Personal narrative Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Narrative - Personal Statement Example A male doctor approached my bed and gave me a quick examination. That is when reality struck me, the pain I was under was not just from the stitches in my face, but every part of my body was aching. The events that led to the state I was in are still fresh in my mind, even though they doo not haunt me nor make me regret, they act as a stern reminder on the need to follow parental orders and doing things at the right time. Writing down my reflections of that horrific Friday that left me in a vegetative state for a year, I would like to plead with my young colleagues at college and in high school to take control of their lives. The events of that fateful Friday night had been seamlessly planned for a month and my friends, and I, were revved up for a mind-blowing night. The mind-blowing aspect amuses me, as at times I tend to think that it did indubitably happen, but on a lighter note as my mind was almost literally blown off. It was during the beginning of March when my friends I decid ed to plan for a house party at the end of the month to be held at John’s, my classmate, place. His parents would be travelling to the countryside for a week, providing the opportune moment for executing our plans. The house party idea was initially meant to be for twenty friends, but word got round so fast that majority of the teenagers at school wanted to attend. This was supposed to be the usual party held by a group of teenagers, but it had escalated into the party of the year way before it had happened. As the schemers of the idea, we decided to charge selected people who were to attend, and use the amount collected for provision of food and drinks. The idea seemed brilliant as we collected five thousand dollars, a huge sum, considering that a hundred individuals would attend the party. The night for the awaited event finally came and we all decided to grace the occasion in style using our parents’ vehicles. I had actually lied to my parents that I was going to Jo hn’s place to give him some company as we finished on some class work. At the back of my mind, I was impressed that I could lie to my parents with a straight face and get away with it, without the knowledge of the events that were to unfold. I could hardly concentrate on anything, and my mind was poised for the night’s events. The anticipation as it appeared was not a unique thing as people turned up early and all psyched up. We had purchased a lot of alcoholic beverages mixing them up with punch to be drunk during the whole night. It was a deception to think that the party would be a secret affair especially with the alcohol around. I had decided to take it slow on the alcohol and only took small pints at a time not knowing the cumulative effect that it would have by the end of the night. Everyone at the party indulged in the drink with several of my friends passing out at the early stages of the party. Things intensified as the night wore on, and everyone was highly intoxicated to think straight. To spur things up we decided to engage in a random game of â€Å"truth or dare† by spinning a bottle. The game is synonymous with majority of the parties that take place around the country, but the night’s tragedy were a direct result of the game and the alcohol. It was my turn and asked for the option between truth or dare I opted for a dare seemingly courageous enough to do anything asked of me by my challenger. The dare involved me driving with a

William Blake Poems Essay Example for Free

William Blake Poems Essay Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience appears to be very simplistic on first reading. Explain how the poems are in fact a much more complex exploration of Blakes beliefs and times. William Blake was born in London in 1757. He was home educated and was part of the upper working class as his father was a hosier. He was sent to a drawing school and was a dissenting Christian. His Christian beliefs are reflected in several of his poems. Blake became married in 1783 and married for love rather than money and status. To understand his poems fully we first need to understand what the titles of his two major sets of poetry mean. Innocence in the terms of Blakes poetry is a person who has very little experience and does not know about the bad things that happen in life-Quoted from the Dictionary. Immediately a link is made between the songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Experience on the other hand means (the process of getting) knowledge or skill which is obtained from doing, seeing or feeling things-Quoted from the Dictionary. These two themes are explored significantly within the poems. During Blakes time in London he saw many different movements and ideas develop such as a revolution in America where a group of British Colonies decided to rebel against Britain in their chance to gain independence. When the victory of this was won America and its allies of France and Spain went to war against Great Britain. Blake used this amongst other themes as the base for his poetry, and because of this he is associated with the Romantic poets even though he was not classed as a Romantic. Another main theme at the time was the use of seven year olds as chimney sweeps. Young boys were used because hard tar often got caught up in the chimney which a brush could not dislodge. To send a boy up was the easiest way to get rid of it and the flexible undeveloped body made it easy. They were often caught in the chimneys and many became cripples and got suit filled lungs. In London alone there were over 1000 sweeps. Blake uses this as one of the topics for both Songs of Experience and Inn ocence. In his two poems The Chimney Sweeper he utilises several literary techniques to create a successful poem. In The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence) Blake uses sorrowful imagery to create an atmosphere of anger and pain, my father sold me while yet my tongue shows just how young the boys were when they sold into the apprenticed with a master sweep. The repetition of, weep!, meant to be sweep which adds to the words meaning because it links the job of the child with his sorrow and also creates an atmosphere of rhythm of a brush going up and down within the chimney. On the other hand in The Chimney Sweeper (Experience) the boy is not introduced by his father but by a description of himself as a black thing amongst the snow which sounds as something discarded and dehumanises him. In this case snow is not used for peace and purity but for cold and harshness. The colour opposites of white snow and black dirty boy are another literacy technique of comparative representation by descriptive contrast. Weep is also used in this version but the words are described as being criedin notes of woe! This links directly