The Origin of Samuel Clemens as Mark Twain

The Origin of Samuel Clemens as Mark Twain Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pen name Mark Twain and a couple other pseudonyms during his writing career. Pen names have been used by authors throughout the centuries for purposes such as disguising their gender, shielding their personal anonymity and family associations, or even to cover up past legal troubles. However, Samuel Clemens didnt appear to choose Mark Twain for any of those reasons. Origin of Mark Twain In Life on the Mississippi,  Mark Twain writes about Captain Isaiah Sellers, a riverboat pilot who wrote under the pseudonym Mark Twain, The old gentleman was not of literary turn or capacity, but he used to jot down brief paragraphs of plain practical information about the river, and sign them MARK TWAIN, and give them to the New Orleans Picayune.  They related to the stage and condition of the river, and were accurate and valuable; and thus far, they contained no poison. The term mark twain is for a measured river depth of 12 feet or two fathoms, the depth that was safe for a steamboat to pass. Sounding the river for depth was essential as an unseen obstruction could result in tearing a hole in the vessel and sinking it. Clemens aspired to be a river pilot, which was a well-paying position. He paid $500 to study for two years as an apprentice steamboat pilot and earned his pilots license. He worked as a pilot until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. How Samuel Clemens Decided to Use the Pen Name After a brief two weeks as a Confederate enlistee, he joined his brother Orion in Nevada Territory where Orion served as secretary to the governor. He tried mining but failed and instead took up as a journalist for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. This is when he began to use the pen name of Mark Twain. The original user of the pseudonym died in 1869. In Life on the Mississippi,  Mark Twain says: I was a fresh new journalist, and needed a nom de guerre; so I confiscated the ancient mariners discarded one, and have done my best to make it remain what it was in his hands- a sign and symbol and warrant that whatever is found in its company may be gambled on as being the petrified truth; how I have succeeded, it would not be modest in me to say. Further, in his autobiography, Clemens noted that he wrote several satires of the original pilots postings that were published and caused embarrassment. As a result, Isaiah Sellers stopped publishing his reports. Clemens was penitent for this later in life. Other Pen Names and Pseudonyms Before 1862, Clemens signed humorous sketches as Josh. Samuel Clemens used the name Sieur Louis de Conte for Joan of Arc (1896). He also used the pseudonym Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass for three humorous pieces he contributed to Keokuk Post. Sources Fatout, Paul. â€Å"Mark Twains Nom de Plume.† American Literature, vol. 34, no. 1, 1962, p. 1., doi:10.2307/2922241.Twain, Mark, et al. Autobiography of Mark Twain. University of California Press, 2010.Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Tauchnitz, 1883.

How to Survive a Winter Storm or Blizzard

How to Survive a Winter Storm or Blizzard Knowing how to survive a blizzard or other winter storm is a crucial, (though hopefully unused) bit of knowledge everyone should know. There are multiple types of winter storms and each can be deadly killers.  Imagine being snowed in  or being stranded in a car during a blizzard. Would you know how to survive? This advice could save your life. How to Survive a Winter Storm Outside: Seek some form of shelter immediately. Blowing winds can cause the wind chill to reduce your core body temperature to dangerous levels. The risk of frostbite and hypothermia increase every minute you are exposed to the cold weather.If you are wet, try to get dry. Lighting a small fire will not only provide warmth but will enable your clothing to dry out.Deep snow can actually act as an insulation from the wind and cold temperatures. Digging a snow cave can actually save your life.Stay hydrated, but DO NOT eat snow.  (Because your body must heat the ice in order to melt it into water, youd actually lose heat.) If you do get your water from snow, make sure to melt it before  drinking it. (For example, use  a heating source or indirect body heat like a canteen inside your coat, but not directly next to your  skin.)   In a Car or Truck: Never leave your  vehicle. If you are stranded, it will offer  a form of protection from overexposure to the cold. A single person walking through the snow is also harder to find than a stranded car or truck.It is okay to run the car for short periods to provide some heat. Remember to crack the windows a small amount to allow for the circulation of fresh air. Dangerous exhaust fumes, including carbon monoxide, can build up very quickly. This is especially true if the tailpipe is buried in the snow.Keep yourself moving. A car offers little room for you to keep your blood flowing, but exercise is a must. