Compare and contrast how do TV ads and Google Ads target customers, Research Proposal

Compare and contrast how do TV ads and Google Ads target customers, and what's their own advantages and disadvantages in that - Research Proposal Example The nature of the product is very important because there are some products and services which can only be advertised on TV because of their common use. Though the use of internet is increasing very much but still we can say that there are many old age people or many other ones who are not interested in the internet based technological world. For those customers the companies may have to revise their marketing strategies. For this kind of targeted part of market the companies may have to focus on the television as the advertising media for the promotion of their products and services. With the help of this research study we will try to provide a deep insight about the development of internet advertising as a tool. Despite the above mentioned part of market that is not interested in the online activities and thus not affected by the Google ads, the other maximum part of the target market is really affected by the internet advertisements. The use of internet is widely increased in the past few years. The research study shows that in the past decades the television advertising is the main source of product promotion for the companies (Lowrey, McCarty & Shrum 2004). But now the preference has been changes and the people are now more focused on the internet ads. The reason behind the change in the behavior is that now the internet is involved in maximum of the activities of the people. They are spending most of the leisure time on internet or on social media. Focusing on the interests of the people companies take advantage of this technology and start using internet a s the tool of advertising. And this strategy is very much famous now for most of the companies or businesses. This research paper will provide an overview of the online and TV advertisements and also the evaluation of both of them so that anyone can easily assess the level of

External envelope (consruction technolgy and materials) Essay

External envelope (consruction technolgy and materials) - Essay Example Facilitation of roadmap meetings and documentation has been performed by the department of energy's office of building technology, state and community programs (BTS) which manages the largest buildings RD& D program in the federal government. By joining forces to implement this technology roadmap, leaders in industry are laying the groundwork for residential housing that is increasingly adaptable, durable, energy and resource efficient, comfortable, and supportive of health and well-being. Modern's methods of constructions are giving architects and specify a great freedom in design that ever before. As well as the new commonly used timer frame and brick and block, insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are raising their profile in the industry. Becoming a viable alternative in providing speedy installation, and satisfaction insulation legislation. Having being used extensively in the U.S. and Canada for over 30 years, companies such as Polysteel are now developing their use in the U.K. projects such as the sovereign Harbor development in East Bourne are taking advantage of ICF's fast track construction. Inclusive design is the only guaranteed method of ensuring that a building is suitable for all disabled people who wish to use it. Inclusive design is about the specification of the building, about the intent to make it suitable for everyone to use. It blends the natural flow of the building in a way that takes account of the requirement of all groups disabled inclusive. U.K BUILDING REGULATIONS The approved document, part M of the U.K.'s building regulations gives some explanation of the reasons for each of its requirements it is in this section of the document that designers and spacefarers can see how to create an interesting building, one that will still satisfy the need of all, including disabled people, according to building products magazine.. In recent years the government has been making "all the right noise" on the environment. There is no doubt that the U.K. is one of the nations leading the way aware of the long-term consequences for us all. I will state here that if we drastically reduce the amount of Co2 emissions this country currently generate, we will contribute to the well being of the entire planet. However, there are three basic measures to be taken: better insulation for our properties making them less reliant on heating; making better use of what nature can offer in terms of wind, ware and solar energy, and most importantly, get our domestic and commercial heating systems running more efficiently. Part L of the building regulations in England and Wales has been a stipulation that boilers fitted into new properties are of the high efficiency type, with the resultant reduction in consumption of gas. According to Stephen Magdalena "over the years, architectural recast concrete cladding panels have built track records of meeting essential client requirements in a wide range of application.." MATERIAL UTILIZATIONS Of course the decision to prefabricate must be taken early and the specialist full advantage is to be gained. The range of caddy finishes available can be split into two groups: those where the actual concrete in on view and those where the concrete forms a backing to other materials. In all cases, quality is guaranteed

