mechanics, kinematics and thermodynamics among many others. The principles incorporate the use of heat to propel gears and levers to facilitate the movement of specific parts of the machines thus resulting in the movement of the entire machines as in the case of cars, ships and airpl

Social life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social life - Research Paper Example Around 30 or 40 years before, most of the women satisfied with their homely assignments of looking after the children and the family matters. But the development of science and technology and the changing life styles encouraged the women to think in terms of finding an employment for gaining more financial freedom. Earlier, women relied heavily on men for their personal expenses and in many cases they were forced to suppress their needs because of the difficulties in getting money from the men. The over dominance of men in family, social and professional matters forced the women to change their attitudes towards employment and many of them started to come out from the kitchen to join the companies as employees to get more professional and financial freedom. This paper analyses the Economic incentives which have motivated women to continue to participate in the Labour Market. In many countries, the rapid economic growth was due largely to important growth in the manufacturing and services sectors, where substantial and proportionally larger increase of female workers has been registered† (WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, p.1). Traditionally, women were forced to confine their activities within the boundaries of the kitchen or family as the men dominate the women community. Women enjoyed less freedom in financial matters since the men were the ones who earned money for meeting the family expenses. Even though, the women community worked hard in the kitchen or in the home, their jobs were marked as the nonproductive ones and they earned no financial rewards for their hard work. On the other hand, men earned money for their hard work and hence they normally spent the money in their own ways neglecting the needs of the women. For example, men spent lot of money for smoking, drinking etc like enjoyment purposes whereas the women were depriv ed of such enjoyments because of the lack of financial rewards they were getting for their hard work. In

Calculus project Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Calculus project - Lab Report Example Q2. A scalar quantity can be either negative or zero or positive. This depends on choice of the reference point or zero point. Choice of reference or zero comes from convention and / or convenience. Suppose someone is conduction an experiment and observing some change with time; then he can choose zero time as per his convenience and there is nothing that can bar his choice of zero or reference point for time, if some choice of zero reference point is offering him some convenience in formulating some equation or like that he is free to choose it. Once he has assigned some zero or reference point for time, the time corresponding to all the preceding events becomes zero. In fact we write 1999 AD which is nothing but +1999 year and similarly a date like 530 BC is as good as -530 years. Similarly, another scalar quantity temperature is often measured in negative with melting point of ice being 0o Celsius and all the temperatures below it being negative temperatures. Similarly one can find many instances where scalar quantities are have negative values. Q3. A vector quantity is formed by vector addition of its components. Therefore, if any of the components has a non-zero magnitude the vector will also have a non-zero magnitude. So it is not possible to have a vector of zero magnitude if one of its components is not zero. However, under some operations, in which the magnitude of the resultant depends not only on the magnitude of the individual vectors but on the angle between the two vectors as well; one can get a resultant of zero magnitude. This is illustrated below. This means resultant of two vectors with unequal magnitude can be zero under scalar product provided the two vectors are mutually perpendicular. Physically work done by a force is zero if the displacement caused by it is normal to its direction. This means resultant of two vectors with unequal magnitude can be

East Asian Culture

East Asian Culture Orient is defined as study of East Asian culture, their tradition and its impact on the rest of the world. European found the word orient. The term was further developed in the form of orient and oxidant. Oriental countries are all East Asian countries like Japan, Korea, China and an oxidant country means all Western countries. The word ‘Orient describes in many ways, as far as Edward Said â€Å"its a place of romance, exotic being, haunting memories and landscapes.† In short we can say its a cultural study and its impact on the world through its politics and economy mainly. The orient is the neighbors of Europe and they are the oldest as well as richest colonies of the twentieth century. Orient helped Europe in defining its ideas, personality and culture in many ways. It is an integral part of the European material civilization and culture. Said mentioned in his book â€Å"Orientalism expresses and represents that part culturally and even ideologically as a mode of discourse with supporting institutions, vocabulary, scholarships, imaginary, doctrine and even colonial bureaucracies and colonial styles.† From Edward Saids point of view there was negligence in orientalism by the world. The reason was high ended executive attitude of ninetieth and early twentieth century in European colonies. Japan was the sufferer of the cross cultural conflict in early twentieth century The conflict was between the Japan and western countries. In the early twentieth century Japan and other oriental regions often carries assumptions that western countries are far more superior and eastern region that is oriental region is more superior for there ancient tradition. Therefore orientalsim is known for understanding eastern culture to west. The reasons behind the conflicts were, orient of Japan represents a unique culture field which is modernistic also and has traditional Japanese sense also. In some respect for Japan I can say orientalism is the part of ethnocentrism. Orientalism is not an outdated way of knowing colonism in Japan but also it is an integral part of the modern consciousness. Ethnocentrism is a particular group of culture which is somehow better than the other cultural groups. It is a view of there own understanding towards there own culture. Till late eighteenth century, people were seeing the interchange between the academic and imaginative type of orientalism, but after some more further detailed research Edward Said discovered the third type of orientalism which is called as Academic orientalism. In this corporate institution analyzed and discussed orientalism in there own ways, therefore we can say that orientalism as a western style for dominating, recruiting and having authority towards the orient. From Edward Saids point of view, orientalism is fueled by academic orientalism concept. E.g. In America, in late twentieth century, the term orientalism was changed to ‘East Asian studies but in Britain and some parts of Europe it is still called as ‘School of Oriental and African Studies or SOAS. The fact of Saids orientalism as not much to consider because, culture and nations whose location is in the east and there histories, customs have less reality and it is better than it could be said and assumed. For understanding the ideas, histories, culture and power of configuration, the orient was created, which is called as orientalized. These things simply believe that, things happen simply as a necessity of the imagination and the power of dominance between the orient and oxidant. Orientalism is not exactly called as a political subject or issue as it is passively reflected by culture, scholarships, institution and not the large diffuse collection of text about the orient. It is rather than cultural, geographical awareness to the western world, this might help to western world to understand the orient properly and to correct the wrong assumptions made over the orient. It is a distribution of geopolitical awareness into the aesthetics, scholarly, economic, sociological and historic text. It is an elaboration of geographical location as well as scholarly discoveries and phi logical reconstruction. Americans ideological thinking about east has generally found that, American give more importance to China than other oriental countries like Japan. They think that, Chinese culture is more easily accessible and flexible than Japanese culture. American feels Chinese are more like them in more private nature, they are educated, rational and more practical as well as they are more frank. Even Chinese food is more adoptable and has some western influence to it but Japanese eat raw fish and Miso soup which is not comfortable to western world. Japanese orientalism has much more cultural conflicts than other because, in late eighteenth century Japanese people feels that there culture is more mixed with western culture but western countries feels that Japanese culture is not more easily accessible to them. Japanese social institutions signify that, Japanese culture has high level of sophistication, yet it also appeared highly feudal to modern world. Western image of Japan was not fully negative. There are many positive cultural and traditional things that western world thinks about Japan. Romantic culture really teaches the world there sophisticated culture, with its indigenous traditions are in close harmony. Some of the world famous things of cultural evidence are Bonsai trees, bamboo and wooden houses, female accessories from natural resources like bamboo stick hats, Zen Buddhism and meditation techniques, macrobiotic cooking and ceramic vessel art teaches the modern world about Japanese quality of living and the evidence of there culture that they are aesthetically more attuned than rest of the world. Image of the Japanese people in there private life is completely different. They are little bit fanatical, deceitful in nature. The great study of different cultures in the world done by Richard D. Lewis in his book known as ‘When cultures collides which was published in 1982. This book is the best referral to many other people who do there business overseas. Richard wrote some specific observation of Japanese people in his book, Japanese children are encouraged to be completely dependent and keep a sense of interdependence throughout their lives. Everything must be placed in context in Japan. Japanese are constrained by their thought processes in a language very different from any other. They do not like meeting newcomers. They represent their group and can not therefore pronounce on any matters without consultation- cannot initiate an exchange of views. Westerners are individuals, but the Japanese represent a company which represents Japan The Japanese go to incredible lengths to be polite. As far as I conclude on Richards comments on Japanese people, I feel Japanese people are very private in nature and independent from childhood. They have very much proud feeling for there country and every time they mention there feelings. If they do some mistake then, they can go to any level of politeness. In World War II ethnocentrism exhibited, which carried some negative consequences in terms of cross cultural communications. Reaction of America on economic defeat created some negative impact on the Japanese people living in America. E.g. Congressman smashed Japanese radio in Capitol Hill and Chinese person was murdered as he was assumed as Japanese. So I can say that Orientalism taught many cultural things to world through there tradition and oriental objects. For my essay I chose Japanese six paneled screen as my oriental object. As this object is oriental, there are many cultural details hidden inside this object and through the detail analysis I will show some points of oriental evidence hidden in the object.