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and move around as much as possible at least once an hour. In addition to keeping your body moving, keep your mind and spirit from getting down, depressed, or overly stressed.Make the car visible for a rescue. Hang bits of bright colored cloth or plastic from the windows. If the snow has stopped falling, open the hood of the car as a signal of dist ress. At Home: If the electricity goes out, use an alternative form of heat with caution. Fireplaces and kerosene heaters can be dangerous without proper ventilation. Keep children away from any alternative heat source.Stick to one room for heat and close off unnecessary rooms in the house. Make sure there are no air leaks in the room. Keep sunlight streaming through the windows in the day, but cover  all windows at night to keep warm air in and cold outside air out.Keep hydrated and nourished in case the heat is out for an extended period of time. An unhealthy body will be more susceptible to the cold than a healthy one.Pets must also be protected from the cold. When temperatures drop below freezing, outdoor pets should be moved indoors or to a sheltered area to protect them from the cold. Other Tips for Winter Weather Safety Always have a winter weather emergency kit available. While these can be purchased, its always best to  create your own emergency kit for your home and your car to tailor it to the weather hazard. If you have small children, remember to actually practice using the kits. In the event of a winter emergency, kids should know where the kit is located and how to use it. In addition to having a winter safety kit, all family members should be able to recognize the signs of hypothermia and basic first aid treatment for cold exposure. Finally, if your region is prone to winter storms of any type, consider buying  a weather radio so that no matter youre always plugged into the latest forecast. Multiple types of winter weather advisories each have their own dangers. You might  also like to check out these additional winter weather resources: 5 Ways to Keep Warm in Cold Winter WeatherWinter precipitation: snow, sleet, and freezing rainWhat is a noreaster?Whats a lake effect snowstorm? Updated by Tiffany Means References A Guide to Survival from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Weather Service Warning and Forecast Branch,  November 1991 NOAA/FEMA/The American Red Cross

Marketing communication mix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing communication mix - Assignment Example The present study would focus on integrated marketing communication as a plan of marketing which links the communication function with the components of marketing and it aims at informing and persuading potential customers to buy goods and services. In addition to the promotion elements of marketing, the integrated marketing communication mix may use online tools in the developing a clear message and passing it to the consumers so that they can be persuaded to purchase and use a specific product or service. Finne and Gronroos say that the product within the marketing mix is the goods or services that a company provides. In marketing communication, companies aim at creating awareness to the consumers of the products on their availability and qualities. The price represents the cost of the products and this includes specific features of the price such as discounts. The price of a product influences the willingness of the customers to purchase and consume a good or service. Within the m arketing mix, the place represents where the consumers can obtain the product to satisfy their needs while promotion is the process of telling consumers about the product using various strategies to convince the consumer to perchance and use the good or service. Therefore marketing communication mix is the marketing of a company’s services and goods to the consumers with due considerations of the Ps in marketing because they are closely related in determining the success of the marketing strategy in general. Hughes and Fill (2007, p. 55), assert that integration of marketing communication mix means that the aspects and components of the marketing mix are merged or combined so that the marketing communication relays a single message to the consumers. Lee & Park (2007, p. 222), explains that marketing communication mix is necessary because when different messages are communicated to customers, they become confusing and as results the reputation of the brand of a company is dama ged. Integration in the marketing communication mix can be illustrated by a company which uses the same logo, messages and images in al communication media such as newspapers, TV and point of sale. This therefore demonstrates the important role of marketing communication mix in building the brand of a company within the target market through the integration of the messages communicated to the consumers. With the advent of modern technology and its wide application in marketing various goods and services, it must be integrated to make it parallel to the broader promotion mix. Keller (2001, p. 829) says that the need for integration of the marketing communication mix is necessitated by the interactivity capabilities of marketing media which is a characteristic of communication via the internet via the social media. This demonstrates that there is a necessity to harmonize the traditional marketing approaches with the new media. Moreover, integration of marketing efforts enables a compa ny t coordinate various communication med

