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Cheerleading Is a Sport Essay

Cheerleading began as a male undertaking in 1898, when a University of Minnesota football fan drove the group in refrain on the side of thei...

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Global East - Twin Globalization essays

Global East - Twin Globalization essays Globalization is used in any and every context. It is used in international discourses both official and non-official, and in the context of the interdependency of economies and nations. The word globalization has evolved over time, but it has assumed more prominence since the end of the cold war and rapid liberation of emerging economies. Since the whole process is about development and transformation the process of globalization has become the necessary consequence of the economic development and cultural development, which is the pursuit of most modern market economies leading to interconnectedness of most economies and nations. However even with all the research, case studies, and discussions about globalization, it still remains an elusive concept without real-life examples capable of breathing shape, color, and sound into a vague term that continues to dominate the twenty- first century media landscape(Steger 2). One can claim that the engine that drives forces of globalizatio n is primarily a combination of economic and cultural ones. But in order to understand what drives the forces, first an analysis of the concept of globalization is relevant. Economical and cultural forces continue to drive the engine of globalization, resulting in a balancing act of positives and negatives while determining the ever-changing worth of nations. To understand why globalization continues to exist, one has to analyze the two forces that continue to instill life into it, the economic and cultural forces. One of the forces is economic globalization and is positively characterized by the intensification and stretching of economic interrelations across the globe (Steger 38). With the liberalization of the free market, tremendous flows of capital have stimulated trade in goods and services. Markets have extended their reach around the world, creating linkages, with other nations, transnational corporations, an...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Properly Clean Laboratory Glassware

How to Properly Clean Laboratory Glassware Cleaning laboratory glassware isnt as simple as washing the dishes. Heres how to wash your glassware so you wont ruin your chemical solution or laboratory experiment. The Basics Its generally easier to clean glassware if you do it right away. When a detergent is used, its usually one designed for lab glassware, such as Liquinox  or Alconox. These detergents are preferable to any dishwashing detergent that might be used on dishes at home. Usually, detergent and tap water are neither required nor desirable. You can rinse the glassware with the proper solvent, then finish up with a couple of rinses with distilled water, followed by final rinses with deionized water. Washing Out Common Chemicals Water Soluble Solutions  (e.g., sodium chloride or sucrose solutions): Rinse 3-4 times with deionized water, then put the glassware away.Water Insoluble Solutions  (e.g., solutions in hexane or chloroform): Rinse 2-3 times with ethanol or acetone, rinse 3-4 times with deionized water, then put the glassware away. In some situations, other solvents need to be used for the initial rinse.Strong Acids  (e.g., concentrated HCl or H2SO4): Under the fume hood, carefully rinse the glassware with copious volumes of tap water. Rinse 3-4 times with deionized water, then put the glassware away.Strong Bases  (e.g., 6M NaOH or concentrated NH4OH): Under the fume hood, carefully rinse the glassware with copious volumes of tap water. Rinse 3-4 times with deionized water, then put the glassware away.Weak Acids  (e.g., acetic acid solutions or dilutions of strong acids such as 0.1M or 1M HCl or H2SO4): Rinse 3-4 times with deionized water before putting the glassware away.Weak Bases  (e.g. , 0.1M and 1M NaOH and NH4OH): Rinse thoroughly with tap water to remove the base, then rinse 3-4 times with deionized water before putting the glassware away. Washing Special Glassware Glassware Used for Organic Chemistry Rinse the glassware with the appropriate solvent. Use deionized water for water-soluble contents. Use ethanol for ethanol-soluble contents, followed by rinses in deionized water. Rinse with other solvents as needed, followed by ethanol, and, finally, deionized water. If the glassware requires scrubbing, scrub with a brush using hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly with tap water, followed by rinses with deionized water. Burets Wash with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly with tap water, then rinse 3-4 times with deionized water. Be sure the final rinses sheet off of the glass. Burets need to be thoroughly clean to be used for quantitative labwork. Pipets and Volumetric Flasks In some cases, you may need to soak the glassware overnight in soapy water. Clean pipets and volumetric flasks using warm soapy water. The glassware may require scrubbing with a brush. Rinse with tap water followed by 3-4 rinses with deionized water. Drying or Not Drying It is inadvisable to dry glassware with a paper towel or forced air since this can introduce fibers or impurities that can contaminate the solution. Normally you can allow glassware to air dry on the shelf. Otherwise, if you are adding water to the glassware, it is fine to leave it wet (unless it will affect the concentration of the final solution.) If the solvent will be ether, you can rinse the glassware with ethanol or acetone to remove the water, then rinse with the final solution to remove the alcohol or acetone. Rinsing with Reagent ​If water will affect the concentration of the final solution, triple rinse the glassware with the solution. Drying Glassware If glassware is to be used immediately after washing and must be dry, rinse it 2-3 times with acetone. This will remove any water and will evaporate quickly. While its not a great idea to blow air into glassware to dry it, sometimes you can apply a vacuum to evaporate the solvent. Additional Tips Remove stoppers and stopcocks when they are not in use. Otherwise, they may freeze in place.You can degrease ground glass joints by wiping them with a lint-free towel soaked with ether or acetone. Wear gloves and avoid breathing the fumes.The deionized water rinse should form a smooth sheet when poured through clean glassware. If this sheeting action is not seen, more aggressive cleaning methods may be needed.