to sadness and cruelty rather than being hidden inside the verse as is shown in Songs of Innocence. Religion is brought into this by the parents going to church to pray which also illustrates the normalness of their lives compared to their sons and highlights their hypocrisy. This is due to them being all good by going to Church and yet they are sending their son to work at such a young age and are almost bringing upon his fate of an unhappy life. In the second verse in the Innocence version the boys head curled like a lambs back which links to the symbolism of the lamb being the son of God which is one of the main themes in another poem from Songs of Innocence the Lamb. The Lamb is a prime example of innocence imagery because it is used in such a context as to promote the idea that the lamb symbolises not only pastoral imagery but Christ as the lamb of God. The boys hair is described as white to represent purity and innocence but then colour imagery is used to emphasise dark and light, good and bad. In The Chimney Sweeper (Experience) the boys appearance is described yet in a different way to that of the innocence poem, his health is described first as happy but this is talked about in the past tense. Blake is touching on the illnesses Chimney Sweepers got, such as cancer. His clothes are then described metaphorically as Clothes of death which when put into context of the work he was doing tells the reader that the clothes he is wearing to work symbolise his status and remind the reader that this job was very hazardous and also is describing the soot on his body. This again links into the poem The lamb where the clothes are described as Softest clothing woolly bright which has no indication of death by of life. This shows the difference between life and death as in most Chimney Sweepers lives death came upon them unnaturally quickly. Some children that were not put into the trade of chimney sweeping then they would instead be educated (if their parents possessed the money) and if not the children were sent to Charity schools. These were schools that were established by mainly religious organisations and were used to educate children until they could be put into a trade. These schools were often cruel institutions. Blake uses the subject of Charity Schools for one of his sets of poems entitled Holy Thursday. The title Holy Thursday comes from the British celebration of Jesus ascension. In the first line (of the Innocence version) it mentions the children who were in this school as having innocent faces clean showing immediately that Blake found them to be innocent. The second line has a Bible reference to Noahs ark; the children walking two two makes them sound more like animals and is also reminding the reader that just like Noahs animals they were the future of Blakes Britain. It also signifies that they were the future of the world as were the animals in Noahs ark. From his poems we can somewhat assume that Blake found Charity schools to be a money making scheme. This is proved by his view on the so called religious people who ran the schools. In the second line the masters are described as having wands as white as snow which shows them as having power because although white is generally used to show innocence in this case the word snow contradicts this as Blake often used snow to symbolise cold, dark and evil ambitions and scenarios. London is also mentioned in the first verse by the high dome of Pauls and the Thames water which in those days was very dirty, but was an integral part of London as were the children. Blake uses religious imagery within the innocence version quite a bit towards the end. A mighty wind[raised] to heaven, is used to create an idea based around the childrens voices as if they were crying so loud that heaven could hear them. The owners are described as wise guardians, which is ironic and patronising as Blake actually is meaning that they are horrible and cruel and have no knowledge what so ever. In the experience version of Holy Thursday Blake puts forwards different ideas. He starts off by talking about the fruitful children which are then reduced to misery. This symbolises them coming into the schools cheerful and full of happiness and then being shafted out woeful. The representation of children to money is also used by calling them rich. This has been used to remind the reader that Blake saw the owners of these schools as money hungry and the only reason they did it was for the money. In the second verse Blake talks of the feelings of the children as trembling [cries], the meaning of this is to show that the children were desperate as they were children poor?. Pastoral imagery is used in this version not to represent innocence to the destruction of innocence via experience Field are bleak and bare. This shows that after the schools the children had lost their innocence, stripped of it, and there was and is nothing they could do about it, It is eternal winter there shows the eternal evil within the schools. From this anger of London via the chimney sweeps and charity schools we find even more anger within Blakes poem A Poison Tree. This poem expresses Blakes anger and hatred for things in general. The last verse of this poem sums up what happened to the innocence of the children And into my garden stole-It had been stolen. A Poison Tree is another poem from Blakes Songs of Experience. It follows a different rhyming pattern compared to other poems written by Blake. It uses the rhyming patter a,a, b,b whereas other poems generally used a,b,a,b. This change in rhyme immediately hits the reader and also makes the poem more alive with passion due to the flow of the rhythm. The first lines holds a contradiction I was angry with my friend, it forces the reader to ask the question of why the person is angry with their friend, it insights them to read on. It talks of how the person in the poem tell his friend why he is angry with him and because of this [his] wrath did end. On the other hand when it comes to being ,angry with [his]..foe, he did not say anything and so the ,wrath did grow. The meaning of this first verse is to try and show that by keeping anger hidden within other things it does not diminish but grows. This links in to what Blake was doing. He did not openly express his views but concealed his anger within his poetry. The second verse talks of tears and smiles these two opposites show split personality. The meaning of the tears is the water that the Poison tree was given and the smiles are the sun. This contradiction makes the tree slowly grow ,both day and night. This idea of growth relates to children growing up but being fed with the wrong views which means that they can turn out evil. This view of the, finished product, is shown when the tree bore and apple. The apple signifies the apple in Genesis and the evil of the world was concealed