Sexuality and the Grotesque in Toni Morrisons Beloved Essay -- essays

Sexuality and the Grotesque in Toni Morrison's Beloved Grotesque images of rape, murder, and sexual abuse are recurring throughout Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. The ideals of the white oppressor, be it murder, rape, or sexual abuse were powerful forces that shaped the lives of many of the characters, especially the character Sethe. Rape and sexual abuse are two grotesque instances expressed throughout the novel. The most often referred to is the incident when Schoolteacher?s nephews stole Sethe?s breast milk but many other incidents included Paul D was forced to felicitate prison Guards on the chain gang every morning. Ella is locked up and repeatedly raped by a father and son she calls ?the worst yet?. Stamp Paid?s wife Yashti is forced to have sex by her enslaver. Baby Suggs is compelled to have sex with ?a straw? boss who later breaks his coercive promise not to sell her children. Sethe?s mother is ?taken up my many in the crew? and Sethe is put in the position where she must endure ten minutes of sex with the tombstone engraver so the tombstone could read ?Beloved.? ?This act is a key note for the whole book: in the world of slavery and poverty, where human beings are merchandise, everything has its price and the price is tyrannical.? (Atwood 39-40) With all the sexual abuse throughout the novel, the most referred to and seemingly most atrocious was when Schoolteacher. ?The schoolteacher, he?s a sort of master-race proponent who measures the heads of the slaves and tabulates the results to demonstrate that they are more like animals than people.? (Atwood 40) ordered his nephews to steal Sethe?s breast milk. ?They used a cowhide on you?? ?And they took my milk.? ?They beat you when... ...owards the oppressive slave owners. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. "Haunted by Their Nightmares." Bloom's Guides Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Amy Sickels. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 2004. 39-42. Atwood, Margaret. "Margaret Atwood on the Practical Uses of the Supernatural in Beloved." Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1998. 29-32. Barnette, Pamela E. "Pamela E. Barnette on Images of Rape and the Supernatural in Beloved." Bloom's Guides Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Amy Sickels. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 2004. 67-69. Corey, Susan. "Susan Corey on the Grotesque in Beloved." Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's Beloved. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1998. 106-115. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Alfred a. Knopf, 1987.