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Philosophy 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philosophy 101 - Essay Example Based on this argument, existentialism holds that there is no general essence among individual selves. It asserts that one’s identity and purpose is fashioned by the individual subject alone. In this light, philosophy enables the individual subject to reflect on one’s purpose in life, which in turn defines one’s authenticity. An authentic lifestyle entails the affirmation of individual responsibility. It contends that humans must become highly reflective of the possible outcomes of their desired course of action. Such an act of cognition shall facilitate both prudent and moral conduct that contributes to the emancipation of the individual self. This shows how philosophy encourages us to become resolute in our own beliefs and convictions regardless of what traditional society or religion dictates. By this, we shall find value in life, in our pursuit of knowledge and meaning in the world, for such can lead to the acquisition of a deeper and holistic understanding o f life. Herein is the value of philosophy. For through it, we are able to exercise human freedom, and take hold of our own lives, based on our own choices and actions. It enables us reflect on the meaning of the most important and simple things in life, and most importantly, exalt individualism. Works Cited Kelly, Eugene. The Basics of Western Philosophy. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print. Sartre, Jean Paul.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Conflict with examples from your career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict with examples from your career - Essay Example The analysis, prevention, management or resolution of conflicts does not aim at eliminating the conflict, but aims at looking for the best ways of solving the conflict without resorting to violence. There are a number of reasons underlying conflicts. Conflicts are caused when people are competing for the same natural or artificial resources, which are distributed unfairly, or which are not enough for everybody to get a share. Conflicts also arise when people are not satisfied with the manner in which they are governed. The major cause of conflict in this case is when a particular group wants to be independent from the central government, which is contrary to the laws governing the central government. Conflicts also arise when there is a clash of people’s beliefs with the most sensitive views being religious and political views, since people use them to show their sense of identity and belonging. Ethnic differences can also cause conflicts since people’s ethnicity give them a source of identity and belonging, and a threat to this is likely to result into violence if the conflict is not addressed early enough. Conflict management plays a big role in strengthening the bond between employees or the conflicting parties and solves close to half of the problems facing the parties. In a working environment, employees need to feel motivated and find work exciting. It is thus advisable for a manager, before implementing any idea that is likely to affect the employees in an organization to conduct employee consultations then take the most appropriate step in solving the problem. Moreover, conflict resolution plays a big role in people’s lives since tussles and fights that are likely to spoil relationships and create enmity are ironed out. Addressing problems at the right time helps to prevent further damage brought about by

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Spanish Empire Essay Example for Free

Spanish Empire Essay The Spanish had little respect for Indian culture. As soon as their boots hit the ground, they set about subverting and destroying every aspect of the Indian way of life. The Aztecs attempted to befriend the Spanish explorers, but when Hernan Cortez heard his capitol of Vera Cruz had been plundered, he capture and killed their leader Montezuma II. The Incas didn’t fare any better. Francisco Pizarro, driven mad with greed, kidnapped the Incan king, Atahualpa and forced his people to pay an outrageous ransom of gold before executing him. Soon after these tragic events, the Spanish set up encomienda, a system of government similar to the feudal system of the middle ages. Under this system, Spanish military commanders were granted land on which several Indian tribes lived. They forced these indigenous people to convert to Christianity, work in the gold and silver mines, and pay tribute for the protection of their homes. The natives of South America had little hope of fighting off these foreign invaders. When the Spanish arrived, they brought with them all of the technological advances of their homeland. The Aztecs and Incas had wood, stone, and bone weapons, the Spanish had steel and gunpowder. One Spanish priest said, â€Å"Gunpowder frightens the most valiant and courageous Indian and renders him slave to the white man’s command.† The only domesticated animals the Aztecs and Incas had seen was the dog. The Spanish brought horses. A mounted warrior was something the Indians had no experience dealing with and it frightened them greatly. The Spanish plundered their way through South America, destroying every important cultural artifact they came across. Virtually nothing remains of the religious writings and histories of these rich cultures. The wealth plundered from South America by the Spanish, made them extremely rich and powerful. Shipments of gold were regularly taken back home. Some ships carried as much as $15,000,000 worth of gold at one time. This made Spanish ships a target for piracy. To combat this, the Spanish invested much of their wealth into an armada. The Spanish armada was the most feared naval unit of its time. The Spanish set up smaller colonies in North America. Most of these were situated along the East Coast and were nothing more than black markets for pirate booty. Some Spanish explorers, like Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, made it all the way to the Grand Cany on. They were most likely the first European explorers to see it. In the end, these colonies were used as  a barrier of protection for Spanish gold interest in the south. Because of the enormous wealth gained from the rich natural resources of the new world, the Spanish would be very reluctant to let their territory go. As powerful as the Spanish empire became, it would soon meet with hardship and eventually disaster. The English and French understood the value of setting up an extensive trade network with the natives. The Spanish thought converting them to Christianity was more important, and this decision would come back to haunt them. The English dispatched privateers like Francis Drake to attack Spanish ships carrying shipments of gold. While reluctant to declare war on Spain, England had no problem funding terrorist like attacks against their shipping industry. This outraged this Spanish King Phillip, and he promptly dispatched his armada to attack the English criminals. The English destroyed his armada and subsequently gained dominance in the Atlantic and eventually in the Caribbean. With their armada destroyed and no trade network in the Americas, the Spanish slowly lost their grip on their once mighty empire.