in this apple. Maybe Blake is trying to say the God was wrong to conceal the evil within one thing and that from it more evil has occurred which is true. The last link to religion links into Blakes poem The Echoing Green from Songs of Innocence which shows a completely different view of the world. This poem also follows the same rhyming pattern of A Poison Tree which once again gives it more flow and rhythm. When read, the poem has a sort of Sing song feel to it which goes along with the happiness expressed within the poem. It talks of change from innocence to experience. In the second verse Blake talks about a monk Old John and then links him to experience with White hair. The white described in this verse is a pure white which shows that Blake is not totally against experience. There is alot of repetition in this poem with, bells, symbolising religious festivals such as Christmas which tells the reader a little about Blakes religious life. The repetition emphasis this and makes the reader take it in. Blake also links children with pastoral imagery, girls and boys were seen One the Echoing Green which is used as another way of expres sing that the children are innocent. This idea of pastoral imagery is also shown in two of Blakes most famous poems The Lamb and The Tyger. In these two poems Blake uses several imagery techniques. In The Lamb he puts forwards the idea of nature via Stream and Oer the mead. The idea of nature links into innocence and the fact that the countryside is un-poisoned as it has not been influence by the hammer, Chain and furnace mentioned in The Tyger which symbolises the industrial revolution which is William Blakes view on experience altering innocence. William Blake links the industrial revolution with the, forests of the night [and] hand or eye, which is imagery of humans and shadows. As William Blake was a devout Christian in his own way he includes God in his poem of The Lamb. In fact God is included in the name of his poem as Jesus was the lamb of God. Blake uses assonance to create subtle rhyming in which the reader can pick up over time. Softest clothing is an example of this. The subtle link adds to the effect of beauty that the Softest clothing creates. The use of this adds meaning to the poem because clothing is used to cover people and so William Blake might be trying to say that by covering your true self you are loosing the innocence of individuality. Another effect used in The Lamb is the fact that there is not much punctuation. This surprisingly creates a weird flowing nursery rhyme effect. On the other hand in The Tyger lots of somewhat harsh punctuation is used to create a pounding rhyme which inspires the reader to imagine the atmosphere of machinery. The reason for the mis-spelling of tiger is because Blake was self taught. This is a good example of differences in class at the time of William Blake. The poems from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience have more meaning than the reader might first imagine due to mainly the events that were surrounding their author William Blake at the time of their writing. By the harsh reality of London at that time Blake incorporates the Chimney sweeps, Charity schools, London in general and the industrial revolution into his poems. He does not openly state what each poem is about but within in writing we can pick up on ideas and themes that influenced him to write these poems. While reading these poems people pick up on the things happening at the time due to the detail in which they are described in poetry. These poems are not just poems, they are more like Blakes autobiography on his life through the form of media he liked best, poetry.

Foreign Market Servicing Strategies of Lidl

Foreign Market Servicing Strategies of Lidl Lidl is one of the leading global discounter and owns round about 9000 stores in Germany and all over Europe. Lidl has beaten its main competitor Aldi. Aldi is already successful in the United States. The latest history of the company Lidl was clouded by the observation scandal in 2008. This scandal damaged their image. In the matter of the important topic Corporate Social Responsibility Lidl started a project called ECO2LOGISCH. This project is about building stores that are energy-efficient and sustainable. In addition the company sells Fair-trade products. The food retail industry in Germany had a moderate growth in the past but the forecast for the industry looks good. The category of supermarkets, hypermarkets and discounters has the highest market share in the food retail industry. The buyer and supplier power is moderate as well as threats of new entrants and substitutes are moderate. The rivalry in the industry is very strong. The US food retail industry in comparison to the German one has a strong growth and the forecast is not less significant. The category of supermarkets, hypermarkets and discounters has a major market share of 80.2 %. With a Gross Domestic Product of $ 14.2 trillion in 2009 the Unites States are the second largest economy after the European Union. There is a very high diversification of income and thereby a problem of poverty occurs in the United States. With predominating Strengths and Opportunities after the SWOT analysis, the United States satisfy all requirements to become the new market Lidl should expand to. Lidl has ownership, location and internalization advantages and thereby Foreign Direct Invest is the best mode of entry. Given that Aldi used Greenfield investment successfully to enter the US market in 1776 and Lidl did use the same strategy to expand to the European markets, Greenfield investment is the appropriate strategy to enter the new market in the United States successfully. Introduction In times of globalization and international expansion Lidl, who is one of the leading global discounter, should think about an expansion overseas. The following report should discuss if the United States are the right country to expand to and which mode of entry Lidl should use for the expansion. In the first steps the company Lidl itself will be analysed with a closer look at the Corporate Social Responsibility. After that the German food retail industry will be examined. Porters Five Forces Model will be used for this. The next step is to analyse the food retail industry in the United States. For this the industry itself will be investigated and the PEST analysis will give a closer look at the United States. The SWOT analysis will demonstrate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Lidl by entering the US market. Afterwards the mode of entry will be discussed and the conclusion will give a final answer to the question, if the United States are the right country to expand to. The company Lidl Company overview Lidl is a German discount chain and is part of the Schwarz Beteiligungs GmbH (Holding company). The Schwarz