Attila the Hun †Short Story Essay

Why were the military campaigns of Attila the Hun successful? Attila’s military success will be explained through his ability to lure the Romans into war on a pretext whenever the Romans were vulnerable. His motives behind each war was to abstract as much money from the Romans as possible. Also to be explored will be his ability to assert psychological domination over the Eastern Emperor at a time when the two Empires were at peace. Furthermore to be examined will be his ability to portray himself as diplomatic through treaties and embassy consultations between the Romans and the Huns. Also to be looked at will be how successful was Attila’s at creating and seizing opportunities This will be done by looking at Attila’s campaigns in the east and west Roman Empires. After the death of their Uncle Rua 435/6, Attila and his brother Bleda took control of the Hunnic Empire. The two brothers decided to renegotiate the relationship that existed between their Uncle Rua an d the Eastern Roman Empire based in Constantinople. The Treaty set up by Rua, stipulated that, the Romans paid him an annual subsidy of 350 lbs of gold. He also demanded fugitives who had fled to the Romans and threatened war if they were not returned. The negotiations took place near the city of Margus in 438. According to Priscus the meeting took place according to both parties’ customs. The Huns would hear what the Romans had to say while mounted on horseback while the Romans discussed the meeting on foot. The Huns dictated the new terms of the treaty, referred to as the Peace of Margus. The Huns decided the annual subsidy was to be raised to the sum of 700lbs. The treaty also fixed that for every Roman captive who had escaped from the barbarians, the Romans must pay eight pieces of gold. The treaty also predetermined that all fugitives must be returned to the Huns. Furthermore the emperor Theodosius was to relinquish any ongoing treaties with enemies of the Huns. Moreover the Huns were to conduct the way the free markets on the northern side of the Danube were controlled. Attila used the markets as a pretext to wage war on the east. The free markets were attacked by Hunnic traders in 441/2 killing Roman merchants during the raid. Theodosius complained that the Huns had violated the â€Å"Peace of Margus†. The Huns reported to the Romans that the Bishop of Margus had crossed over to their territory and robbed their royal tombs. They complained that the Romans had not honoured the Peace of Margus by refusing to return fugitives to them. Additionally, they demanded the Bishop be handed over as well. The significance of these allegations was central to the Huns plan for an attack during the campaigning season. The Romans refused both claims and war was declared. Having successfully provoked the Eastern Romans into a war had been a strategic move by the Hunnic leader. Attila knew the eastern Roman field forces were based in Sicily on a joint expedition with the Western Empire to recapture Carthage from the Vandals led by king Geseric. The North African campaign was partially why Theodosius readily agreed to the treaty of Margus. He thought it would give the east breathing space. Moreover Carthage was crucial to the Western Empire as it provided Rome with grain. Knowing that the east was vulnerable, the Huns would cause carnage throughout the Balkans. Margus was a key city that opened up the Balkans for the Hunnic invasion of the east. The Bishop of Margus defected to the Huns. In return for clemency he handed over the Episcopal city. The Huns swept through the Balkans raising cities to the ground. The key fortified city of Naissus was besieged and taken. Priscus gives an account of the siege. He states â€Å"†¦a large number of [Hunnic siege] engines had been brought up to the wall†¦the so called rams were brought up also†¦A beam is suspended by slack chains†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . However, Professor E.A Thompson disputes that the siege occurred and that Priscus borrows heavily on Thucydides’ account of the Battle at Plataea. Professor Thompson states four reasons to argue his point, among them the Huns inept ability to construct such machines and also it is unlikely that the Hunnic archers, who rarely dismounted, would on this occasion have left their horses for a totally alien form of warfare. On the other hand, they may have been quite capable of such construction for it is well documented they had enslaved many tradesmen. As for example in the bath which was made for the Hunnic noble Onegesius by a craftsman who was captured at Sirmium. Nevertheless the Huns ransacked and pillaged the Balkans taking fortified cities along the way such as Viminacium, Illy ricum and defeated the Roman army at Chersonese. According to Brian Croke, In 441 the Huns invaded Illyricum only and in 442 broke into northern Thrace . The Romans sued for peace and the Treaty of Anatolius was agreed. Attila terms demanded that the annual tribute be tripled to 2,100 pounds of gold. He also compelled the Romans to surrender all Hun deserters and to ransom their own deserters at a rate of twelve solidi each. The treaty, however, contained one provision that had no precedent. Attila forced the Romans to make an immediate payment of 6,000 pounds of gold. Attila’s plan to force a war to bring about higher subsidies had worked. He would devastate the Balkans for a second time in 447 when he came looking for subsidies that were in arrears. When Atillas second campaign of the Balkans began in 447 he was sole leader of the Huns after having his brother Bleda killed in 445/6. A year later an embassy was sent by Attila to the Imperial court to address the issue of arrears and fugitives. The Romans were now feeling in a stronger position. They had introduced a new law in 443 which insured Military readiness for the Eastern Field forces. They had been strengthened by a recruitment of a large number of Isaurians – traditionally bandits- from the highlands of Cilicia in south-west Asia Minor. Moreover the Eastern army had been forced to return from Sicily after Attila’s first campaign. Attila turned as far south to Thermopylae and then west, ransacking Marcianople, Arcadiopolis, and Callipolis. An earthquake at Constantinople had occurred, Attila decided to turn back. The Imperial City was heavily fortified with triple walls that had been repaired hastily after the earthquake. The legislated Military Readiness law was of little use to the Romans as Attila wreaked havoc on an unprecedented scale. The results were the same as the first campaign, the Romans sued for peace and the second treaty of Anatolius was agreed. More subsides was agreed and a large track of land to act as a buffer zone between the Huns and the Romans was approved. Attila had succeeded at luring the Eastern Empire into war on a pretext to extort more subsidies. He was also adept at asserting his psychological domination, by humiliating the Eastern Emperor Theodosius at Constantinople. Theodosius was humiliated in 449 when his Eunuch Chrysaphius hatched a plot to assassinate Attila. The Plot was unbeknown to the Roman ambassador Maximinus, and his escort Priscus. They were sent to Attila’s camp to discuss issues in the treaty such as the ongoing fugitives case and the issue of the land used as a buffer zone. To give a picture of the devastation Attila caused in the Balkans. Prisucus relates how when travelling to Attila’s court in 449 they stopped at Naissus to pitch tent, he states how the pl ace was littered with bones from Attila’s first campaign. Attila’s refusal to meet the missionaries irritated Maximinus and Priscus. He ordered them to leave then ordered them to stay. Maximinus and Priscus were at a loss to Attila’s behaviour. Maximinus was frustrated and urged Priscus to arrange a meeting with Attila. Priscus succeeded by offering gifts to Onegesius’ brother Scottas to secure them a meeting with Attila. The two missionaries were shocked when it was revealed to them by Attila’s men the purpose of their mission. After nothing left to stay for they departed home despaired. They met their interpreter Bigilas travelling back to Attila’s court whom he had dismissed earlier. When they had initially left Constantinople, Chrysaphius had persuaded Edeco to kill Attila. Edeco had arrived in Constantinople the previous spring as a Hunnic ambassador and was now returning to Attila’s camp along with Maximinus and Priscus. Edeco a faithful and trustful servant to Attila had revealed the details at once. When Bigilas arrived he was immediately set upon by Attila’s men a nd a bag with 50lbs of gold was found in his possession. It was the reward money to Edeco if he had succeeded in killing Attila. Bigilas’ son was threatened with death if he did not come back with another 50lbs of gold. Attila sent his Roman secretary Orestes as a Hunnic ambassador to Constantinople with the empty bag around his neck. His instructions were to ask Theodosius if he recognised the bag. Priscus gives a clear account of the humiliation when he states â€Å"Eslas was to say directly that Theodosius was the son of a nobly born father, and Attila too was off noble descent†¦whereas Attila had preserved his noble linage, Theodosius had fallen from his and was Attila’s slave bound to the payment of tribute†. Attila had succeeded at psychologically humiliating Theodosius. Furthermore, as the interpreter returned with the 50lb of gold to free his son, Attila had gained more subsidies in the form of 100lbs gold even though the two sides were at peace. Priscus observed an interesting point at Attila’s cou rt. He noticed Attila was asking western ambassadors to hand over a silver plate dealer who resided in Rome, named Silvanus. Attila claimed Silvanus had stolen gold vessels from him. Silvanus maintained he had bought the vessels from Attila’s secretary Constantius. Attila had Constantius crucified and called for the surrender of the Silvanus. The Roman General Aetius refused Attila’s demand. Aetius declared that Silvanus was Constantius’ creditor, despite the fact that he did offer to pay for the price of the vessels he would not hand over the innocent