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Constructivism Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Learning Essays

Constructivism What is constructivism? Constructivism is a philosophy of learning that "refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves---each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning---as he or she learns (Hein, 1991, p.1). In other words, "students construct their own knowledge based on their existing schemata and beliefs"(Airasian & Walsh, 1997, p.1) Constructivists deny the existence of one "true" body of knowledge that exists independently of the learners and espouse the idea that "there is no knowledge independent of the meaning attributed to experience (constructed) by the learner, or community of learners (Hein, 1991, p.1). Knowledge is "a personal and social construction of meaning out of the bewildering array of sensations which have no order or structure besides the explanations...which we [the learners] fabricate for them (Hein, 1991, p.1). To construct a meaning to the philosophy of constructivism, the misunderstandings of constructivism, its value in the world of teaching, a nd its influence in instructional technology will be discussed. Misunderstandings lead to an Understanding Because constructivism is sometimes viewed as a new pedagogy rather than a new philosophy of learning, many incorrect assumptions are made about its implications and applications to learning and the learners. By examining some of the misunderstandings surrounding constructivism, one can gain an understanding of the nature of constructivism and how its implications can be successfully applied to teaching. The first myth of constructivism is that "students should always be actively and reflectively constructing"(Clements, 1997, p.1). The constructivists view learning as "an active process i... ...The fallacy of constructivism. Clio, 24(3), 4 pages. Available at: Galileo Periodical Abstracts. Hein, George E. (1991, October). Constructivist learning theory: the museum and the needs of people. Paper presented at the CECA Conference in Jerusalem, Israel. Kamii, Constance and Janice K. Ewing. (1996). Basic teaching on Piaget’s constructivism. Childhood Education, 72(5), 4 pages. Available at: Galileo Periodical Abstracts. Lunenberg, Fred C. (1998, June). Constructivism and technology: instructional designs for successful education reform. Journal of Instructional Technology, 25(2), p. 75- 82. o’Donnell, Angela M. (June, 1997). Constructivism by design and in practice: a review. Issues in Education, 3(2), p. 285-294. Wilson, Brent G. (1997, March). Reflections on constructivism and instructional design. Instructional Development Paradigms, 18 pages.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Microsoft Corporation’s Strategy Essay

1. Executive Summary Microsoft is a computer business company. It is famous for software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office suite, and Internet Explorer web browser. It is the world’s largest software maker measured by revenues. Also Microsoft has a new development strategy in  recent year which approaching to smart-phone industry. Microsoft built on the partnership with Nokia since 2011, and the significantly increasing success of Nokia’s Lumia smart-phones. Microsoft’s purpose is to use the acceleration growth of its share and profit in mobile devices through the speed innovation, addition synergies and centralized brand and market. At that period for Nokia, this transaction was significantly accretive to earnings, strengthen its financial position, and provide a solid basis for investment in its continuing businesses. This acquisition will promote competition, Microsoft offer competitive alternatives to Google and Apple which helped by integration of hardware and software. Also, Microsoft gains proven ability which from key personnel to success in devices and services, it remains committed to working with partners in the windows & windows phone ecosystems. Moreover, the acquisition can benefit consumers, it has pulled down Microsoft’s devices and services costs from development through the market and by gaining cost savings from Nokia’s. 2. Introduction Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational company, and its mission statement is use human diversity and inclusive of ideas and solutions to satisfy the needs of its increasingly global and and diversification consumer base . Microsoft get into the smart-phone market would be a big step for it to develop more for its business, that is one of the reasons that purchasing Nokia in 2013. Microsoft’s acquired Nokia on 3rd September 2013; and announced that to used approximately $ 7.2 billion to purchase almost all of Nokia’s mobile phone business which spent $ 5 billion on equipment and service departments, also paid $ 2.1 billion for related patent. This report aims to analyze the strategy of Microsoft acquisition of Nokia which included SWOT, also the analysis of PESTLE and five forces of the strategy, then finally would be the Value chain, the recommendation of its strategy and retaliation of competition. SWOT analyzes that after changed the strategy how to affect Microsoft as a good and bad way, also how it inspires more chances to develop the business, and any risk from this strategy. It shows that electronic product industry competed in the firm. Secondly, the report explains the reason of Microsoft has to change strategy by political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal, all  those factors show that when strategy changed by Microsoft. Thirdly, this report will talk about Nokia entered into Microsoft is the strategic change the business by using five forces; it explains the current rivals and potential new entrants in the industry with the businesses change in strategy. Also, with the value chain, the original Nokia’s technique skills have changed the organization and competencies. Finally, this report will talk about the future of this company development, it will tell core competence and innovation strategies are most likely to improve its absolute and relative performance in the next 3 to 5 years. With those analyses, this report will explain the details of this strategy from Microsoft, and both advantages and disadvantages by usi ng this strategy for its future business. 