Simulated Chinese restaurant summarize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Simulated Chinese restaurant summarize - Essay Example It was observed that the mode of advertising was modeled on the common usage of both posters and flyers in both restaurants. In addition, Red Lantern has adopted A La Carte Menu arrangement (Campbell & Campbell 2006). Decorations at the hotel, and store layout were very incorporative of the Chinese decorations and culture. There are a number of issues we could address to draw differences in the hotels. For instance, in considering the modes of making payments, we found that Red Lantern made offered three meals at a price of $12.50 (Roberts 2002). On the other hand, Hotel Hunan had the same offer of three meals at a price of $14.00. The difference in prices between the two hotels is a margin of $1.50. From this, we could conclude that Red Lantern is much cheaper and more economical given all its other services are top notch and excellent. In addition, the two hotels were similar in the aspect of service delivery. They have adopted use of banquet style serves. Another important similarity that is key to both restaurants is that they have both adopted use of Chinese music (Campbell & Campbell 2006). Red Lantern and Chopsticks restaurants also have their differences. To start with, Chopsticks offers both Japanese and Chinese foods in its menu. Red Lantern, on the other side offers only Chinese food in its menu. Another notable contrast is that Chopsticks has tried to set different prices for its adult and children customers. This is to ensure that the needs of each customer are taken into consideration and no one will fell oppressed. Red Lantern has no special prices for children and adult customers. Its prices are fixed for all customers. If we look at the promotion items on offers in each of the restaurants, Red Lantern promotes bubble tea and Tsingtao beer (Campbell & Campbell 2006). In hotel Chopsticks, there are no promotional items

My Paper on Interprenual School of Thought Essay Example for Free

My Paper on Interprenual School of Thought Essay Entrepreneurship is a concept which is defined in many ways. The word entrepreneur means a person who undertakes from the French term called eneteprendre. In terms of business, the term entrepreneur means starting a business. An entrepreneur is a person who manages, organizes, and takes over all the enterprise or business risks. Other definitions include a person who has high ambition and aptitude to initiate change is known as an entrepreneur. The entrepreneurial school of thought is based on vision: a mental representation of strategy created or at least expressed in the head of the leader as perspective, specifically a sense of long term direction of organizations future and a sound vision and visionary CEO can help organization in turbulent times or in very difficult years for the organization also it have shortfalls that hanging on the health and whim of single person, the death or health problem of that person result in crisis of organization. nd one of present day successful entrepreneur and its strategic moves in the direction of the school of thought is discussed. Historical background of the school Throughout the theoretical history of entrepreneurship, scholars from multiple disciplines in the social sciences have grappled with a diverse set of interpretations and definitions to conceptualize this abstract idea. Over time, some writers have identified entrepreneurship with the function of uncertainty-bearing, others with the coordination of productive resources, others with the introduction of innovation, and still others with the provision of capital (Hoselitz, 1952). Even though certain themes continually resurface throughout the history of entrepreneurship theory, presently there is no single definition of entrepreneurship that is accepted by all economists or that is applicable in every economy. Although there is only limited consensus about the defining characteristics of entrepreneurship, the concept is almost as old as the formal discipline of economics itself. The term entrepreneur was first introduced by the early 18th century French economist Richard Cantillon. In his writings, he formally defines the entrepreneur as the agent who buys means of production at certain prices in order to combine them into a new product (Schumpeter, 1951). Shortly thereafter, the French economist J. B. Say added to Cantillons definition by including the idea that entrepreneurs had to be leaders. Say claims that an entrepreneur is one who brings other people together in order to build a single productive organism (Schumpeter, 1951). Over the next century, British economists such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and John Stuart Mill briefly touched on the concept of entrepreneurship, though they referred to it under the broad English term of business management. Whereas the writings of Smith and Ricardo suggest that they likely undervalued the importance of entrepreneurship, Mill goes out of his way to stress the significance of entrepreneurship for economic growth. In his writings, Mill claims that entrepreneurship requires no ordinary skill, and he laments the fact that there is no good English equivalent word to encompass the specific meaning of the French term entrepreneur (Schumpeter, 1951). The necessity of entrepreneurship for production was first formally recognized by Alfred Marshall in 1890. In his famous treatise Principles of Economics, Marshall asserts that there are four factors of production: land, labor, capital, and organization. Organization is the coordinating factor, which brings the other factors together, and Marshall believed that entrepreneurship is the driving element behind organization. By creatively organizing, entrepreneurs create