Silvanus. Attila had got his pretext to wage war in the west. Moreover in c.450 a Frankish succession crisis brought about a situation where one claimant appealed to the Huns and the other to the Vatican. In 451 Attila left the Hungarian plains and turned westwards to Gaul. The Hunnic invasion of Gaul was accompanied by allies such as the Rugian, Gepid, Burgundian, Scirian, Thuringian and Franks. They initially swept away defenceless cities such as Metz and Constantine’s’ old Imperial city at Trier. At the city of Orleans they met heavy resistance from the Alans who were in the service of the Romans. Aetius and Theodoric along with several other mercenary tribes manage to lure Attila away from Orleans. The following month was the Battle of Chalons on the Catalaunian fields. The battle of Catulaunian Fields is regarded as one of the decisive battles of the western world. Attila’s army was defeated by Aetius who represented the incapable Western Emperor Valentinian. Both sides suffered heavy losses, the Gothic king Theodoric had been killed in the battle. Aetius advised Theodoric’s’ son Thorismud to return home to defend his claim to the throne, as a result disabling Aetius’ pursuit of the battle against the Hunnic alliance. Attila retreated back to the Hungarian plains to plan his next move. Within a year the Huns were on the move again. The Western Emperor Valentinian’ sister Honoria had been caught having an affair and was bethrothed to another man named Herculanus. She sent her eunuch Hyacinthus to Attila before he entered Gaul offering herself as his wife and half the western Empire as her dowry. She had sent her ring as proof of her commitment. Attila waged war on Italy in 452 on the pretext he was entitled to half the Western Empire. Attila pillaged the wealthiest cities in northern Italy most notably Aquileia and Milan. When he was marching towards Rome papal legend claims Pope Leo persuaded him to abandon his plan and not to attack Rome. More practical issues would be his incompetence in preparing a supply line of food for his huge army. It could also be said the army was suffering from breakouts of various diseases. Furthermore an Eastern Roman General also named Aetius had invaded Attila’s kingdom. Nonetheless, Attila decided to return home to his vast Empire north of the Danube where he died the following year on his wedding night. The Huns had been inadvertently responsible for creating the instability the Western Empire now faced. Attila’s predecessors had forced, Germanic, Alans, Suevi and other tribes into the Empire for sanctuary. In 376 the Romans were beseeched by Goths north of the Danube to be admitted into the Empire who had been retreating under Hunnic Pressure. They had been driven from their lands by the Huns and were now crossing the Danube to reach the Empire. When the Goths were admitted into the Empire during the late fourth century, the authorities gave them food and land to cultivate. The Eastern Emperor Valens viewed them as foedearti and more taxes; this would benefit the army and treasury alike. Moreover the rich landowners would benefit from their labourer. Too many refugees came across for the Romans to count, but it may possibly have been in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Many were dispersed to whether they were needed to stop them becoming a threat to the Empire. The displacement of the Goths by the Huns and acceptance by Emperor Valens is often viewed as the beginning of the end for the Western Roman Empire. The invitation quickly turned to attempted invasion when the Romans in the east suffered their worst defeat in 600 years at the battle of Adrianople in 378. The Goths led by king Fritergen killed the emperor Valens; not until the ninth century would another emperor die in battle. They slaughtered two thirds of the Eastern Roman army. It was a self inflicted wound, near crippling the east. If the Goths had been treated better in the east, they may have helped the Romans face the Hunnic hordes already closing in from the Steppes. Furthermore slightly more than three decades later the Visigoths led by Alaric would sack Rome in 410. These two conquests in the east and west is evident the once mighty Roman Empires glory days were almost at an end. By the time the Huns had turned west from the Hungarian plains into Gaul, the west was already a weakened Empire through lose of land, taxes and military power. By the time of Attila’s arrival the Western Empire was dominated by barbarian tribes. Germanic forces had fought and weakened the empire in northern Gaul. Consequently it seems to have become a patchwork of territories ruled by unrecognised chiefs, leaders whose authority was based upon Roman titles, and barbarian warlords. The tribes were dominant enough to conduct their own foreign policy and more importantly, alliances, without Roman approval. For example Theodoric married his one of his daughters to the heir of the Vandal throne and another to the Suevic king. In Gaul 406, 408, and 411, the Romans had fought among themselves and suffered heavy losses. Supported by the Huns in 425 they suffered further losses at the hands of the Vandals. In 439 Aetius was fighting the Goths in Gaul in and restoring order against local rebels named by Romans as Bagaudae at Aremorica. Geseric took advantage and took Carthage by surprise. Due to the manpower crisis the Empire could not afford to fight on two fronts. To protect Carthage, Aetius had to make peace with the Gothic king Theodoric to free himself in order to fight the Vandals. Aetius had increasingly become heavily depended upon recruiting barbarian allies outside the Empire.. Attila made unsuccessful attempts to extract wealth from the west. Attila’s campaigns can be measured as successful through his tactics, his ability to lure the Romans into war on a pretext. He tended to act diplomatic by negotiating treaties then he would dishonour his own treaty and blame the Romans, Attila repeatedly used the issue â€Å"fugitives† as a case to wage war. Attila’s success can be measured on his achievements through the raising of subsides with each treaty. Attila achieved what he had set out to do from the start and that was to get as much money from the Romans as possible. Attila never wanted to conquer Constantinople or Rome. He wanted to extract as much subsides as he could. The Eastern Empire collected taxes from Egypt to Asia Minor and the Huns had no navy to uphold this lucrative adventure. It was easier for them to collect of the Romans. His successful campaigns were planned strategically. His campaigns can be measured by breaking up an important joint East-West enterprise to save Carthage. This is also the case in the west. He knew it was in a factional position and politically unstable. It was an opportunity Attila Seized upon. Attila campaigns were thought out in advance and sometimes long before the enemy realised. Attila could also be tactful; evident to this was shown hen Attila humiliated Theodosius. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443. in The American Journal of Philology, Vol. XCV11, No. 2 (1976), p.178 [ 2 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443., p.177 [ 3 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire: A new history of Rome and the barbarians (USA, 2006), p.301 [ 4 ]. E. Gibbon, (2012-05-12). History of the Decline and fall of the Roman Empire – Volume 3 (Kindle Locations 3917-3922). . Kindle Edition. [ 5 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.301 [ 6 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443., p.177 [ 7 ]. E. Gibbon, (2012-05-12). History of the Decline and fall of the Roman Empire – Volume 3 (Kindle Locations 3998-4001). . Kindle Edition. [ 8 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443, p.178 [ 9 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.302 [ 10 ]. R. Blockley, â€Å"Dexippus and Priscus and the Thucydidean account of the siege of Plataea†. in Phoenix, Vol. XXV1, No. 1 (1972), p.25 [ 11 ]. R. Blockley, â€Å"Dexippus and Priscus and the Thucydidean account of the siege of Plataea†, p.25 [ 12 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443., pp. 176-179 [ 13 ]. B.Croke, The Context and Date of Priscus Fragment 6. Classical Philology, Vol. 78, No. 4 (Oct., 1983), pp. 297-308 [ 14 ]. W. Bayless, The Treaty with the Huns of 443., pp. 176-179 [ 15 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.302 [ 16 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.302 [ 17 ]. Medieval Sourcebook, â€Å"Priscus at the court of Attila† (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/priscus1.asp) (30 Nov. 2012) [ 18 ]. Medieval Sourcebook, â€Å"Priscus at the court of Attila† (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/priscus1.asp) (30 Nov. 2012) [ 19 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.324 [ 20 ]. Medieval Sourcebook, â€Å"Priscus at the court of Attila† (http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/priscus1.asp) (30 Nov. 2012) [ 21 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West 376-568 (UK, 2007), p.250 [ 22 ]. P. Heather, The fall of the Roman Empire, p.324 [ 23 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.253 [ 24 ]. E.A. Thompson, Romans and Barbarians, p.16 [ 25 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.252 [ 26 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.252 [ 27 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West 376-568, p.254 [ 28 ]. P. Heather. The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in The English Historical Review, Vol. 110, No. 435 (Feb., 1995), p.11 [ 29 ]. J. Moorhead, The Roman Empire divided 400-700 (UK, 2001), p12 [ 30 ]. E.A. Thompson, Romans and Barbarians: The decline of the Western Empire (USA, 1982), p.16 [ 31 ]. J. Moorhead, The Roman Empire divided, p.12 [ 32 ]. J. Moorhead, The Roman Empire divided, p.62 [ 33 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.243 [ 34 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.247 [ 35 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.245 [ 36 ]. G. Halsall, Barbarians Migrations and the Roman West, p.254 [ 37 ]. J. Moorhead, The Roman Empire divided, p.53