3. The Environment Analysis With technology great development, Apple’s produce iPhone and products to cater the market as Google’s does have Android to compete in. Thurs made a decision with Microsoft acquired Nokia in 2013. 3.1 SWOT Analysis 3.1.1 Strengths Microsoft and Nokia’s huge influence in the world Microsoft Corporation is world leader of personal computer software development; also it currently is the world’s largest provider of computer software. At the same time, according to Steve Ballmer Microsoft Chief Executive (2013), Microsoft’s Windows occupy 91.49% sharing of the global PC operation system. Nokia has had powerful hardware design concept and abilities of manufacturing, also Nokia’s Lumia occupied approximately 82% of the market. So, acquisition of Nokia was a great record for Microsoft’s corporate strategy. Brand loyalty Microsoft has been managing operation systems and software provider, it establishes over 90 % of the PC operation system’s market share. Most of people grew up with Microsoft’s operating system because of the easy manipulating and will use continually, there are not much brands can compete with it for those reasons. Even open source operating system; it is totally  free, suits ordinary users. Profits of the mobile phone market Profit is a big principle of Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia. According to the US technology blog estimating, Microsoft earned 10 US dollars gross profit from each Lumia phone, but after the acquisition, the gross profit of Lumia has increased to over 40 US dollars, which mean that Microsoft can recover the cost of acquisition of Nokia with 25 million Lumia phones be sold. 3.1.2 Weaknesses Saturated Market Microsoft approached too late to the smart-phone’s market, it has already saturated when Microsoft stepped into. Most of the market shares have been taken by Apple and Android. According to Bamburic (2013), in 2013, Window Mobile only occupied 2.9 % from the smart-phone market share, it is a bad record which compare with Apple’s 18.2 % and Android’s 74.4 %. Innovate slowly Microsoft is difficult to ask people to accept the whole system moved to a smart-phone operating in a short period. Although consumers have not totally approved Window Mobile, Microsoft still updates the mobile system slowly. 3.1.3 Opportunities Offer Option Android occupies most of the market share of smart-phone, however the loyalty of Android’s users are unstable, also Apple’s products are too expensive for consumers, with no more choice for mobile system, Window mobile get a chance to attract those customers. Functional With the developing Information Technology, people see mobile as a necessity, and mobile phone is not just a communication tool, consumers concern about the multi-function and the brand of mobile phone. 3.1.4 Threats Substitutive The threat of substitutive, same level of smart-phone will be the greatest  substitutive of Microsoft, such as Samsung, LG, Sony; developed technology and internet, net communication also are the substitutive, such as E-mail, MSN, Skype. Limited Creative & Cost The creative abilities of the whole industry are declining as Apple or Samsung. With the quick developed in these years, systems and function are getting homogeneous. This is the same problem for the whole industry. Moreover, with the developing creative function, cost also is a main element to win the competition which how to spend less to do more. 3.2 PESTLE Analysis Macro environmental influences on Microsoft are summarized with in following six categories to identify the key drivers for change. 3.2.1 Political The US government concerns the investment in high-tech industries and supports the development of high-tech enterprises which made the Mobile Enterprises starting the patent competition. Mobile manufacturers defray a large proportion of cost by the strict US patent system. Also America has the most complete and strict for mergers and acquisitions law. 3.2.2 Economic America’s tertiary industry occupied for about 78 % of GDP, which the contribution of high-tech owned the most, the technology is crucial for the US which is the power source of economic development. The global economic crisis of 2008 caused a huge blow to the world economy, under the impact of the economic crisis, Nokia’s share price fell sharply which just made a great offer for Microsoft to purchase as a low cost. 3.2.3 Social With the development of the information age, people rely on mobile phones increasingly. By changing the concept of value as people’s lives changed as well, people do not see mobile as a communication tool at all, they attach importance to the multi-function and brand of the products. Consumers’ brand awareness is getting stronger when they are selecting mobile phone.  Smart-phones are no longer for teenage only, it turns to be public goods for everyone. With the smart-phone fashion rising, mobile phones have become a symbol of renewal as a consumer, so the mobile phone market is very considerable. 3.2.4 Technological Walking in front of others is the only way to survive in the high-tech field and the fierce market competition. High-tech products have rapid upgraded and short life cycle, it inspires higher requires to enterprises’ special application software and ability of continuing to update the hardware configuration. Nokia as a former mobile phone giant obviously hold numerous patents, specialized technical personnel and technical reserves the phone which is an advantage to help Microsoft to develop on smart-phone industry. 3.2.5 Legal Microsoft corporate supervised by laws, and it followed the laws which contain Labor law, intellectual property and the tax regime. 