group also owns the consumer markets Kaufland, KaufMarkt, Concord and Handelshof. The history of Lidl can be traced back to the beginning of 1930. At this point in time Josef Schwarz got general partner of the Sà ¼dfrà ¼chte Großhandlung Lidl Co. He restructured it to a wholesale business which was then destroyed in 1944. After ten years the business was rebuilt and in 1972 the headquarter was relocated to Neckersulm. After the dead of Josef Schwarz in 1977 his son Dieter Schwarz assumes full responsibility for the business. Dieter Schwarz bought the naming rights from Ludwig Lidl and from this point on the success started. Lidl first expanded in the region of Neckersulm and then to the whole republic. After the success in Germany, Lidl started to expand internationally. Lidl now owns round about 9000 stores all over Europe and thereby has more stores than its main compet itor Aldi (Langer, 2004; Wikipedia Lidl, 2011). Corporate Social Responsibility Due to the fact that Lidl is not a public company, it is very hard to find any information about Lidl itself. In the history of Lidl it was always the case that Lidl did not want to show any information about the company. For this reason Lidl got the nickname Geheimniskrà ¤mer (mystery monger) (Langer, 2004). In spring 2008 Lidl got involved in a big scandal in Germany. Lidl was accused to observe their employees. This scandal damaged the image of Lidl. Lidl Germany has apologized for this incident and has assured that they will promote immediate moves to prevent any of these incidents to happen again (Byrne, Skilly, 2008). After this incident, Lidl reformed the conditions of employment. A new project is called ECO2LOGISCH. This is a new store generation. The stores will be energy-efficient and sustainable. For example the new stores will be 100% heated using the waste heat from the refrigerated sections. Lidl plans that from 2010 on all Lidl-stores should be build ECO2LOGISCH. With this project Lidl is the first food retailer in Germany who sets sustainable building services engineering as a standard (Lidl: ECO2LOGISCH, 2010). In addition Lidl sells Fair-trade products and has some social projects like a football club for kids. The food retail industry in Germany The food retail industry includes the sales of food and beverages. In Germany the category Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Discounters has the highest market share of 47.6% (see Appendix 1). In 2009 the industry had a growth of 2.3 % and a value of $ 234.8 billion. In the past the growth was moderate with an average of 2.1 % (see Appendix 2). The forecast for the industry looks good. The growth should be steady and in 2014 the industry will have an expected value of  § 265.5 billion (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p. 10). With the help of the Porters Five Forces Model the food retail industry will be analysed in the following. In the analysis the buyers will be the end-consumer and the suppliers will be food manufacturers, farmers, and agricultural co-operatives. The players in this analysis will be supermarkets, hypermarkets and discounters. Buyer power There is one important change in the consumers behaviour to which the retailers have to respond to. Nowadays the importance of health gets bigger and bigger. The convenience food becomes less important and consumers are more interested in fresh and healthy food. Another important fact is the price. Because there is a wide range of large retailers in Germany the consumer faces no switching costs and thereby the retailers have to have an attractive price scheme. All in all the buyer power is moderate (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p. 15). Supplier power The big German retailers often have a large range of suppliers. With this strategy the retailers ensure stability. They avoid possible delays in deliveries and price fluctuations. In addition to that some large retailers have started to sell own brand products. These two facts weaken the supplier power in the German food retail industry. Overall supplier power is moderate (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p. 17). New entrants It is not easy for new entrants to enter the market because of the aggressive marketing and pricing schemes of the large retailers in the industry. Nevertheless there are low entry and exit costs in the food retail industry and the changes in consumers behaviour gives new entrants a possible niche to enter the market successfully. Besides the low growths rate makes the industry not that attractive to new entrants. In conclusion the threat of new entrants is moderate (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p.18). Substitutes The only real substitute to the food retail is the food service represented by fast foods restaurants, sit-down restaurants and delivery services. But for consumers the food service is more a complement than a substitute. A more direct substitute are individuals and families who cultivate their own food. This is no longer used nowadays but in the long term possible because of the changes in the consumers behaviour and the threat of economically and politically instability. The threat of substitutes is therefore weak (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p.19). Rivalry There exists a high competition in the food retail industry. Main reasons for this are the not existing switching costs for the consumers. The similarity in the basic products of the large retailers pushes them into a competitive pricing scheme. This leads the price wars. These are encouraged by the consumers who are now comparing more and more. They have a look on special offers and the lowest price. The German food retail industry has a lot of competitors. Therefore in a conclusion rivalry is strong in this industry (Datamonitor (a), 2010, p. 20). The United States for expansion Since Lidl already expanded to whole Europe it is time to think overseas. Aldi, one of the main competitors, expanded successfully to the United States in 1976. Lidl already beat Aldi in Germany and Europe. Lidl has more stores all over Europe and has overtaken Aldi in the rankings. So the existence of Aldi in the US food retail market is no real threat for Lidl. The food retail industry in the United States The US food retail industry in comparison to the German has a strong growth. The total revenues in 2009 had a value of $ 859.1 billion and the average growth rate in the years from 2005 to 2009 was 5.3% (see Appendix 3). The forecast is not less significant. By the end of 2014 the US food retail industry will have an expected value of $1,043.1 billion (Datamonitor (b), 2010, p. 10). In the US the category Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Discounters has the highest market share of 80.2 % (see Appendix 4). Worldwide the market share of the US food retail industry is 