Evolution of Management Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Management Essay From the Biblical times we find monarchies of the time use some form of management to lord over the great kingdoms such as the Egyptians who used hierarchy management to build the pyramids, Moses leading the Israelites through the desert to the promised land and King David when he was in charge of the kingdom of Israel. In Ancient civilizations, the Roman Empire made use of devolved government to manage the vast empires resources. This was done through governors’ who were in charge of certain areas as we see in the bible during the birth of Jesus Christ. We can find artifacts that in old cities such as Jerusalem where we find aqueducts that give us an idea of how they managed the water resources. Modernization of the world led to cities and towns that brought about the need to manage the resources in order to provide services to the people living within them. We also find management in the church and military before the industrial revolution. The Roman Catholic Church is one example that has had an impact on management as we see in the catholic hierarchy led by the pope and includes cardinals, patriarchs, and bishops. The Military has greatly influenced management through power vested in positions in the chain of command. Management continued to evolve and we find individuals in history who have made contributions to the art of management as we know it; Luka Pacioli was an Italian mathematician considered the father of accounting. He invented the double entry accounting system. Adam Smith was a political economist whose concepts on economics at the beginning of the industrial revolution contributed greatly to management today. Robert Owens, Charles Babbage, Henry Vernum Poor and Henry Robinson Towne are other individuals who were influential to management in this era. With the onset of the industrial revolution, new ways of management came into play as new generations looked to increase productivity of organizations. Classical Era Scientific Management Scientific management was pioneered by Frederick W. Taylor a mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He saw the need to have management design jobs properly and provide incentives to motivate workers to achieve higher productivity. His ideology was to find the best practice, decompose the task into its constituent elements and get rid of things that do not add value. Taylor’s scientific management gave way to specialization and is considered the basis to many other management systems that came after. Taylor was supported in this new way of management by Henry Gantt who is accredited with the Gantt chart that is widely used for project management. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were also early advocates of the scientific management system. Through the motion study, Frank sought to make the processes more efficient by reducing the motions while Lillian’s interest was on the human aspect of work. The human aspect of the scientific management principles seek to understand the workers personality and needs. Administrative Management Henri Fayol, was a French engineer and manager of the mines developed the administrative theory of management. He viewed management as an activity common to all human undertakings. He is credited to giving us the first comprehensive functions of management; 1.Planning  2.Organizing 3.Command/Direct 4.Coordinate 5.Control He urged that management was an all encompassing activity that should be taught in schools, colleges and universities. This approach proposed that management is a skill which can be acquired if its principles are understood and rejected the idea that â€Å"managers are born, not made†. Bureaucratic Management A German Sociologist, Max Weber’s approach to management was by focusing on the organizational structure. His views divided organizations into hierarchies with clear lines of authority and control, divided labor such that authority and responsibility are clearly defined and legitimized, organizational officials are appointed and not elected, organization members are selected on the basis of their technical qualification obtained through formal education and training. Organizations are to treat all employees and customers equally and not be influenced by differences. Weber’s principles on organizing can create stable, organized and systematic organizations but make it difficult for the organization to adapt to changing environments and new challenges. Neo-Classical Era Operations Management (Research) Operations management, also known as quantitative management, gives a quantitative basis for decision making. It is characterised by the search for the optimal answer to a problem by using quantitative models. It specially deals with the development of mathematical models to aid in decision making and problem solving. This theory holds that managing is a logical and rationale process, so it can be expressed in terms of mathematical models.

External Macro Environment Factors

External Macro Environment Factors Human Resource Management (HRM) according to Boxall and Purcell (2003:1) are the actions which involve the management of employment relationships in the firm. The modern world of business is changing rapidly in its attempt to gain and maintain a competitive edge. Business is operating in an environment affected by macro environmental factors ranging from Technology to Legislation and Globalization. These factors and many others are causing business to re-evaluate itself, both internally as well as externally. Structures are becoming flatter and decentralization is taking place as organizations attempt to remain competitive, survive and grow. The macro environment which is the main concern in this essay, are factors like political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment (PESTLE) that can influence an organisation but are out of the organisations control. It is very important for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment since it can great ly make or unmake their businesses. This can be seen on the social changes technological advancement on workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years. In this essay, an elaborated definition of the external macro environment is well explained. Also, explanations of why it is necessary for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment , with reference to relevant academic theory is done. Also an illustration of how technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years is detailed out. The essay is then Concluded and bibliography cited as well. The marketing environment surrounds and impact activities carried out in the organisation. There are three key perspective on the marketing environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment as shown on the diagram below. There are three key perspective on the business environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment according to Kotler et al (2009). The micro environment influence the organisation directly and it includes the consumers, customers, suppliers, new entrants and competitors. All factors like men, money, machines, materials and market that are internal to the organisation are known as the internal environment. The external macro