3.2.6 Environmental Microsoft is an ecofriendly company, it is green IT and the company request customers to recycle the product which are used. 3.3 Five forces 3.3.1 Existing Competitions With fierce competition in the electronics industry, Microsoft’s mobile is facing every kind of problems in development, smart-phone’s challenged from Apple and Google, also there has problems with products, research and development, marketing strategy and enterprise development strategy. Microsoft needs to plan its strategy as an â€Å"universal key† to open each locks. 3.3.2 Threat of New Entrant New entrant is a threat of Microsoft. HP (Hewlett-Packard) purchased Palm mobile firm in 2010, HP was a global information technology company, main business focused on printers, computer and software. HP is just one of the new entrant, most of the famous computer industries involve as well, such as  Lenovo, Dell. They have stable trust on consumers and market in society, now they invade to mobile phone industry which is a serious threat for Microsoft. 3.3.3 Threat of Substitutes With development of information technology and continuous improvement of people’s living standards, network, iPod and even digital cameras are more popular to substitute with phones by more functional and professional. As a result, the substitutive has a certain threat to Microsoft. 3.3.4 Power of Buyers The products’ quality and quantity depends on the power of buyers. Nokia’s technique could not satisfy buyers enough to buy their products because of the lower level in the smart-phone market which cause buyers’ bargaining power are getting stronger. But Microsoft has good reputation and well system, after the acquisition of Nokia, it increases buyers’ confident of products which successfully reduce the bargaining power from buyers and raised profits. 3.3.5 Power of Suppliers Mobile phone suppliers had great competition before 2010, so enterprises picked very seriously of their suppliers which caused a low bargaining power in the market. After 2010, Apple’s products sold well and had significantly outstanding result which leaded to other enterprises’ profit sharply dropped down; also suppliers got reduced by them at the same time. So Microsoft purchased Nokia at the right timing which earns a good bargaining power. 4. The Value Chain According to Walters (2007), Microsoft knew that the company should have an efficient value chain and offering the customer great value with its products. People would discover that Microsoft’s value chain is completely integrated to crop-net which is their information technology infrastructure network. The management of central control and efficiency are brought by the integration with their technical capabilities, it allows them to use the minimum effort and minimum mistakes at the right time to make a right  decision, thus value increased when cost saving. Microsoft provides software to them is minimal for need of logistics, because they can send the software through internet to the local agents. They also do customer services and maintenance by information technology, and they have to recruit, support, market, maintain, interview, finance, customer service, deliver, consult, advertise for the network. The development of technology is interior, there have the cost benefits of development and maintaining technology of value chain for compared to competitors. According to Johnson (2011), Porter’s Value Chain Model, margin has significantly increased after the Microsoft acquisition of Nokia. For the primary value chain activities, the inbound logistics of Microsoft allows Nokia to provide equipment, also the marketing and sale of Microsoft has many advertising platform that can increase publicity and sales. Procurement area is an important part of the cooperation between Microsoft and Nokia. This development must source raw materials for the business and obtain the best price for doing so. The challenge for procurement is to obtain the best possible quality available on the market for their budget. At the same time, purchasing inputs that means it buys product cheaper from suppliers. Because of Microsoft’s core competence is the system software; the development of mobile phone hardware is not completed. On the other hand, Nokia’s core competence has the good hardware system and stable suppliers’ source, so this result is becoming a win-win for both companies which reach the cost efficiency. Microsoft can directly use Nokia’s equipment to sell and reduce the costs, also it improves the margin. Figure 1 and Figure 2 shows that after Microsoft got the Nokia, both of them operating margin profit and market value increased. In summary, Value chain model defines the cost advantage after Microsoft acquisition of Nokia; it achieves cost efficiency and associated with core competencies and capabilities in order to perform them better than do competitors. 5. Retaliation of Competitors Facing acquisition of Nokia, current rivals and potential new entrants in mobile market which are Google, Apple and HP should do something to deal with this Microsoft’s corporate-level strategy. As Burrows comment that Google and Apple did the same thing which is advertise their products. For  example, Google-operated retail Web site, use â€Å"Web meets phone† as a statement for introducing. In terms of the five force, existing competitions will make a plan for strategic change form same industry, so new entrants does. 6. Recommendation Mobile space could be one of the serious problems for Microsoft in recent years. Windows Mobile platform is still dominated by innovative in market, such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system. The plan of Microsoft to compete with those providers this year would be releasing Window Phone 7, although it is little bit late to the smart-phone market, Microsoft realizes what consumers really needed, and Window Phone 7 will be the best explanation in the next 3 to 5 years. Innovation has been a big issue for Microsoft, Windows is a special case as an innovative product when it first released, but Microsoft did not provide anything that even matching the innovation. Because of the competitors have developed more creative products, all companies want to be the main competitor in the high-tech space. Innovation is the most necessary element in the smart-phone market which Microsoft has to improve. 