new commodities or improve the plan of producing an old commodity (Marshall, 1994). In order to do this, Marshall believed that entrepreneurs must have a thorough understanding about their industries, and they must be natural leaders. Additionally, Marshalls entrepreneurs must have the ability to foresee changes in supply and demand and be willing to act on such risky forecasts in the absence of complete information (Marshall, 1994). Like Mill, Marshall suggests that the skills associated with entrepreneurship are rare and limited in supply. He claims that the abilities of the entrepreneur are so great and so numerous that very few people can exhibit them all in a very high degree (1994). Marshall, however, implies that people can be taught to acquire the abilities that are necessary to be an entrepreneur. Unfortunately, the opportunities for entrepreneurs are often limited by the economic environment which surrounds them. Additionally, although entrepreneurs share some common abilities, all entrepreneurs are different, and their successes depend on the economic situations in which they attempt their endeavors (Marshall, 1994). Since the time of Marshall, the concept of entrepreneurship has continued to undergo theoretical evolution. For example, whereas Marshall believed entrepreneurship was simply the driving force behind organization, many economists today, but certainly not all, believe that entrepreneurship is by itself the fourth factor of production that coordinates the other three (Arnold, 1996). Unfortunately, although many economists agree that entrepreneurship is necessary for economic growth, they continue to debate over the actual role that entrepreneurs play in generating economic growth. One school of thought on entrepreneurship suggests that the role of the entrepreneur is that of a risk-bearer in the face of uncertainty and imperfect information. Knight claims that an entrepreneur will be willing to bear the risk of a new venture if he believes that there is a significant chance for profit (Swoboda, 1983). Although many current theories on entrepreneurship agree that there is an inherent component of risk, the risk-bearer theory alone cannot explain why some individuals become entrepreneurs while others do not. For example, following from Knight, Mises claims any person who bears the risk of losses or any type of uncertainty could be called an entrepreneur under this narrow-definition of the entrepreneur as the risk-bearer (Swoboda, 1983). Thus, in order to build a development model of entrepreneurship it is necessary to look at some of the other characteristics that help explain why some people are entrepreneurs; risk may be a factor, but it is not the only one. Another modern school of thought claims that the role of the entrepreneur is that of an innovator; however, the definition of innovation is still widely debatable. Kirzner suggests that the process of innovation is actually that of spontaneous undeliberate learning (Kirzner, 1985, 10). Thus, the necessary characteristic of the entrepreneur is alertness, and no intrinsic skills-other than that of recognizing opportunities-are necessary. Other economists in the innovation school side more with Mill and Marshall than with Kirzner; they claim that entrepreneurs have special skills that enable them to participate in the process of innovation. Along this line, Leibenstein claims that the dominant, necessary characteristic of entrepreneurs is that they are gap-fillers: they have the ability to perceive where the market fails and to develop new goods or processes that the market demands but which are not currently being supplied. Thus, Leibenstein posits that entrepreneurs have the special ability to connect different markets and make up for market failures and deficiencies. Additionally, drawing from the early theories of Say and Cantillon, Leibenstein suggests that entrepreneurs have the ability to combine various inputs into new innovations in order to satisfy unfulfilled market demand (Leibenstein, 1995). Although many economists accept the idea that entrepreneurs are innovators, it can be difficult to apply this theory of entrepreneurship to less developed countries (LDCs). Often in LDCs, entrepreneurs are not truly innovators in the traditional sense of the word. For example, entrepreneurs in LDCs rarely produce brand new products; rather, they imitate the products and production processes that have been invented elsewhere in the world (typically in developed countries). This process, which occurs in developed countries as well, is called creative imitation (Drucker, 1985) The term appears initially paradoxical; however, it is quite descriptive of the process of innovation that actually occurs in LDCs. Creative imitation takes place when the imitators better understand how an innovation can be applied, used, or sold in their particular market niche (namely their own countries) than do the people who actually created or discovered the original innovation. Thus, the innovation process in LDCs is often that of imitating and adapting, instead of the traditional notion of new product or process discovery and development. As the above discussion demonstrates, throughout the evolution of entrepreneurship theory, different scholars have posited different characteristics that they believe are common among most entrepreneurs. By combining the above disparate theories, a generalized set of entrepreneurship qualities can be developed. In general, entrepreneurs