environment involves all those factors ranging from the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment also known as the (PESTLE factor) that affects the organisation uncontrollably, influences the organisations decisions and affects its performance and strategies. These macro factors are continually changing and the company has to be flexible enough to adapt to it. Looking at the political factors affecting a business, it involves factors like initiatives, grants and funding offered by the government, wars, government relationships with other countries, taxation policies, the goods and services the government produces, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. As such the degree of government intervention in the economy will affect companies operating in it. Thus the political atmosphere of a country should be checked before the establishment of a business. Economic factors includes interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation, loan access, unemployment, government spending consumer spending and exchange rates that affects the organisation. Using the economic factors to analyse a business scenario, a higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more to borrow. Also, inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs. Also, a higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products.   Social factors involves religious differences, ethics, lifestyle of the people, demographic changes, education and culture.  For example, changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. In the UK, for example, the population has been ageing. This has increased the costs for firms who are committed to pension payments for their employees because their staff are living longer. Technological factors involves the amount of research funding in the country, consumer purchasing power, technological advancement/ innovation, intellectual property and copy right infringement. For example Bar coding, online shopping, and new computer designs are all new technological development in the way companies do business due to the advancement in technology. Environmental factors involves a countries weather and climate change, the level of pollution, recycling considerations, legislative changes both current and future. Climatic changes can affect companies in the country. With the changes of global climates experienced today due to global warming, firms make this external factor a significant issue of considerations when expanding their businesses internationally Legal factors are factors like  safety, competition, health, future legislation, trading policies and regulatory bodies which relates to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years in the UK for example, there has been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour like in areas like age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation and wages. HR practitioners have to carry out a PESTLE scan of the macro environment where the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental aspects of the business would be scanned properly. This is done in order to caution the HR practitioners on how changes in their external macro environment will impact the organisations activities. The external analysis of the macro environment has both micro and macro focus. At the level of the micro trend, HR practitioners should monitor suppliers, the strength of their competitors, labour supplies and the demographic population. At the level of the macro trend, HR practitioners should monitor the market forecast, technological trends, labour market forecast and trends in public sector employment and political atmosphere of the country. Also, the reason why HR practitioners scan the macro environment is to identify and analyse possible opportunities and threats of the industry as a whole that are outside the control of the industry using the opportunity and threat analysis (SWOT) analysis. The opportunities identifies the environmental characteristics that can help the organisation succeed and the threats identifies environmental characteristics that can prevents the organisation from being successful. As such, with the opportunity and threat analysis, HR practitioners are able to develop a corporate, business and functional level strategy. With the corporate level strategy, the organisation lays a plan action to manage the growth and development of the firm hence profit maximisation in the long run. With the business level strategy, the organisations find ways to counters its threats so as to compete effectively and with the functional level strategy, the HR practitioners establish a plan of action to improve its d epartments so as to create value. All these increases profits and the survival of the organisation. In addition, monitoring the external macro environment will assist the HR practitioner on how to recruit, retain, and develop the workforce they need. As such, HR practitioners are able to carry out their four main functions which are; the acquisition function, development function, motivation function and maintenance function. As such knowing the PESTLE environment will assist them to understand the policies, salaries, culture, educational levels of the potential employees in the country they operate. Once a sound external analysis is conducted, it can be reviewed and updated as part of the planning cycle to identify any significant changes in the environment. Also, looking at the social trends, HR practitioner monitor the external environment in order to know more about the culture of its employees. Trompenaars and Turner (1997) defines culture as the way in which a group of people live, solves problem and reconcile dilemmas. He also postulated seven dimension of culture that relates to relationships with people and their working environment. Also, Arnold et al cited in Handy (1986) pointing out that A strong culture makes a strong organisation and not all culture suits all purposes or people. As such it is necessary for HR practitioners to study their external environment so as to blend the organisations culture with that of its employees in order to create a good working atmosphere in the organisation. Thus resolving cultural differences will bring in team work and group cohesiveness. Furthermore, according to Devanna et al (1984), scanning the external environment assist HR practitioners to fit their HRM policies, practices