7. Conclusion Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia is opportunities as well as challenges. As the analysis of opportunities and threats with Microsoft’s mobile phone business, for Microsoft entered lately to the mobile market and the decline of the old mobile phone giant Nokia, how to achieve the advantage complementary through the merger of both sides, Microsoft has to put smart-phone system and PC operation system together as soon as possible to achieve the great new innovations of smart-phone. Microsoft has to be originality of mobile system for its business, it will be the big step for Microsoft to be success. Microsoft has been the dominant PC computer software manufacturer over years, but now the sales growth of the PC has slowed sharply because of consumers have been the turning to smart-phones and tablets. The sales of PC’s expectation was 409 million units in 2011, it was a 15.9 % increased which lower than 18.1 % the previous estimate of the company. According to Research director of Gartner Ranjit Atwal (2013), this  result reflects the weakening of consumer demand, the recent increase in shipment is expected to decline, increasing consumer interested in the iPad and other tablet PCs are the main factors leading to rising slowing sales growth of the PC in the long run. As Lomas comment that (2013), in the future of 2014, tablet will replace PC for over 10 % of sales, Microsoft and Intel believe that Windows software could attract a variety of users by the touch features, especially business users, and it inspires the development of Windows Tablet PC, touch-screen laptop and their products. Technology is the most influencing Macro environmental factor by the PESTEL analysis. Microsoft strategy through Bowman’s clock as an explanation which both bases of differentiation and intended strategy for low price are detailed. Value chain diagnose the capabilities of the strategy as a tool, it proves that Microsoft strategy align ed well from this completed core. Also Microsoft had the abilities to resource the strategies by man power, technology, funds and information to win the position in the market. 8. Bibliography Ali-Yrkkà ¶,J., Kalm,M., Pajarinen, P., Rouvinen, P., Seppala, T. and Tahvanainen, A.(2013). Microsoft Acquires Nokia: Implications for the Two Companies and Finland. ETLA Brief [Online] Available From: http://www.industriall-europe.org/Sectors/ICT/2013/ETLA-Nokia-%20MS-Muistio-Brief-16.pdf. [Accessed: 3rd September 2013] Blandford, R. (2013). Why did Microsoft acquire Nokia’s Devices & Services business? [Online] Available From: http://allaboutwindowsphone.com/features/item/18293_Why_did_Microsoft_acquire_Noki.php. [Accessed: 3rd September 2013] Bamburic, M. (2013). What we know about Windows Phone 8.1 so far? [Online] Available From:http://support.techlogic.net/index.php?/News/List/Index/134. [Accessed: 28th February 2014] Burrows, P.(2010). Apple vs. Google. Businessweek. [Online] Available From: http://cecs5580.pbworks.com/f/businessweek+Apple+vs+Google.pdf. [Accessed: 14th January 2010] BBC News. Microsoft to buy Nokia’s mobile phone unit.. [Online] Available From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23940171. [Accessed: 3rd September 2013] BBC News. Microsoft-Nokia deal: Analyst reaction.. [Online] Available From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23945652. [Accessed: 3rd September 2013] CNET News. Microsoft to acquire Nokia’s device and services division. [Online] Available From: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57601025-75/microsoft-to-acquire-nokias-device-and-services-division/. [Accessed: 2nd September 2013] Guy, A. (2011). Entrepreneurship and the value chain: Importance, risks and suggestions. Advances in Management. 4(6). Pp.63-65. Johnson, G., Scholes, K., and Whittington, R. (2011). Exploring Corporate Strategy. FT Prentice Hall. Harlow. Lomas, N. (2013). Tablets To Grow 53.4% This Year, Says Gartner, As The Traditional PC declines 11.2%. [Online] Available From: http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/21/tablets-vs-pcs/. [Accessed: 21th October 2013] Microsoft Corporation. (2104).Company profile. [Online] Available From: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=MSFT+Competitors Microsoft to acquire Nokia’s devices & services business, license Nokia’s patents and mapping services. [Online] Available From: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/sep13/09-02announcementpr.aspx. [Accessed: 3rd September 2013] Ovide,S. (2013). Deal Is Easy Part for Microsoft and Nokia. [Online] Available From: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB100014241278873244324045790521127313496

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Mergers & Acquisitions Paper Essay

Mergers and acquisitions is an important aspect of corporate strategy, finance and management. This is done with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities. It can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector as well as the new sector it just acquired without the hassle of creating a subsidiary from scratch. This activity is on the rise worldwide. According J. Finnegan in â€Å"Global Mergers and Acquisitions Activity Continue to Rise† article, this increase has been accompanied by the return of mega-deals (value exceeding $10 billion) driven primarily by large multinational corporations flush with cash in the U.S. Two of the biggest acquisitions in 2012 are from the Energy Industry and Tech industry where Duke Energy Corporation acquired Progress Energy Inc. and Google acquired Motorola Mobility. I) Duke Energy Corp. acquired Progress Engergy Inc. According to Yahoo finance, in the first case in the energy industry, when the merger was announced on January 10, 2011, the transaction value totaled $26 billion, including Progress Energy’s debt. Currently based on Duke Energy’s share price and including Progress Energy’s debt, the transaction is valued at about $32 billion. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) announced that it has acquired Progress Energy Inc., effective July 2, 2012. The original Duke Engergy includes Duke Energy International, which operates power plants in Central and South America; Duke Energy Renewables, which develops and owns wind and solar projects in the U.S.; and Duke Energy’s Midwest generation and Duke Energy Retail, which generate, market and sell electricity in the Midwest. Now, the new entity has nearly $49 billion in market capitalization, total assets more than $100 billion and 7.1 million electric users in the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The transaction makes Duke Energy the largest U.S. utility and increases its ability to build new power plants to meet future greenhouse-gas emissions limits. Earlier, Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (EXC) was the largest U.S. utility. The new company would be known as Duke Energy with headquarters in Charlotte, and substantial operations in Raleigh, North Carolina. Duke Energy would trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol â€Å"DUK†. Pursuant to the merger deal, Progress Energy has become a wholly owned direct unit of Duke Energy. On a standalone basis, Duke Energy had an adjusted earnings per share guidance range of $1.40 – $1.45 for 2012. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each share of Progress Energy common stock has been converted into the right to receive 0.87083 shares of Duke Energy common stock. Due to the effect of the 1-for-3 reverse stock split, which was completed related to this merger transaction, this guidance range is the equivalent of $4.20 – $4.35 per share. The combined company continues to target 2012 adjusted earnings per share range of $4.20 – $4.35. The reverse stock split is designed to reduce the number of outstanding Duke Energy shares. The merger is expected to keep the company’s long-term goal of 4% – 6% growth in good shape. Overall, their strong balance sheet, ongoing capital expansion projects and an above average dividend yield are very good signs that this merger and acquisition is working well for them. II) Google acquired Motorola Mobility One of the world’s most valuable brand name in the tech industry is Google, Inc. – a silicon valley native company. Founded in 1988 out of a garage, it has now become the largest and most popular search engine on the Internet. Its strong growth is credited to its creative, think outside the box and risk-taking culture. In recent years, it has been involved in a lot of new ventures and mergers and acquisitions with different industries to expand its operation. One of its new product is the Android operating system offered for free to smartphone manufacturers to compete with the Apple iphone’s iOS system. Google has also been trying to produce and release its own smart phones but hasn’t met much success. In addition, it is facing the risk of many lawsuits relating to pattern with Apple. So in smart and bold move, Google has decided to acquire phone maker Motorola Mobility and completed this deal in May 2012 for a whopping $12.5 billion which makes it the largest Google acquisition ever! This will definitely push it deeper into the fast growing cell phones industry. Motorola Mobility used to be a strong player in the cell phone industry but in recent years, it has struggled and suffered constantly. As its line of smartphones has waned in popularity, Motorola Mobility has suffered losses totaling $1.7 billion during the past three years while Google has earned a total of $25 billion over the same stretch. The acquisition is largely a defensive one from Google’s perspective. Google needs Motorola’s trove of 17,000 cellphone patents (plus an extra 7.500 that are awaiting approval) to defend Android phones against lawsuits by Apple, which accuses them of copying iPhone features. It’s now playing in Apple territory. Buying Motorola gives Google the ability to control both hardware and software, by making its own integrated smartphones and other devices. Under the term of the acquisition, Google will acquired all outstanding common shares of Motorola for $40 per share and transaction costs were $50 million. Out of the 12.4 billion total purchase price, goodwill takes up to $2.6 billion, patterns takes up to $5.5 billion with only $670 million to other net assets. Although it initially was drawn to Motorola Mobility for its patents, Google has been signaling recently that it has been drawing up more ambitious plans for Motorola Mobility. Besides producing smartphones and tablet computers, Motorola Mobility also makes cable-TV boxes that could provide Google with a springboard for delivering more of its services, including advertising, to living rooms. References Goldman , David. â€Å"Google seals $13 billion Motorola buy.† 22 2012: n. page. Print. . â€Å"Google completes $12.5B acquisition of phone maker Motorola Mobility after China clears deal .† 22 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. . Finnegan, Jim. â€Å"Global mergers and acquisitions activity continues to rise.† 24 2011: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Mice and Men essays

Mice and Men essays John Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men seems to be ultimately pessimistic, suggesting that humans seem fated to be alone, to strive for dreams that may be unreachable. Even though people think that they can achieve a finer life, mostly those are the people who never do. They try their hardest to overcome the odds of being a hopeless soul. In many ways, Curleys wife wants to have an improved life. For example, when the other hands are playing a horseshoe tournament Curleys wife tries to obtain attention from the sullen Lennie, Why cant I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely (87). Curleys wife loneliness reveals that she longs for somebody to talk to even a slow mined person. In addition, this loneliness tells the reader that perhaps she does not love her husband. Gloomily she says, I tell you I aint used to livin like this. I coulda made somethin of myself (88). Her regrets have a long lasting pain that haunts her. She wants vengeance but cannot do anything about it because she is trapped and cannot accomplish her dream. For instance, Curleys wife confides in Lennie about her talent, Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes. . . an I coulda sat in them big hotels, an had pitchers took of me (89). Her fantasies and dreams are to be having a part in the movies and a life of luxury. Part of her unhappiness with her life is that it can never measure up to her dreams. Overall, Curleys wife will never get a chance to accomplish her goals in life because she risked her own life with a panic stricken bear. Candy , as all humans , wants in a the special agreement. ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Tips to Increase Parental Involvement in Education