are risk-bearers, coordinators and organizers, gap-fillers, leaders, and innovators or creative imitators. Although this list of characteristics is by no means fully comprehensive, it can help explain why some people become entrepreneurs while others do not. Thus, by encouraging these qualities and abilities, governments can theoretically alter their countrys supply of domestic entrepreneurship. (David Burnett, thechnoprenurial. com September 2000) Main content of the school The most central concept of this school is vision: a mental representation of strategy created or at least expressed in the head of the leader as perspective, specifically a sense of long term direction of organizations future. That vision serves as both an inspiration and a sense of what needs to be done a guiding idea, if you like. True to its label, vision often tends to be a kind of image more than a fully articulated plan (in words and numbers). That leaves it flexible, so that the leader can adapt it to his or her intuition and experiences. The strategic vision is malleable this suggests that entrepreneurial strategy is both deliberate and emergent: deliberate in its broad lines and sense of direction, emergent in its details so that these can be adapted en route. The school of thought focuses on creating new ideas at the right time to suit the market niche. This leads to the success of the entrepreneurial activity. The tendency of the strategy to take the form of niche allows it to protect market position from the forces of outright competition (Blue ocean strategy). Market awareness and creativity are the most essential aspects according to this school of thought. In strategy making it’s dominated by active search of new opportunities in dramatic leaps forward in the face of uncertainty and growth is the the dominant goal of the organization. The process of strategy formation is semiconscious at best, rooted in the experience and intuition of the leader, whether he or she actually conceives the strategy or adopts it from others and then internalizes it in his or her own behavior the power is centralized in the hands of Chief executives. Contribution discussion A sound vision and visionary CEO can help organization to sail cohesively through muddy waters especially in early or very difficult years for the organization. Deliberate in broad line but flexible and emergent in the details. The malleable and emergent nature of vision and cognition of a manager can enable to explore the opportunities that exist focusing on the actions that lead to creation of value in the present day shifting landscape of business environment. Limitation discussion It presents strategy formation as all wrapped up in the behavior of single individual. It didn’t say about the process. Cruising in predefined image or vision can blind someone for potential unexpected danger or developments. Vague vision; strategies are designed manly based on the leaders intuition. How and when to find the right charismatic visionary leader with the qualities is hard and could be subjective. It requires full knowledge of all the processes and operation. It’s risky that hanging on the health and whim of single person, the escape or death of that person result in crisis of organization. Back ground of Liu Yongxing (East Hope Group) After resigned their jobs and sold their bicycles and watches to raise money, Chairman Chen Yuxin and his three brothers Liu Yongyan, Liu Yongxing, and Liu Yonghao returned to their hometown county of Xinjin in Sichuan province end of 1982. With the initial ? 1000 raised collectively, they established their own business, the Yuxin Fine Breed Farm, to raise quails and chickens. The company had great profit and had established their strong footing in the industry of breading farm. They also have helped to transform the county of Xinjin to the largest quail farm in the world In 1987, Liu Yongxing and his brother Chen Yuxin developed new high-end pig feeds in order to compete with then dominating foreign high-end big feeds products and at the same time with substantial cost advantages. The Liu brothers therefore soon expanded their company into the animal feeds industry and had achieved their second biggest milestone in the making of the company history. By 1995, the Hope Group had won awards of No. 1 of China 100 Feeds Companies and No. of China 500 Private Enterprises. The Hope Group had grown so rapidly that the four brothers decided to split it into four entities: Continental Hope, East Hope, West Hope, and New Hope led respectively by Liu Yongyan, Liu Yongxing, Chen Yuxin, and Liu Yonghao. After separating with other brothers he established the head quarter of east hope group in Chengdu High -Tech Development zone which was moved to shanghai Pudong in April 1999. The east hope group still focuses on feed production, mainly on expanding to the upstream and the downstream along the feed industry chain. Apart from the two feed companies in Vietnam the East hope Group led by him had 68 subsidiary companies in 16 province, cities and autonomous region in china whose main business area was feed production, together with some other related industries such as flour, food, bio engineering , fertilizer ,electrolytic aluminum and investment. During the 20 year development in feed and investment areas, the group had been made rolling development by relying on its own capital its investors include Mingsheng bank , Guang Ming diary industry, Sino Korea BBQ Western