and strategies in its competitive environment with the immediate business conditions that it faces as shown on the diagram below. The Matching model. As such, informations from the external environment assist HR practitioners to establish a proper mission and strategy, organisational structure and also enables human resource management policies to be used in their organisations based in different countries. The external environment has a major impact on the companies activities and decisions. More often than not, these forces are beyond the control of an organization and its managers. Though non-controllable, these forces require a response in order to keep positive actions with the targeted markets. Thus HR practitioners scan their external environment so that they can respond profitably to unmet needs and trends in the targeted markets. Linked to the above, accordingly, the factors of the environment will need to be considered as inputs in the planning and forecasting models developed by an organization.  Disturbances in the environment may spell profound threats or new opportunities thus the supervision helps HR practitioners to monitor and adapt to the environment if it is to survive and prosper. They thus identify, evaluate and react to the forces triggered by the external environment so as to make profits and survive in the long run. Furthermore, the knowledge gotten from the scanning of the external environment by HR practitioners assist them in gathering informations based on both government and private laws affecting the industry. Laws like rigid government laws in some countries that might affect their investments where by business may be doomed to be non starters due to business restrictions imposed by the government are determined before establishing a business. Also, cost of recruitment and standards in different from one country to another. More so, the availability of key inputs like trained managers, skilled labour, raw material are all impacted by the external environment. As such, monitoring the external environment enables HR practitioners to gather necessary informations which can affect their businesses. Until about twenty years ago, the world of work was an unfortunate place. Change of all kind was slow and non existence. Products had long life cycle, organisations were characterised by long control/ universally applied rule and technological innovations and inventions were pretty slow. In the last ten years technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies. Looking at the way technological advancement has affected the workforce, in the past ten years, technological advancement has made globalisation possible amongst employees. Technological innovations in areas like learning and development, telecommunications, computers, satellite system have made it possible for information and innovation to rapidly cross national boundaries in between employees. More so, with technological advancement and the advent of new machines, there has been division of labour within employees hence creating higher quality products, just in time delivery and greater customization of products. In addition, Robinson (2006) pointed out that, within the past ten years in Britain for example, the amount of people employed in the manufacturing sector reduced by a half. Also there has been a decline in skilled and semi skilled manual jobs due to the rise in the creation of machines. The workforce nowadays is highly segmented and job length vary between the skilled and semi skilled jobs. Technological advancement has also affected HR policies in that Decades ago, HR management was autocratic in nature, employee made no decisions in the organisation. Organisational culture was hostile and employees didnt care about career advancement/ promotion opportunities since they were satisfied with their jobs. But in the past ten years, technological advancement has caused the establishment of new policies in order to work hand in hand with the growth. There has been a radical organisational restructuring programmes evidenced in de-layering, downsizing and decentralized. Also, with the advent of technology, HR practitioners keep restructuring new policies in terms of employing on a permanent basis and also offering career advancements in the form of training, development and promotion to employees as pointed out by Robinson (2006). Social change has affected workforce in that, in the past, men were employed most in organisation due to the increasing use of manual labour and physical power. But within the last ten years, there has been a steady increase in the participation of women in the labour force. Robinson (2006) analysed that there has been a rising level of divorce and single parents has lead to the provision of social welfare, health and educational services by HR practitioners. Social change has also affected HR policies in that, organisation in the past faced difficulties of dealing with cultural differences. Going international was very difficult due to the cultural barriers and differences. Within the past ten years, cultural policies have been instituted in order to deal with cultural conflicts in organisations. Organisations find it very easy to go international due to laid down policies, training and care giving to their expatriate employees. Also, HR policies have been adapted to satisfy consumers as customers have greater choice and power to influence purchase Boxall and Purcell (2003). As such, employees receive training in aspects like offering better customer care and services to consumers. All these has lead to increase profitability and survival of organisations. The external Macro environment also Known as the PESTLE environment consists of trends and forces which might not instantly influence the relations that a company has with its clients, suppliers and mediators, but afterward, macro-environmental changes will modify the nature of these relations. As explained above, it is very necessary for HR practitioners to monitor these macro external factors so as to foresee and manage any future impact it might have on the companies activities. Also, looking at the changes in technology and social change on workforce and HR policies in the past ten years, HR practitioners have adapted themselves to this changes by implementing new policies, strategies, rule and regulations to adapt their businesses to these uncontrollable factors.