Tips to Increase Parental Involvement in Education True school reform will always begin with an increase in parental involvement in education. It has been proven time and time again that parents who invest time and place value on their child’s education will have children who are more successful in school. Naturally there are always exceptions, but teaching your child to value education cannot help but have a positive impact on their education. Schools understand the value that involved parents bring and most are willing to take the necessary steps to help boost parental involvement.   This naturally takes time. It should begin in elementary schools where parental involvement is naturally better. Those teachers must build relationships with parents and have conversations about the importance of maintaining a high level of involvement even through high school. School administrators and teachers are continuously frustrated in an age where parental involvement increasingly seems to be on the decline. Part of this frustration lays in the fact that society often places sole blame on the teachers when in truth there is a natural handicap if parents are not doing their part. There is also no denying that each individual school is affected by parental involvement at varying levels. Schools with more parental involvement are almost always the higher-performing schools when it comes to standardized testing. The question is how do schools increase parental involvement? The reality is that many schools are never going to have 100% parental involvement. However, there are strategies that you can implement to increase parental involvement significantly. Improving parental involvement in your school will make teachers’ jobs easier and improve student performance overall. Education Increasing parental involvement begins with having the capacity to educate parents on the ins and outs of how to be involved and why it is important. The sad reality is that many parents simply do not know how to be truly involved with their child’s education because their parents were not involved with their education. It is essential to have educational programs for parents that offer them tips and suggestions explaining how they can get involved. These programs must also focus on the benefits of increased involvement. Getting parents to attend these training opportunities can be challenging, but many parents will attend if you offer food, incentives, or door prizes. Communication There are many more avenues available to communicate because of technology (email, text, social media, etc.) than what there were just a few years ago. Communicating with parents on a continual basis is a key ingredient to increasing parental involvement. If a parent isn’t going to take the time to keep track of their child, then the teacher should make every effort to inform those parents of their child’s progress. There is a chance that the parent will just ignore or tune these communications out, but more times than not the message will be received, and their level of communication and involvement will improve. This is also a way to build trust with parents ultimately making a teacher’s job easier. Volunteer Programs Many parents simply believe that they have minimal responsibilities when it comes to their child’s education. Instead, they believe that it is the primary responsibility of the school and of the teacher. Getting these parents to spend a little time in your classroom is a fantastic way to change their mindset on this. While this approach will not work for everyone everywhere, it can be an effective tool to increase parental involvement in many cases. The idea is that you recruit a parent who is minimally involved in their child’s education to come up and read a story to the class. You immediately invite them back again to lead something like an art activity or anything in which they are comfortable. Many parents will find that they enjoy this type of interaction, and their children will love it, particularly those in early elementary school. Continue to involve that parent and give them more responsibility each time. Pretty soon they will find themselves valuing their child’s education more as they become more invested in the process. Open House/Game Night Having periodic open house or game nights is an excellent way to get parents involved with their child’s education. Don’t expect everyone to attend, but make these events dynamic events that everyone enjoys and talks about. This will lead to increased interest and eventually greater participation. The key is to have meaningful learning activities that force parent and child to interact with each other throughout the night. Again offering food, incentives, and door prizes will create a bigger draw. These events take a lot of planning and effort to do them right, but they can be powerful tools for building relationships, learning, and increasing involvement. Home Activities Home activities can have some effect in increasing parental involvement. The idea is to send home activity packs periodically throughout the year that requires the parents and child to sit down and do together. These activities should be short, engaging, and dynamic. They should be easy to conduct and contain all materials needed to complete the activity. Science activities are traditionally the best and easiest activities to send home. Unfortunately, you cannot expect all parents to complete the activities with their child, but you hope that the majority of them will.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Read 3 Stories and Indentify the Dominant Style of Leadership Essay

Read 3 Stories and Indentify the Dominant Style of Leadership - Essay Example On the second article, â€Å"Taking on Additional Responsibilities†, Jim Madison exemplifies the leader member exchange style or LMX. The theory of this said practice involves the dyadic relationship of leaders with specific key individuals in his group, and provides them more responsibilities and favors than the rest. This inner circle of followers or in-group, as represented by Shirley, Patti, Ted and Jana, are inclined to prove themselves to their leader by working harder and show commitment and loyalty to the organization, hence preparing them to be suitable candidates to take the role of the leader in the future. On the other hand, the out-group are the followers that prefer to work without expecting any indebtedness from the leader in return and regard the later with outmost formality. Lastly, Dr. Cook the article â€Å"Students Dig It† illustrates a transformational style of leadership. A transformational leader demonstrates the ability to inspire and motivate people in completing a task through leading by example. This type of leader listens to what his followers are thinking and ensure their well-being in every aspect. In return, the followers’ morale increases while their talents developed and eventually accomplishes their tasks with minimal supervision. (Martindale,