Capitation Is for Specialists, Not for Primary Care Physicians Essays

Capitation Is for Specialists, Not for Primary Care Physicians Essays Capitation Is for Specialists, Not for Primary Care Physicians Paper Capitation Is for Specialists, Not for Primary Care Physicians Paper Capitation is the changing of risk and the medical management responsibility to physicians in exchange for a flat, per-member payment, usually in monthly allotments. It means the cutting of physicians compensation and using it as a medium for providing reimbursement incentives to decrease the number of inpatient bed days and unnecessary specialist procedures. Problem of the Article The problem is on what model or practice of capitation must be used and applied in order to resolve the proper allocation of budget among health authorities. This article is written to help develop an understanding by presenting the viable ideas on choosing the right model. It presents the advantages and the disadvantages of the models of capitation. The specialist at the Unified Physicians is capitated while specialists from other Independent Practice Association are not. United Physicians gets $36 per member per month to give a full range of professional and diagnostic services to commercial patients while the IPA funds are retained in risk pools or reinsurance, which serves as their only source of income. The risk pool funds are excess amounts that remain in the hospital pool, which is shared with the HMO or the hospital. Techniques Used to Address the Problem: Pro’s and Con’s There are two models for capitation. The first model is shared capitation, which is about setting a limited budget for the amount allocated for specialty care. Specialists bill into this pool, and is being paid back for adjustments based on the utilization trend. There continues to be the same number of physicians and everybody is participating thus it is easy. It projects a moderate climate of competition among the specialists over the fairness of the distribution of the funds. However, the disadvantage is on the utilization and budgeting part. In this model, everybody bills into this fund and an uncontrolled utilization results. It is not unusual for the fund to fall short at the end of the first or second quarter because shared capitation does not help the risk pools and0 it neither controls inpatient nor outpatient utilization. In addition, it does not solve the clinical variation across the broad range of physicians in the medical group or IPA. Group capitation as chosen by the Unified Physicians has the greatest political risk because there is a selection of physicians to participate and a disenfranchisement of some physician. In other words, if the physicians have been participating in the IPA for a number of years, they may be paralyzed and loses out of patients that they have previously seen for some time. In addition, some shareholders may be offended, and it is the most politically risky undertaking. Nevertheless, group capitation was chosen mainly because it puts utilization back in the hands of the providers. In this model, there is a rejection of prior authorization as physicians join to develop guidelines and best practices. They can create guidelines in each specialty and across specialties. Assessment The trends of medical care have changed a lot since 1997 to the present day. It has become very flexible and assures competency among practitioners. It is created to meet the demand of the health care services regardless of the model whether it is a capitation or a fee-for-service. References Kullman, Shelley. (1997). Capitation Is for Specialists, Not for Primary Care Physician. Pacific Communities Management Services Organization Harbor City, Calif.