Fast food, Beijing Nanshan skiing field ,etc. n order to build world competitive industry chain incorporating aluminum and electricity the group had been engaging in series of projects: electrolytic aluminum plant with the annual yield of 160,000 tons and a power generator set with an annual yield of 310,000 kilowatts in Liaocheng; two phases of construction of 500,000-ton electrolytic aluminum plant and auxiliary generator set and bio-engineering project in Baotou of Inner Mongolia; alumina project in sanmenxia , Henan province. East Hope Group had over 70 subsidiary companies across 16 Provinces, Cities and autonomous regions in China with a total asset of Billions of yuan, and nearly 10,000 employees. The board chairman Liu yongxing had thus won a Variety of Social Honors. The honorsare ? In 2001, Liu Yongxing and his brothers were rated as the top of China’s Most Successful Businessmen byâ€Å"Forbes†, awell-known U. S. financial magazine. ? In 2002, Liu Yongxing was rated as one of â€Å"2001CCTV Top 10 China’s Economic Leaders† and â€Å"Sohu 2001 Top10 Financial Leaders† ? And after that strategically the brothers owned Entereprnual Company diversified in to four different entities. Mr. Liu Yongxing as East hope group keep on focusing the feeding industry and and strategically by rolling development by relying on its own capital it included other companies to build world competitive industry incorporating aluminum and electricity and bio engineering projects and in present day one of Chinas largest privately held industrial materials manufacturers. The company is investing more than $1 billion in an aluminum and power complex and also putting money into commercial real estate in Sichuans capital, Chengdu. Starting with 250 ? on proportion and Sound Vision, Excellence and Charisma Today with 5. 8 Billon $ Mr. Liu Yongxing is 5th and173rd richest person in china and world respectively. throughout his progress he is avisionary person creating new ideas at the right time to suit the market with the pusue of growth semiconsciously that enabled him to be one of influential and great Business manager in the World.

Essay on Milkman’s Search for Identity in Song of Solomon

Milkman’s Search for Identity in Song of Solomon      Ã‚   Song of Solomon tells the story of Dead's unwitting search for identity. Milkman appears to be destined for a life of self-alienation and isolation because of his commitment to the materialism and the linear conception of time that are part of the legacy he receives from his father, Macon Dead. However, during a trip to his ancestral home, â€Å"Milkman comes to understand his place in a cultural and familial community and to appreciate the value of conceiving of time as a cyclical process†(Smith 58).    The Deads exemplify the patriarchal, nuclear family that has traditionally been a stable and critical feature not only of American society but of Western civilization in general. The primary institution for the reproduction and maintenance of children, ideally it provides individuals with the means for understanding their place in the world. The degeneration of the Dead family and the destructiveness of Macon's rugged individualism symbolize the invalidity of American, indeed Western, values. Morrison's depiction of this ...

The Fault in Our Stars

Our lives are a set of building blocks, and we always yearn to be perceived as skyscrapers. But not everyone has this capability. People have faults, and sadly, it can get to the point where those wrecking balls intervene. And the thing that was once a set of building blocks is no more. Some people have it harder than others. People live with cancer, deadly diseases that could ruin their lives. The Fault in Our Stars is a story mainly about the life of a girl named Hazel who falls in love with a person named Augustus.The problem is, that her and two other main characters in the story, Augustus and Isaac, have to live their lives battling cancer, which literally controls their â€Å"ordinary† lives. It is about the struggle (faults) that comes with dealing with cancer, and how they try to overcome these obstacles. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they do not. John Green titled his novel The Fault In Our Stars because the stars are the building blocks (a persons life), and the fault in those stars is what is keeping those building blocks from becoming skyscrapers, the wreaking ball (cancer).There are many significant themes throughout the novel that correlate to the title. The struggles in life with cancer, how love triumphs through hardship, and coping with the death of a loved one. These themes not only relate to the title but they also exemplify what this story is really about. Sets of building blocks that are slowly broken down, to the point where they are destroyed completely buy the wrecking ball, both literally and mentally. Cancer is something that it very hard to live with, and it generates numerous setbacks in life.The three main characters in this story, Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac live their lives battling cancer. They meet different obstacles every day, and the struggle is dealing with those obstacles. Hazel struggles with lung cancer, and every day she walks around with oxygen tank to help her lungs function. One time her cancer took a da ngerous toll when she woke up in the middle of the night at about four in the morning with an apocalyptic pain in the center of her brain. She woke her parents