19.8 % billion (Datamonitor (b), 2010, p. 11). All these facts make the US food retail industry attractive for Lidl to expand to. To have a closer look at the real attractiveness of the US market for expansion a PEST analysis of the United States will be proceeded in the following. PEST analysis of the United States In this section the political, economical, social and technological environment of the United States will be analysed. Overall the United States are one of the strongest powers worldwide since more than 50 years. Politically the United States have a strong position. In 2009 the democrat Barack Obama displaced the republican George W. Bush. Barack Obama was inheriting a poisoned chalice because of the financial situation and the great debates about the military operations in the Iraq and Afghanistan. Nevertheless the US has a great global influence and a strong democratic setup (Datamonitor (c), 2010). With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $ 14.12 trillion the United States were the second largest economy in the world in 2009 after the European Union (CIA The World Factbook, 2010). In the years before the 11th of September 2001, the United States had an economical boom, after that date the growth slowed down and they felt into a recession. The congress passed bills to stimulate the financial market in 2008 and 2009. Because of this the public dept in the United States increased from 39.7 % in 2008 to 52.9 % of the GDP in 2009 (Datamonitor (c), 2010). The United States are facing a rapidly aging population. This can lead to a decreasing economic growth and thereby to rising tax rates and shortages in labour. The US have a very high diversity in the distribution of income. The Gini index was 45 in 2007 (CIA The world fact book, 2010). 1 per cent of the population belongs to the upper class and in 2009 these people owned 37.1 per cent of the entire property of the United States (Wikipedia Vereinigte Staaten, 2010). However, the United States have a remarkable education system and Barack Obama passed a new health service reform in 2010 (Datamonitor (c), 2010). On the technological front, the United States are a world leader in adapting and applying technology and innovations and they will stay in the position in the near future. But there will be a threat of competition in this sector because of the continuing process of for example China (Datamonitor (c), 2010). SWOT analysis of the company Lidl The SWOT analysis brings together the analysis of the environment and the company. It identifies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT is the basis for the strategy development of a company. The main facts of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats will be discussed in the following. The whole SWOT analysis is provided in Appendix 5. Lidl has a high market share in the fast growing market segment of the food retailers. It has become a global player due to the fact that Lidl expanded successfully to Europe and owns round about 9000 stores. After the success in Europe there are no more obstacles for an expansion to the United States. Another important Strengths is the very good pricing which attracts many consumers. The main Weakness of Lidl is the damaged image because of the observation scandal and the discussion about minimum wages, which affects nearly every discounter. Additionally the low customer loyalty represents another main Weakness. This is an issue because of the low switching costs for the consumers because of the high competition in the food retail sector. An Opportunity is that the category of supermarkets and discounters has a markets share of 80.2% in the food retail sector in the United States. Another Opportunity is the existing poverty in the Unites States. Poor people are more interested in low pricing products. The main Threats are the competitors on the US food retail market. There is Wal-mart, who now starts to open smaller stores like in the store model of Lidl and there is Aldi, the main competitor in Germany. Aldi is a Threat and an Opportunity. Lidl already beat Aldi in the German and European market and Aldi was successful on the US market by using the same discounter model like Lidl. But Aldi entered the US market in the 70s and is now integrated and accepted from the US consumers. This is a challenge for Lidl. In a conclusion the Strengths and Opportunities predominate and Lidl should start the expansion to the United States. Choosing the mode of entry to enter the US market After decided that the United States are a good market to expand to, it is now time to think about the mode of entry. There are various modes of entry: Exporting International Licensing International Franchising Specialized modes (e.g. contract manufacturing, management contracts) Foreign Direct Investment (Greenfield investment, Acquisition strategy, Joint Venture). Dunnings Eclectic Theory gives a good framework to decide which mode is the right one for the company and the market it wants to expand to. Dunning developed three conditions which a firm should be satisfying. Ownership advantage: The firm has to have some special advantages to compete with the foreign companies. For example a good brand name, special technology, know-how or a unique product. In this case exporting would be the mode of entry. Location advantage: It has to be more benefiting to expand to a foreign market rather than expand in the home market. For example lower labour costs. If the ownership advantage and the location advantage apply contractual arrangements like licensing, franchising or alliances are the best modes of entry. Internalization advantage: There has to be a higher profitability by controlling the activities on the foreign market on their own rather than recruit a local company to provide all the important services. For example lower exchange rate risks. In the case that all three conditions are satisfied Foreign Direct Investment would be the best mode of entry (Griffin, Pustay, 2010, p. 196). Lidl as a retailer has the ownership advantages like a bargaining power in purchasing and a special supply chain. Another fact is that exporting would be no alternative for Lidl because a retailer sells products it buys from suppliers. It would be meaningless to export the products again. There are location advantages as well. The German food retail market is concentrated with a high level of competition. Hence there is not much space for further expansion. The market in the United States is a big market and offers enough space to expand to. Even though there are some main competitors. The entry and exit costs are low. For a retailer franchising harbours some dangers. For example it is difficult to legally protect the innovations a retailer is making. Franchising has indeed lower costs but the firm has also a lower level of control. Internalization advantages