The Minimum Wage Should Be Increased Essay -- Minimum Wage Essays

Congress enacted the federal minimum wage in 1938, during the Great Depression. Congress had two goals; keeping workers away from poverty and boosting consumer spending for economic recovery. Today, there is a debate, whether we should increase the minimum wage again. Increasing the minimum wage is useful for several reasons. First, the current minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation. Second, a higher income level reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency and ultimately, raising the minimum wage does not reduce employment. Even with high unemployment rates, the minimum wage is useful for the economy. Today "the federal minimum wage" is $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. It has failed to keep up with inflation. The real value of the minimum wage rose steadily from 1938 until its value reached a peak in 1968. Thereafter, it suffered severe erosion as Congress failed to adjust for the inflation over time. The minimum wage of $1.60 an hour in 1968 would be $10.47 today when adjusted for inflation. This means that the purchasing power of the minimum wage has decreased significantly over time. The current minimum wage is no longer enough to protect workers out of poverty. A person who earns the minimum wage and works full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year) only earns about $12,000 in a year. This is almost $7,000 below the poverty line for a family of three ($19,090) according to the federal poverty guidelines. As a result, the gap between poor and high-income families is continuously increasing, and taxpayers have to pay more for public assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid. I ncreasing the minimum wage can increase the annual income of low-income families and reduce the public assistance expenditures by g... ...litical Science, London, UK. Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; David Card and Alan B. Krueger, The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Sep., 1994), pp. 772-793 The Effect of the Minimum Wage on the Fast-Food Industry; Lawrence F. Katz and Alan B. Krueger, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Oct., 1992), pp. 6-21 Minimum Wage Effects Across State Borders: Estimates Using Contiguous Counties; Arindrajit Dube, T. William Lester, and Michael Reich, Review of Economics and Statistics (2010) 92:4, 945-964 Do Minimum Wages Really Reduce Teen Employment?; ALLEGRETTO, S. A., DUBE, A. And REICH, M. (2011), Accounting for Heterogeneity and Selectivity in State Panel Data. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 50: 205–240. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-232X.2011.00634.x

Matching Dell

The Matching Dell Business case by (Rivkin. J & Porter, M) defines the personal computer industry and outlines its history and development, with focus on Dell Computers. This paper will analyze the case study by means of the Strategic Situation Analysis and Planning Method (SSAP), by portraying and comparing Dell with its main competitors, namely: IBM, Compaq, Hewllet-Packard and Gateway. Approaching the strategic situation from SSAP method’s step number one, Financial Analysis, step number two, External Business Environment Analysis and step number three, Business and Corporate Strategy Analysis, an external analyst perspective will be drawn based on past , present and future trends that will be used to give recommendations of investments to potential investors. The Personal Computer Industry From its inception the computer industry was mainly composed of large corporations such as IBM and DEC and unaffordable, heavy hardware such as mainframe computers. Having a personal computer at home was a mere aspiration those days. Between 1975 and 1981 many discoveries occurred that gained popularity with electronic hobbyists, when pre-assembled personal computers entered the market. These computers were pioneered by firms such as Apple Computers, MITS and smaller ones such as Tandy/RadioShack and Commodore. Almost immediately, other major electronic firms entered the market of personal computers. These companies focused their business on other electronic industries before this. The pioneer of the first personal computer was IBM in 1981 and its success translated to a market share of 42% of the market two years later. Although, IBM produced most of the components for its mainframes computers, for PCs it purchased from others the required parts and then assembled the machines. The operating software for IBM’s first PC was custom-made by Microsoft, which was then just a start-up software firm. The microprocessor for the operating system (OS) was designed by Intel, another corporation that benefited from the partnership with IBM. Microsoft’s first operating system to IBM is the backbone structure for all the current versions of operating systems (OS) implemented by Microsoft. A proprietary system developed by Apple, held 20% of the market by 1983. In 1982, another firm named Compaq entered the market with a low-priced portable clone and had $100 million in revenues during its first year, which turned out to be the fastest growing company in American history. By 1984, Dell Computer Corporation entered the market and transformed the way PCs were assembled and distributed. Historically, what has really revolutionized the PC industry was the establishment by IBM of an open architecture for their first PC, making its operating system and other proprietary information available to encourage software developers to write programs for the IBM PC and to motivate other firms to make compatible peripherals. Moreover, the unforeseen business strategy at IBM caused the company to become vulnerable to other market entrants and lost their sustainable competitive advantage, since many other IBM clones were manufactured. This cased the company to lose market share to competitors. Step One – Financial Analysis Financial Position Dell's financial history, like most company's, changes over different periods. These changes can be attributed to changes in the demand of the product, technological advancements, manufacturing costs, competition, and economic conditions. In 1999, the approximate cost of manufacturing a basic personal computer was between $800 and $900 (Kwak & Yoffie 1999). Dell sold computers directly, and through retail distributors. In 1994, Dell actually lost money on retail sales. When comparing Dell's direct sales to the retail channel it shows that there was a 5. % operating income through the direct sales, and a -3. 