Gladiator vs Hannibal essays

Gladiator vs Hannibal essays Ridley Scott, being contemporary and innovative is one of many film directors who have a certain style that is ever present throughout their films. Gladiator and Hannibal two of Scotts best movies do not share plot summary yet they encompass similar techniques to achieve their desired look. In two different scenes Scott incorporates similar lighting, camera movement, angles and music to tell the stories of both the characters of Maximus and Clarise. This work looks at each of the techniques used in the four scenes and how they compare and contrast. Scott is considered one the best directors around and one who expresses his ideas through not only the plot but also in the way the plot takes place. He enjoys using many different kind of camera angles especially cross cutting and quick cutting. Crosscutting is when in a scene the camera moves back and forth over the shoulder of tow people who are engaging in a conversation or some sort of action. Scott uses this in his films because he likes to use different ideas or themes that involve close action. Quick cutting, which is mostly noticeable in Gladiator, is when there is a lot of action in one scene and the camera moves back and forth really quickly in order to catch all of the action. This attempts to make the action look like it is moving much faster than it really is. Scott uses both of these techniques throughout both movies and achieves his goal of completing to excellent movies. Gladiator was truly one of the best films of the year, in 2001. It's about a Roman general who was to be the successor to the Caesar. The Caesar's son kills his father and attempts the same fate for the general. The general escapes but is captured by a band of nomads and is forced into slavery. He is made to fight in the gladiator arena and his skill eventually brings him to the Coliseum. The Romans begin to love and support him, giving him a foothold to overthrow the crooked Caesar. Whil...

Quiet Torrential Sound by Joan Ackermann and a Seinfeld episode Essay

Quiet Torrential Sound by Joan Ackermann and a Seinfeld episode written by Larry David - Essay Example Of course, the main character of the story is Jerry Seinfeld, named after the writer and the producer. He is regarded as the â€Å"voice of reason† (buddychai, n.p). The entire story revolves around this life, and he has appeared consistently in all the episodes of all the different seasons. He is one of those characters, who have a focal point in the lives of the people around him, which include his best friend, his neighbor and his ex-girlfriend. The character of Jerry Seinfeld is mirrored after a real person, for his career in the show remains, that of a stand-up comedian, which also forms the career of the actual person. Jerry brings life to the sitcom, with his comments about his friend’s habits, who are to the say the least, quite quirky and live a very laidback life. This makes the character of Jerry quite observational. One would also find it interesting to observe that Jerry’s identity is closely intertwined with that of his friends. Jerry’s chara cter is shown in the light, through his social network. Prying by George into Jerry’s life shows the viewers about Jerry’s insecurities. Elaine always remarks on how Jerry breaks up with women almost every week, because he always finds reasons to break up with women, including the fact that he breaks up with a woman, because she had manly hands. Moreover, one can also notice Jerry’s stubbornness, for example, when he buys his parent’s car repeatedly, which actually affected him financially. However, any viewer would realize that although the show was meant to be about â€Å"nothing†, it actually shows everything there is about to life that is wholly represented by Jerry’s character. Although he is often frustrated with his friends’ habits, he always finds love and care for them. For example, in one episode â€Å"The Invitations†, Jerry became deeply worried, when George was about to get married because he felt that their group will not be the same

Sumary critique on Williams, J. (2006, Summer2006). Debt Education Assignment

Sumary critique on Williams, J. (2006, Summer2006). Debt Education. Dissent - Assignment Example With the high tuition, fees and interest rates on students’ loans, the author notes that higher education may soon be left to the rich (Williams 54). The author also notes that this debt should not only be treated as a way of financing the students but also as a form of teaching. From the lessons learnt from the student debt, the author proposes that the best way would be to do away with the current system of student debt and move to direct lending controlled by the federal government to colleges (Williams 53-59). The author clearly explains and shows the significance of debt to the students and their families. The author provides credible evidence to show how majority of American populace depend on the student debt to finance their higher education. Education is a necessity and it is for this reason that the author provides sufficient support to the point that people should not pay back for a necessity (William 57). The author also tries to show how student debt has immensely changed over the past decades. In addition, the author shows that the student debt serves more as a teaching mode than as a financing mode. It teaches us that higher education is a consumer service, teaches us career choices, comprehensive view of the world and human life, civic lessons, and the worth of an individual (Williams 56-58). With this, the author tries to answer to the question ‘why student debt should be scraped off and shift to federal government lending’. Moreover, the author has used signific ant terms such as draconian, pedagogy and worldview. However, though the author gives an outstanding proposal, he fails to understand and explain that financing of higher education by the federal government means an increase in taxes, which would be borne by the American Citizens. Increase in taxes would result to increased prices of items, and the poor would again be on the suffering end. In addition, the author fails to give support on why

The main competitors of unearthed in the e-commerce sector Research Paper

The main competitors of unearthed in the e-commerce sector - Research Paper Example TCFG usually imports foods from Spain, France, Italy, Hungary and others etc., which are then sold only across UK in the name of Unearthed ® food brand. Nonetheless, the group is determined to launch their food brand in foreign markets through export to Dubai and European nations. It is worthwhile to mention that every business organisation has competitors, either small or large, if it is operational in a monopolistic / oligopolistic industry where competition exists. Since Unearthed is not a natural monopoly across UK; therefore, it also faces competition from UK continental food distributors, private label firms, importers and specialty food manufacturers that have both physical (having retail stores) and online (e-commerce) presence. TCFG, however, argues that does not face cutthroat competition from other domestic food manufacturers, importers and suppliers because of its highly diversified product range (a result of product development, food discovery of owners, innovation and branding). But, it should also be noted that Unearthed also does not enjoy 90% share, which is the evidence that competition exists in the UK retail food industry.