occur when company-specific advantages cannot be achieved on the foreign market via franchising or similar cooperation forms. This is given because of the facts mentioned before (Borgstrà ¶m, Hertz, Nyberg, n.d.). In summary Lidl satisfies all three conditions and for this reason Foreign Direct Investment is the best mode of entry for Lidl. Now Lidl has the choice between Greenfield investment, joint venture or acquisition. By having a closer look at Lidls past expansion in Europe and the mode of entry Aldi chose in 1776, Greenfield investment is the best solution for Lidl. The company also entered the new markets in Europe via Greenfield investment and Aldi did the same in the United States and it was successful for both. Conclusion The food retail market in the United States offers a good opportunity to expand to. The market has a strong growth and the PEST and SWOT analysis acknowledge the choice of the United States for a new market for expansion. As a conclusion to Dunnings theory, Foreign Direct investment and more precisely Greenfield investment is the best mode of entry. Exporting, Licensing and Franchising do not offer Lidl a good business. These modes of entry are not appropriate for a retailer and in addition Lidl would lose parts of their revenues. Due to the fact that Lidl is not willing to disclose any internal information, Acquisition or a Joint Venture do not represent a possible choice, even though both possibilities have low fixed costs. Furthermore the companies could be competitors on another market and no company wants to share information with a potential competitor. Greenfield investment is the best solution for a successful expansion to the food retail market in the United States. Appendix Appendix 1: Germany food retail industry by categories: % share, by value, 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.13 Appendix 2: Germany food retail industry value: $ billion, 2005-09à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..13 Appendix 3: United States food retail industry value: $ billion, 2005-09à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦14 Appendix 4: United States food retail industry by categories: % share, by value, 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..14 Appendix 5: SWOT analysis of the company Lidlà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦15 Appendix 1: Germany food retail industry by categories: % share, by value, 2009 Source: Datamonitor (a), 2010. Appendix 2: Germany food retail industry value: $ billion, 2005-09 Source: Datamonitor (a), 2010. Appendix 3: United States food retail industry value: $ billion, 2005-09 Source: Datamonitor (b), 2010. Appendix 4: United States food retail industry by categories: % share, by value, 2009 Source: Datamonitor (b), 2010. Appendix 5: SWOT analysis of the company Lidl Strengths Weaknesses High market share in a fast growing segement (discounter) Global player Very good pricing (always offers the lowest price on the market) Very good store locations (near housing areas, good transport connections, good parking facilities) Fast reaction to changes in the market conditions (flexibility is very important in a high competition sector) Damaged image (oberservation scandal and dicussions about minimum wages) Dependence on discouter model Low customer loyalty Exit from the Norway market because of low success Changing consumer behaviour (healthy living) Opportunities Threats After successful expansion all over Europe its time for overseas expansion Significant market for supermarkets and discounters in the US Expansion of the product range (more healthy food) Poverty problem in the US leads to higher demand of low pricing products Aldi already had a great success on the US market (same discounter model) Only focus on low princing products Existing competitors in the US food retail market (Wal-Mart, Aldi) Limited success of food retailer Tesco after entering the US market in 2007 Source: Self made with the help of: Bord Bia, 2008; Jiroutek, n.d.

Cell Morphology and Motility Essays -- Biology

Tumor cells try to spread throughout the body. In order to do so, these cells need Rho and ROCK or Rac to signal their movement. There are at least two types of morphology (shapes/forms) that need these signals for cell movement. One type is the elongated morphology, which needs to use Rac for signalling, and pericellular proteolysis (an enzyme) for movement. The other type is the rounded (amoeboid) morphology, which uses RhoA and ROCK signalling. Initially, tumor cells were known to take the elongated form. It is now known that the rounded shape also exists and possibly other morphologies as well. This research is focused on tumor cells that have rounded morphology, elongated morphology, and those that can utilize both forms. There has been research in attempts to inhibit, or block, these signals in order to stop tumor cells from spreading. However, this may cause a problem for other cells that may need to move to certain places of the body to function. Researchers have experimented with the use of inhibitors, such as Y27632, C3, and a combination of Y27632 and C3, on different types of tumor cells to see what percentage of cells still invaded to a certain distance. This information is compared to the percentage of untreated cells that invaded the same set distance. The effectiveness of these inhibitors are then related to the type of morphology (elongated or rounded or both) to see if certain types of inhibitors work better in a type of morphology. More research has been conducted to find the percentage of different tumor cells that have invaded three different depths. This is also used to analyze the effectiveness of the inhibitors on the varying types of morphologies. The basic procedure for this type of experiment is d... ...affected by these inhibitors known at this point? Is it possible that there are other morphology changes and signals involved in cell movement? The hopes for developments in the fight against cancer are high, especially in the hearts of innumerable patients, families, and friends. Each small step in the right direction is a step toward a cure, and it's progress such as these discoveries that will someday help save and improve the lives of countless individuals. We would like to thank the people who sit behind a microscope ten hours a day. They are committed to watching blobs move around on a plate in the hope that these blobs can shed light on the diseases that hurt, cripple and kill our fellow human beings. The future is brighter because of the problems being tackled, and the prospects of tomorrow give reason for the contributions and investments of today. Cell Morphology and Motility Essays -- Biology Tumor cells try to spread throughout the body. In order to do so, these cells need Rho and ROCK or Rac to signal their movement. There are at least