0% operating income in retail sales. Dell's market share increases from 1. 0 in 1990 to 13. 2 in 1998. Direct sales of Dell' personal computers through telephone, mail, and internet helped increase their market share. The total market size for the personal computer industry is $74. 6 million. Exhibit 4: Portion of Sales Through Each Channel by Region from the Matching Dell Case shows the highest channels in which personal computers are distributed in different geographic areas. In the Americas, the most popular channel is distributor/reseller which accounts for 41. 2% of sales, second is the direct channel which accounts for 29. 7% of sales, and third is the retail channel which accounts for 21. 7% of the sales. These three channels are the top channels world wide, and distributor/reseller is the channel with the highest percentage of sales across the board. Income Statements Dell and its competitors Compaq, Gateway, and HP all have had their revenues increase over the period between 1991 and 1998. The companies differ when the net income is compared from the same time period. In the Appendix, Table 4: Profit as a Percentage of Sales shows a comparison between 1991 and 1998. Profit as a percentage of sales is a note worthy calculation because it shows a ratio of profits to sales. If a company has high sales it does not necessarily mean that it will have high profits. In Table 4, you see that in 1998 Dell has the highest profit as a percentage of sales. Since Compaq has a negative net income in this year, its data is skewed. Dell percentage of sale has grown by 2. % in this seven year period. Using the calculation (This Year)/Base Year x 100 and data from 1991, to 1998 Dell sales increased 20. 5% and net income increased 28. 63%. This shows that profits increased more than sales in the same time period. This means that Dell became more efficient in production which yielded greater profits. Net income increasing more than sales shows Dell's efficiency in production and distribution. It cut costs of making and selling its computers to have a greater profit. In the appendix, Table 1 shows the year on year percent changes for Dell's sales. This table shows that Dell's sales continue to grow each year. Price Comparison Exhibit 9 in the Matching Dell Case shows Ratings of High-end Desktop PCs by Consumer Reports(1998). It is shown on the table that Dell's product sells for $2400, HP's product sells for $2200, Gateway's product sells for $2647, and Compaq's product sells for $2950. Data on the same table rates these computers on price, speed, quality, and other things customers value in computers with a scale of 1 being excellent and 5 being poor. When the customer ratings are averaged Gateway has a rating of 1. , Dell and HP have a rating of 2. 4, and Compaq has a rating of 2. 7. Dell is the lowest in price and second highest in rating. This shows that customers are satisfied with the dell computer, more so than some of the more expensive brands. Company Profitability Exhibit 11 from the case compares Major PC Manufactures and their financial data. Return on Equity(ROE) is calculated in this table and the major players can be compared. The ROE shows the profitability of a corporation because it shows how much profit is generated from the money the shareholders have invested. Dell has a ROE of 62. %, Gateway has a ROE of 25. 7%, HP has a ROE of 17. 4%, and Compaq has a ROE of -24. 2%. HP and Compaq have substantially more revenue than Dell. Compaq does not have a higher net income, but HP does. At first glance you would think that HP is a better company in regards to personal computers but when you look at the ROE you notice a difference. Out of all the major competitors in the personal computer industry Dell has the highest ROE. Therefore it is the most successful company in this market. It would be recommended that investors invest in Dell to achieve the most out of their investment. Revenues Dell's company became more successful when it withdrew from retail in 1994. It was losing money by distributing its computers in this channel and learned from its mistakes. In 1996 it started its website which provided another opportunity for customers to order from them directly. Exhibit 11 also shows that Dell keeps its cost structure lower than its competitors. When something is not benefiting the company, Dell does not wait, it acts on it and tries to continue to make Dell a successful corporation. Compaq has very, very high revenues but there are obviously major problems with the company. Its net income and ROE are negative numbers, which shows that the company is not profitable in 1998. Compaq only has 4. 4% of sales from direct sales, where Dell has 86. 