Of Mice And Men Creative Writing Essay Example for Free

Of Mice And Men Creative Writing Essay The early morning dew on the grass sparkled in the sunlight as it rose from behind the Gabilian mountains. The town of weed was silent, desolate and all you could hear was the flow of the river which was gushing in between the fresh green willows of the Salinas River. The mist was so fine all you could see was the top of the Gabilian Mountains. On the other side of the Salinas River slight dew glistened on the grass, of which there were branches overhanging the green murky pool. On the sandy bank there lay beneath the trees of which had leaves that were brittle from the sunlight. They would make a scurrying noise when the leaves are walked over. Rabbits leap and bound out from their warrens, full of energy from their sleep, going to sit on the golden sand. As the morning became brighter and more alive the wildlife came to arose from the dark to start a fresh new day. There was a vivid path of some sort that went through plants and trees, a path that had been disturbed by boys, men, heavily walking on it coming down from a hard grafts work in the ranches, heading towards the deep pool for a refreshing dip. From another direction there were two shadows of a of a relatively little sized person and a comparatively big in size person. From the shadow of the comparatively big in size person it was very tall and very strongly built and the shadow of the relatively little sized person look less strong and built. The leader of the two men looked as if he was the brain and boss of the large man. He looked like a father figure. Due to the town f weed being deserted the voices of these two men got louder as the came closer to the town of weed. The larger men of the two look as if he was tired and fed up because he was dragging his feet across the path. It looked as if it was an effort carry the weight of the larger man. Sweat was pouring off of him and as they got closer you could here him sighing and saying Are we here yet. For Christ sake I have already told you Lennie that we have got a mile to go yet. Stop moaning, walked quicker and we will get there in no time at all! George said very crossly. Why George is it taking so long. Where are we going George? I am thirsty and hot George. Lennie! How many times will I have to say this we are going to Murray and Readys to get our work cards so they can give us some work? I cant believe you forgot already! I only told you like 15 minutes ago! George looked at Lennie as if he was a little child who couldnt remember anything. George looked at him with disgust. George, George, I am sorry, I really am sorry George. Lennie just shut up and dont forget it again. I am not going to say it again. For a little while there was silence. All you could hear was the rustling of the sand and dust from the path. Then George said come on its not long now, we will be here soon. As George and Lennie walked the final part to get to the ranch George told Lennie about his plans for them both to work on the ranch for a little while and collect some money and then get a place of their own with rabbit and chickens and other stuff. But George also told Lennie that he had to be on his best behaviour as they wanted work otherwise he wouldnt get to tent the rabbits. Right Lennie we are here now. Now you wait out side here and dont move while I get the work cards. Ok George I wont move till you come back. Yeah and be good for gods sake we dont want the boss to find out what a crazy bastard you are sometimes do we. Said George. Whilst George was getting the work cards Lennie was sitting down waiting for him. Lennie started to get bored, so his eyes started to wonder the soundings around him. In the corner of his eye he saw something with looked soft, red dress. It was a young girl with her father. She had rosy cheeks and a friendly smile, and luscious red dress. Lennie thought about what George had said for a second, then looked over at the young girl as she walked and sat next to him. Lennie then decided despite what George had told him, to talk to her and say hello. Lennie took at her and saw red dress and could not bear touching it. The dress looked so velvety and so soft. As he touched the dress he startled her, and so she screamed, but he couldnt let go because it was so silky but the harder he clenched his fists the more he pulled it and the angrier Lennie got, as she tried to get away. As the girl was screaming so loud the father heard and came out but before he had chance to see Lennie, Lennie ran off. George instantly knew that Lennie had done something wrong, so he went in search of Lennie. You crazy basted what you go and do that for. It was all going well until you done that! said George. George, George I am sorry, I really am. I tried not to touch. I did George. Lennie said frightfully as he realised George was very irate with him. George looked at Lennie with anxiety as they ran from the town off Weed. They headed for the forest to make sure anyone that was searching for them wouldnt find them. Bloody hell Lennie I knew that you couldnt go without getting into trouble. Five minutes I left you for, five bloody minutes. What the hell am I going to do with you? George I couldnt help it, you know I couldnt it just looked.. JUST STOP THERE LENNIE! Its all ways sorry George, I didnt mean too. Well now you can sort it out I dont care! Lennie looked at George with disappointment, but knew that he had done wrong. All Lennie could reply with was I am sorry George, I forgot. From that point, on there was little sound all the way to the ranch. They walked for miles and miles on end on a long, boring and dusty road. There was not one mutter of a word.