two types of morphology (shapes/forms) that need these signals for cell movement. One type is the elongated morphology, which needs to use Rac for signalling, and pericellular proteolysis (an enzyme) for movement. The other type is the rounded (amoeboid) morphology, which uses RhoA and ROCK signalling. Initially, tumor cells were known to take the elongated form. It is now known that the rounded shape also exists and possibly other morphologies as well. This research is focused on tumor cells that have rounded morphology, elongated morphology, and those that can utilize both forms. There has been research in attempts to inhibit, or block, these signals in order to stop tumor cells from spreading. However, this may cause a problem for other cells that may need to move to certain places of the body to function. Researchers have experimented with the use of inhibitors, such as Y27632, C3, and a combination of Y27632 and C3, on different types of tumor cells to see what percentage of cells still invaded to a certain distance. This information is compared to the percentage of untreated cells that invaded the same set distance. The effectiveness of these inhibitors are then related to the type of morphology (elongated or rounded or both) to see if certain types of inhibitors work better in a type of morphology. More research has been conducted to find the percentage of different tumor cells that have invaded three different depths. This is also used to analyze the effectiveness of the inhibitors on the varying types of morphologies. The basic procedure for this type of experiment is d... ...affected by these inhibitors known at this point? Is it possible that there are other morphology changes and signals involved in cell movement? The hopes for developments in the fight against cancer are high, especially in the hearts of innumerable patients, families, and friends. Each small step in the right direction is a step toward a cure, and it's progress such as these discoveries that will someday help save and improve the lives of countless individuals. We would like to thank the people who sit behind a microscope ten hours a day. They are committed to watching blobs move around on a plate in the hope that these blobs can shed light on the diseases that hurt, cripple and kill our fellow human beings. The future is brighter because of the problems being tackled, and the prospects of tomorrow give reason for the contributions and investments of today.

Fire with Fire by Naomi Wolf :: Feminism

Naomi Wolf, author of Fire with Fire, is one of the most well known women in modern feminism. In her commencement speech to Scripps College in 1992, she strongly expresses the unfair treatment of women in today’s society. By focusing on survival and weakness, Wolf relays ways to prevent and eliminate discrimination. She conveys her beliefs by expressing important facts about the way women were treated in past history and the way women should be treated today. Along with this, she expresses that women should stand their own ground and that it is their responsibility to determine their status in today’s society. She compares women and men to demonstrate how society differentiates between the two. Wolf speaks of four areas in which she feels women are discriminated in the most. First, she discusses the differences in how society determines how one becomes an adult. She said that boys become men just by taking on responsibility, and for most men, this could happen at an early age. But for women, society requires that they must first finish school before they are considered adults. This is an example of how society places men above women by allowing men to be seen as adults and have adult privileges. Next, she discusses the fact that men earn more money than women in the workplace. She said, "Women make 68 cents for every male dollar. . . (Wolf, p. 2)." This is another example of how society favors men. Wolf then discusses how men often act superior to women simply for the fact that they are treated better by society. Men have traditionally been the primary breadwinners and have taken care of the family, and, for this, men feel that they can look down on women. Finally, Wolf speaks of the fact that women are expected to keep quite when a problem occurs and not speak up for what they believe in. She says, "We are told that the worst thing we can do is cause conflict, even in the service of doing right" (Wolf, p. 2). Once again society favors men by allowing them to speak up for their rights, but looks down upon women for doing the same thing. Wolf feels that these four areas are what contribute to the weakness of a woman in today’s society. Fire with Fire by Naomi Wolf :: Feminism Naomi Wolf, author of Fire with Fire, is one of the most well known women in modern feminism. In her commencement speech to Scripps College in 1992, she strongly expresses the unfair treatment of women in today’s society. By focusing on survival and weakness, Wolf relays ways to prevent and eliminate discrimination. She conveys her beliefs by expressing important facts about the way women were treated in past history and the way women should be treated today. Along with this, she expresses that women should stand their own ground and that it is their responsibility to determine their status in today’s society. She compares women and men to demonstrate how society differentiates between the two. Wolf speaks of four areas in which she feels women are discriminated in the most. First, she discusses the differences in how society determines how one becomes an adult. She said that boys become men just by taking on responsibility, and for most men, this could happen at an early age. But for women, society requires that they must first finish school before they are considered adults. This is an example of how society places men above women by allowing men to be seen as adults and have adult privileges. Next, she discusses the fact that men earn more money than women in the workplace. She said, "Women make 68 cents for every male dollar. . . (Wolf, p. 2)." This is another example of how society favors men. Wolf then discusses how men often act superior to women simply for the fact that they are treated better by society. Men have traditionally been the primary breadwinners and have taken care of the family, and, for this, men feel that they can look down on women. Finally, Wolf speaks of the fact that women are expected to keep quite when a problem occurs and not speak up for what they believe in. She says, "We are told that the worst thing we can do is cause conflict, even in the service of doing right" (Wolf, p. 2). Once again society favors men by allowing them to speak up for their rights, but looks down upon women for doing the same thing. Wolf feels that these four areas are what contribute to the weakness of a woman in today’s society.