6%. This is a major advantage to Dell because there is no middle man and Dell can obtain all profits. In ratings of PC Vendors by Corporate Managers with PC buying Responsibility (Exhibit 8), Dell Ranks high in user satisfaction, extremely high in raw technology, second highest in pricing, and moderately high in service and support. Compaq ranks high in pricing but low in user satisfaction, raw technology, and all customer relations. Having quality customer services gives Dell an advantage over Compaq. Financial Conclusion The financial performance of Dell, Compaq, HP, Gateway and other companies in the PC industry we see that high revenues do not always translate into a profitable company. Shareholders and investors are looking for high returns on the amount they invest in their respected companies. Dell is the most profitable company as of 1998 with the highest return on investment. The most valued aspect of Dell's company at this time is the use of the direct sales channel. Also, Dell sells its computers at a cheaper price than its competitors but still ranks high in customer satisfaction surveys. Dell can offer a lower price by keeping its manufacturing and selling costs down. This way it can still make a profit and keep and attract customers. Dell started out as a small operation in a college dorm room and it continues to grow significantly on a yearly basis. Step Two – External Business Environment Analysis The market for computer systems and services is subject to intense price competition. In addition to several large branded companies, there are other branded and generic competitors. Dell competes primarily based on its technology, direct customer relationships, value, performance, customer service, quality, and reliability. Its main competitors are Compaq, and Gateway, both business are 90% PC dependent. However, due to Compaq’s low financial performance, HP was Dell’s primary competitor followed by Gateway in 1998. The main stakeholders group are: customers, competitors, suppliers, shareholders, employees and the government. In Table 6 in the Appendix theTarget [Customer-or-Client] – [Product-or-Service Connections] is shown. The PC competitive environment can be distinguished between its geographic and its customer categories. The geographic market for the PC industry is segmented by worldwide and U. S basis market share, while the customer category is segmented into: Large business, small & midsize business, home and small office, government and educational institutions. Based on the information from Exhibit 11 in the Matching Dell case, Compaq leads the U.  S and the worldwide market with 16. 4% and 16. 6% of PC shares respectively. Dell comes in second place with 10. 4% in the worldwide market share and 15. 1% in the U. S. PC market share. Gateway follows in behind both companies with a 4. 2% worldwide share and 8. 1% in the U. S. By comparing the major players we can see that Compaq is a leader in the market, however these market leadership if compared with the company’s financial information is not translated into profits, since it has a negative profit marking and a negative return on equity (ROE). ROE is one of the best measures of a corporation’s profitability, since it shows investors and stakeholders how much profit the company generates with the money shareholders have invested and for Compaq a negative ROE could be an indication that even if it has the greater market share amongst the PC industry there are problems with the bottom line net income and management issues. The customer group of Large Business is dominated by Dell Computers with 33. 6% market share followed by Compaq with 27. 5%. In the case of Small & Midsize business, Dell has a 37% against a 32. % market share held by Compaq. Moreover, in the Home & Small office PC sales customer category, Gateway has the leadership by large from its closest competitor HP with a 58. 2% share against a 33. 3% held by HP and Compaq comes next with a 28. 5% stake of the market. In addition, Gateway also has a leadership in the Education segment of the market, with a 8. 2% market share trailed by Compaq with 5. 3%. The government sectors is mostly equally divided amongst the PC industry competitors, with shares ranging from 5. 1% to 6. %, leveraging a very close competition. Growth rates and the percentage changes help to analyze and understand the companies being assessed. The overall performance of the PC industry has been assessed from 1989 to 1998 and the results are as follows: (Conclusions from Exhibit 2) Dell’s growth rate on average was 50. 5% for the period 1989 to 1998, while Compaq grew an average of 17. 9%. If this percentage change had not being analyzed in depth, one could think that Gateway had a greater growth than Dell Computers; from its inception it had an 87. % growth rate. However, if the first two years of operation were removed from the calculations, we can see that the actual growth rate for Gateway’s would only be 19. 5%, which would place it behind Dell. Compaq had and average growth of 17. 9% in the same period. Five forces competitive analysis and industry value chain (Diagram 1). Dell manufactures most of the products it sells and has manufacturing locations worldwide to service its global customer base. Dell believes that its manufacturing processes and supply-chain management techniques provide it a distinct competitive advantage. Its build-to-order manufacturing process is designed to allow Dell to significantly reduce cost while simultaneously providing customers the ability to customize their product purchases. In addition, Dell purchases some of its products from third-party original equipment manufacturers and resells them under the Dell name. Dell’s manufacturing process consists of assembly, software installation, functional testing, and quality control. Testing and quality control processes are also applied to components, parts, and subassemblies obtained from third-party suppliers. Quality control is maintained through the testing of components, subassemblies, and systems at various stages in the manufacturing process. Quality control also includes a burn-in period for completed units after assembly, on-going production reliability audits, failure tracking for early identification of production and component problems, and information from Dell’s customers obtained through services and support programs.