A Factor For Firm Formation Economics Essay

A Factor For Firm Formation Economics Essay Firms are all around us and are the main expressers of economic activity in the modern capitalistic world. We observe firms being created, growing, evolving, expanding into new areas by merging with others but also remaining stable, declining, getting acquired and sometimes declaring bunkruptcy. It is clear that firms activities vary a lot and as a result, multiple studies regarding them have been undertaken during the course of the years. This essays purpose is to address the, perhaps, most important element associated with a firms existence, its formation, and especially the conditions and the reasons under which firms tend to form. But first, in order to be able to explain the circumstances and the factors that lead into the successful formation of a firm, a definition of it will be given. According to Jensen and Meckling, a firm is a legal fiction which serves as a focus for a complex process in which the conflicting objectives of individuals are brought into equilibrium within a framework of contractual relations (1976 p.311). The feature of the firm that makes it unique, though, is its ability to supersede the price mechanism, one of the pylons on which the whole economic theory is based, with decisions taken by the firms agents upon real-life situations and which, in most cases, deviate from what the economic theory through the price mechanism dictates (Coase 1937 p.390). Of major importance in this essay is the attempt to present, describe and evaluate the existence of transaction costs, which is a key aspect of Coases, Arrows Williamsons and Di Maggios analyses of the reasons why firms are formed. However, although it is crucial in understanding the genesis of a firm and its explanatory capability is invaluable, economising on transaction costs theory does not provide a sole explanation of it and other factors must be taken into account in order for us to have a clearer picture of the situation. The purpose and length of the essay does not provide the possibility to elaborate in a thorough and complete way about those factors, but technological advances and entrepreneurial spirit and creativity will be outlined and briefly explained. Moreover, for a successful firm creation to take place, there are many conditions that need to hold true, some of which will be presented in the following analysis. These are: widely understood rules when it comes to go verning a firm, and analytical planning before the actual formation of the firm. Transaction Costs Theory: Both a condition and a factor for firm formation As argued by the title given above, the transaction costs theory can be seen as both a condition and a factor on which a successful firm formation relies, depending on how the reader perceives the situation. The existence of transaction costs is a condition for firms to arise, but the process by which the economic agents economise on transaction costs is probably the most crucial factor that drives firm formation and that is why it will be analysed separately from the other conditions and factors. The main reason for a firms formation is the cost of using the price mechanism by which the economic system is being run (Coase 1937 p.390; Arrow 1969 p.70). Or, according to Williamson, a firm is the product of a series of organisational innovations that have had the purpose and effect of economising on transaction costs (1981 p.1537). More specifically, organising production through the price mechanism enables an obvious transaction cost of finding out what the current prices of interest are. Even if specialist price finders existed, this type of cost would not be totally eliminated (Coase 1937 p.390). As it can be understood, this more realistic theory contradicts with the theoretical model of the economy, in which there is perfect price information to all agents. But what is understood of transaction costs and what actions do firms take in order to reduce them? Transaction costs are mainly the costs of deciding, haggling, arranging and coordinating actions that constantly take place in the market, as Paul Di Maggio has argued (2001 p.8). Furthermore, they include the creation of contracts for each separate transaction that occurs in the market. As firms are created, these contracts are not eliminated but they are greatly reduced, since the founder-manager of the firm does not have to create contracts for every single transaction in which his/her company participates, as implied by the economic theory. Through this procedure, multiple costs are avoided, because the so called marketing costs are strictly reduced. For example, only one contract per employee is needed, in which the relationship between him and the firm (and its agents) is clearly stated. That will include the amount and the way of payment, the working hours and the certain limits within which the employee will have to obey the employer (Coase 1937 pp.390-393). Further methods that firms use in order to minimise transaction costs are the introduction of repetitive and predictable activities for their employees, by giving duties to them through a clear job description, eliminating the possibility of negotiations about the allocation of tasks. As a result, employers have more time to deal with important issues and decisions concerning the firm. In addition, the fair treatment to employees provided by the firms environment guarantees the reduction of transaction costs, since there is a specified reward-punishment system that everybody abides by, that results to immediate elimination of conflicts (Di Maggio 2001 pp.8-9). Regarding the same topic, Williamson has argued that pre-contract negotiation and task and deliverables specification will reduce the necessity for periodic interventions to check the progress of the contracts execution and its successful comple tion (1981 p.1544). Another crucial question about the transaction costs touches upon the reason of their existence. Related to it are two behavioural assumptions: bounded rationality and opportunism. According to the bounded rationality theory, people are less competent in calculations and are not able to account for every issue that is contract-related and therefore are transaction costs created. Moreover, people are opportunistic and unreliable, because they, many times, act having just their personal interest in mind. Consequently, it is possible that they are going to behave in a non-trustworthy and irresponsible way (Williamson 1981 pp.1544-1546). As it has been presented above, a key factor for a firms formation is the deviation from the economic model that portrays humans as perfectly rational beings that make right choices and have no flaws. As a bottomline, Coases writing about firm growth and expansion should be mentioned, according to which firms grow as their entrepreneurs undertake additional transactions exchange transactions that are co-ordinated through the price mechanism and try to expand until the costs of organising an extra transaction within the firm, equals the cost of carrying out the same transaction by means of an exchange on the open market or the costs of organising in another firm (Coase 1937 p.393, p.395). This is important because we are able to grasp how the second major challenge that firms founders face, the growth of their firm, after, of course, the successful formation of the firm, is illustrated based on the transactions theory described earlier. Conditions under which firms are formed Apart from transaction costs, there are also other conditions that need to hold true in order for a firm to be successfully constituted. A set of widely understood and fairly applied rules is essential, because they deter employees from using firms to seek their personal interest and urge them to contribute to achieve the firms goals. Perhaps the most important rule has to do with the hierarchy of the organisation, that is who gives orders to whom and who has the last call, when decision-making is involved. Secondly, clear admission and promotion criteria need to be established, so that firms transparency is maintained, and lastly routines for the performance of work need to exist, in order for deliverables to be easily checked in terms of integrity. Generally, rules within a firm serve a double role by specifying who does what work and by dictating which behaviours are worth rewarding and which punishing (appraisal punishment system) (Di Maggio 2001 p.8). Of major importance, when it comes to explaining the circumstances under which a firm is brought to life, is the planning that the entrepreneur(s)-founder(s) of the firm has/have to do before he/she/they can actually start building it, since a business plan, according to Delmar and Shane, turns abstract goals into concrete operational steps and therefore is crucial for both a firms existence and success. What is meant with the term business planning is the effort that firm founder(s) need(s) to make so that he/she/they gather(s) the appropriate information about a business opportunity and the action of finding and understanding how this information will be used to give birth to a new organisation that will try and make use of this opportunity (2003 p.1165). Through business planning the founder(s)-manager(s) of the firm is/are going to be able to spot and capitalise in a more efficient and risk-free way on the reduction of transaction costs. Without planning, a firm can not in most c ases fulfill its ultimate goal, survival, and the most sought after one, profit maximisation. Factors that drive firm formation Why is a firm created and what are the key factors that lead to its formation are two closely related questions that will be discussed in this section of the essay. One of these factors is technology and its regime that, according to Shane, includes four dimensions age of technical field, tendency of the market towards segmentation, effectiveness of patents and importance of complementary assets in marketing and distribution which affect the trend for inventions to be exploited through new firms formation (2001 p.1188). This formation is the reaction of potential entrepreneurs when they observe that specific domains of tecnology exploitation are profitable. Concluding, technology is crucial because it has become the main reason for innovation and that is the force that drives firms to the creation of new products, services and processes (Chandler 1959 p.25). Yet another factor that leads to firm formation is the creativity that a person shows, when he/she observes an opportunity to make profits through the creation of a product or provision of some kind of service. This creativity is referred to as entrepreneurship and is associated with spirit, vision and alertness to business opportunities that a person needs to possess (Lee, Florida and Acs 2004 pp.889-890). Whether someone possesses the gift of entrepreneurship or not, is determined by regional variation and characteristics such as population size, industrial structure, human capital capacity and financing availability (Armington and Acs 2002 p.37). A useful claim about entrepreneurship was made by Stuart and Sorenson who argued that firms founding rate is affected by social ties and the entrepreneurs need to reside near resources that they find necessary to mobilise (2003 p.229). Finally Schumpeter, when talking about his concept of creative destruction, he underlined the responsibi lity that independently owned firms bear for reforming or revolutionising, another indicator of the importance of entrepreneurship for firm formation as well as growth (1942 p.132). Conclusion To sum up, although there is no doubt that the firm is an important and complex institution, according to Williamson there seems to be disagreement when it comes to examining the conditions and the reasons that underlie its formation (1981 p.1537). However, much of firms formation literature and analysis relies on the existence of transaction costs and the firms attempts to economise on them. The deviation from the markets theory of organising the economic activity to the firms alternative one, brings upon the two behavioural assumptions bounded rationality and opportunism that introduce reality into the model and cease portraying human beings as perfectly rational. Apart from transaction costs, more conditions and firm formation factors are described in order for the analysis to be more complete within the length limit of this essay. Lastly, since the firms will always be in the centre of the economic activity, and as the state of the world and peoples behaviour change through tim e, it is possible that when similar analyses are to be conducted in the future, new findings regarding the reasons and the conditions under which firms arise, will be discovered that might as well change our perspective.