Turing: Concept of Computation :: Computers Computational Systems Papers

Turing: Concept of Computation Turing's analysis of the concept of computation is indisputably the foundation of computationalism, which is, in turn, the foundation of cognitive science. What is disputed is whether computationalism is explanatorily bankrupt. For Turing, all computers are digital computers and something becomes a (digital) computer just in case its 'behavior' is interpreted as implementing, executing, or satisfying some (mathematical) function 'f'. As 'computer' names a nonnatural kind, almost everyone agrees that a computational interpretation of this sort is necessary for something to be a computer. But because everything in the universe satisfies at least one (mathematical) function, it is the sufficiency of such interpretations that is the problem. If, as anticomputationalists are fond of pointing out, computationalists are wedded to the view that a computational interpretation is sufficient for something to be a computer, then everything becomes a digital computer. This not only renders comput er-talk vacuous, it strips computationalism of any empirical or explanatory import. My aim is to defend computationalism against charges that it is explanatorily bankrupt. I reexamine several fundamental questions about computers. One effect of this computation-related soul-searching will be a framework within which 'Is the brain a computer?' will be meaningful. Another effect will be a fracture in the supposed link between computationalism and symbolic-digital processing. If the standard by which to measure the explanatory value of a view were its revolutionary character, then Turing's (1936) analysis of the concept of computation would be highly valued indeed. Whereas the science of mind was once dominated by behaviorists, today it is dominated by computationalists. For computationalists, the mind/brain is a computer. As computationalists came to shoulder the burden for explaining how the mind/brain works, Turing's analysis of what counts as a computer became the standard by which to justify empirical claims about whether something is a computer. According to Turing, all computers are digital computers and something becomes a (digital) computer just in case its "behavior" is interpreted as implementing, executing, or satisfying some (mathematical) function 'f'. Because Turing's analysis is considered the foundation of computationalism, which, in turn, is the foundation of cognitive science, there can be no doubt that Turing's analysis has revolutioni zed the scientific study of the mind/brain. That much is not in dispute. What is, rather, is whether computationalism is explanatorily bankrupt. Although attacks against computationalism come in a variety of flavors, what bridles Searle (1990) and other anticomputationalists the most is the sufficiency of Turing's analysis of what counts as a computer.

Career Paper ( Preschool Teacher) Essay

History Preschool is something very important for toddlers. Preschools were established in Europe around the late 1800’s. They were later introduced to the United States in the 1920’s. According to the Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance 9th edition â€Å"preschools expanded rapidly in the united states during the 1960’s†. Job Description Preschool teachers usually instruct children usually until they reach the age of five. They conduct activities designed to develop social, physical, and intellectual skills needed for primary school. During an interview I was told many things on the subject. â€Å"You need a lot of patience† said Esther Rodriguez a preschool teacher. There are many tasks needed to be done. While researching I came across plenty of information on the internet, Echoices says that some typical tasks are â€Å"planning individual and group activities, and monitor activities to prevent accidents and conflicts between children†. Nature of Work Preschool teachers play a very important role in the development of children. In the Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance 9th edition states that â€Å"a preschool teacher’s primary responsibility in the social development and health of each child†. Preschool teachers design activities that build on the children’s native abilities and help them develop skills and characteristics that will help them grow. What children learn and experience during their early years can shape their views of themselves and the world. Preschool teachers introduce children to math, language arts, science, and social studies. These subjects are taught using games, music, artwork, films, books, computers, and other tools to teach basic skills. The majority of children need adjusting when they first go to preschool it being their first time away from home and their parents. Because young children look up to adults and learn through examples, it’s important that the teachers are good role models. Education, training, qualifications, and work experience Licensing requirements for preschool teachers vary by state. Some states require a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and others require certification by a nationally recognized authority. The child development associate (CDA) credential which is the most common type of certification. It requires a mix of classroom training and experience working with children. This comes along with an independent of an individual’s competence. The Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance 11th edition shares some requirements. â€Å"In high school you should take child development, home economics, and other classes that involve you with child care†. It also says â€Å"you’ll also need a fundamental understanding of the general subjects you’ll be introducing to preschool students, so take English, science, and math†. Don’t forget art, music, and drama for creative skills. Florida Earnings 2003 Statewide average annual earnings $20,405 Statewide average hourly earnings $9. 81 Statewide entry level annual earnings $14,560 Statewide entry level hourly earnings $7. 00 Statewide experienced level annual earnings $22,090 Statewide experienced level hourly earnings $10. 62 Miami Earnings 2003 Average annual earnings $23,150 /hourly $11. 13 Entry level annual earnings $14,435 / hourly $6. 94 Experienced level annual earnings $27,414/ hourly $13. 18.