Candide and Enlightenment

Voltaire’s Candide both supported and challenged traditional enlightenment viewpoints through the use of fictional ‘non-western’ perspectives. Candide mockingly contradicts the typical Enlightenment belief that man is naturally good and can be master over his own destiny (optimism). Candide faces many hardships that are caused by the cruelty of man (such as the war between the Bulgars and Abares, Cunegonde being raped, etc) and events that are beyond his control (the earthquake in Lisbon).Voltaire did not believe that a perfect God (or any God) has to exist; he mocked the idea that the world must be completely good, and he makes fun of this idea throughout Candide. He also makes fun of the philosophers of the time, because the philosophers in the novel talk a lot, do nothing, and solve no problems at all. Candide also makes a mockery of the aristocracy’s notion of superiority by birth. Voltaire also addresses the corruption of the religious figures and the church thus â€Å"destroying and challenging the â€Å"Sacred Circle†. Voltaire’s Candide is the story of one man’s trials and sufferings through life. The main character is Candide. Candide is portrayed as a wanderer. He grew up in the Castle of the Baron of Westphalia, who was his mother’s brother and was taught by, Dr. Pangloss, the greatest philosopher of the whole world. Pangloss taught Candide that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is exiled from the castle because of his love for the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. He then sets out to different places in the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness. Candide thought that everything happened for the best because the greatest philosopher taught him that, but everyone around him did not accept that theory. The optimistic Pangloss and Candide, suffer and witness a wide variety of horrors: beating, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease,and an earthquake, These things do not serve any apparent greater good, but be a sign of the cruelty and madness of humanity and the lack of sympathy of the natural world. Pangloss manages to find justification for the terrible things in the world, but his arguments are sometimes stupid, for example, when the Anabaptist is about to drown he stops Candide from saving him because he claims that the Bay of Lisbon had been formed specifically for the drowning of the Anabaptist. Other characters, such as the old woman, Martin, and Cacambo, have all reached more pessimistic conclusions about humanity and the world because of past experiences. One problem with Pangloss’ optimism was that it was not based on the real world, but on abstract arguments of philosophy. In the story of Candide, philosophy repeatedly proves to be useless and even destructive. It prevents characters from making realistic judgment of the world around them and from taking positive action to change hostile situations. Candide lies under debris after the Lisbon earthquake and Pangloss ignores his requests for oil and wine and instead struggles to prove the causes of the earthquake. In another scenario, Pangloss is telling Candide of how he contracting venereal disease from Paquette, and how it came from one of Christopher Columbus’ men. He tells Candide that venereal disease was necessary because now Europeans were able to enjoy new world delicacies, like chocolate. The character Candide was the nephew of the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, whose sister, was Candide’s mother. The baron’s sister, refused to marry Candide’s father because he only had seventy-one quarterings (noble lineages) in his coat of arms, while her own coat of arms had seventy-two (Candide, 1). This exaggeration makes the aristocracy’s concern over the subtleties of birth look ridiculous. Candide explores the hypocrisy that was rampant in the Church and the cruelty of the clergy using a variety of satirical and ironic situations such as, the Lisbon earthquake that kills tens of thousands of people and damages three fourth of Lisbon; still the Portuguese Inquisition decides to perform an auto-da-fe’ to appease God and prevent another disaster. This serves no purpose because another earthquake strikes in the middle of the hanging of Pangloss and beating of Candide. Church officials in Candide are portrayed as being among the most sinful of all citizens; having mistresses, engaging in homosexual affairs, and operating as jewel thieves. The most ridiculous example of hypocrisy in the Church is the fact that a Pope has a daughter despite his vows of celibacy. Other examples are the Portuguese Inquisitor, who takes Cunegonde for a mistress, who hangs Pangloss and executes his fellow citizens over philosophical differences, and orders Candide to beaten for, â€Å"listening with an air of approval† (Candide, 13) to the opinions of Pangloss; and a Franciscan friar who is a jewel thief, despite the vow of poverty taken by members of the Franciscan order. Finally, Voltaire introduces a Jesuit colonel with marked homosexual tendenci es. The Enlightenment belief, in which a perfect society should be controlled by reforming existing institutions, is made to appear ridiculous, while erhaps all that Voltaire wanted to do was to present the history of his century with the worst abominations. It was probably Voltaire's ability to challenge all authority that was his greatest contribution to Enlightenment values. He questioned his own parenthood and his morals to express his ideas to the world of Enlightenment through the novel Candide. In particular, the novel makes fun of those who think that human beings can endlessly improve themselves and their environment. Voltaire expresses his beliefs on optimism, philosophical speculation, and religion through the main character. Candide, The main character of the novel, is set adrift in a hostile world and unsuccessfully tries to hold on to his optimistic belief that this â€Å"is the best of all possible worlds† as his tutor, Pangloss, keeps insisting. He travels throughout Europe, South America, and the Middle East, and on the way he encounters many terrible natural disasters. Candide is a good-hearted but hopelessly naive.