and was taken to the ICU. Hazel was knocked out, and they did save her.When she woke up in the morning her parents explained everything that had happened to her. â€Å"Mom and Dad told me that I did not have a brain tumor, but that my headache was caused by poor oxygenation, which was caused by my lungs swimming in fluid, a liter and a half(!!!! ) of which had been successfully drained from my chest, which was why I might feel a slight discomfort in my side, where there was, hey look at that, a tube that went from my chest into a plastic bladder half full of liquid that for all the world resembled my Dad’s favorite amber ale.My mom told me that I was going home, that I really was, and that I would have to get this drained every now and again and get back on the BiPAP, this nighttime machine that forces air in and out of my lungs. †(107) Hazel’s overexertion was very hard on her and the rest of her family. Now she has to get her lungs drained every once in a while and she is also on BiPAP. In my opinion this was more than just a struggle, this was a nightmare. A nightmare pioneered straight from her cancer, and it is just horrible. Augustus had lived a very rigid life with cancer.At the time that he met Hazel, he was cancer free with an amputated leg. When Augustus and Hazel went to the airport to go on their trip to Amsterdam, Augustus took very long to get to the plane when he said that he was going to go get food and come back. He told Hazel and her mom that the line at McDonald’s was really long but the truth came out when he was sitting on the plane next to Hazel. â€Å"Listen, sorry I avoided the gate area. The McDonald’s line wasn’t really that long; I just†¦. I just didn’t want to sit there with all those people looking at us or whatever.â₠¬  (145, 146)Here Augustus’s struggle with cancer is the looks that people would give him, looks that were just too hard to fathom. He didn’t want to get those looks. It bothered him. Augustus did not like people looking at him like there was something wrong with him. It was just mortifying. Isaac was Augustus’s friend that introduced him to Hazel. Isaac and Hazel went to support group together. Isaac suffered from eye cancer, and he was going to get a surgery that would eradicate himself of his cancer. The problem was that this surgery would steal his sight.This was a huge obstacle that cancer has set for him and he has to cope with the struggle of loosing his sight. But something even worse happened to Isaac when he told his girlfriend about the news (that he was going to be blind). His girlfriend stopped seeing him and it broke Isaacs heart. She was his true love and they said they would always be together, but she could not take it anymore. â€Å"She said she can’t handle it. I’m about to lose my eyesight and she can’t handle it. † (60) The reason his sight was going to be disdained was to loose his cancer.Meaning that the cancer was the cause of him loosing his sight, initiating the lose of his true love. This was Isaac’s huge struggle in life with cancer. Loosing the love of his life. The theme of struggles in life with cancer relates to the title because these struggles from cancer are the faults (struggles) that are in the stars, what is keeping the building blocks from becoming skyscrapers, which is initiated by the wrecking ball (cancer). Cancer is a deadly disease that constructs many problems in life.According to the love that was shared between Hazel and Augustus, no problem or â€Å"fault† would ever desist the love that these two had for each other. Augustus showed hazel that there is more to life than staying home and letting cancer consume you. It did not take long for them to fal l in love. Together they were unbeatable and they would never let anything bring them down. They both went through rigorous paths, but together, their loved steered themselves out of that hardship, and to safety. When Hazel was taken to the hospital because of her overexertion the nurse informed her about Augustus.â€Å"You’re not going to ask about your boyfriend? † she asked. â€Å"Don’t have one,† I told her. â€Å"Well there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,† she said. â€Å"He hasn’t seen me like this, has he? † â€Å"No Family only. †(108) Even though it was very hard to see Hazel in that faze of discomfort, Augustus went because he loved her. He did not let hardship terminate his love for hazel. He would not let anything stop him from seeing her. When Augustus Osteosarcoma returned, he went to buy a pack of cigarettes in the middle of the night, and something went wrong with his G-tu be. He told Hazel to come and help him fix it.She took off her BiPAP, attached herself to an oxygen tank and went to help him before it was too late. When she saw him Augustus was in the drivers seat of his car covered in his own vomit. â€Å"Oh, G-d, Augustus, we have to get you to a hospital. † I gagged from the smell but bent forward to inspect the place above his belly button where they’d surgically installed the tube. The skin of his abdomen was warm and bright red. â€Å"Gus, I love you. † (244-245). Hazel loved Augustus so much that she took off her BiPAP, and left by herself with her oxygen tank to help Augustus in his urgent time of need.She did not let this â€Å"fault† bring down her spirits and she did what ever she could to keep him alive. She saved his life and if she did not go there to help him (and call 911) Augustus would not have made it. Their love triumphs through hardship, that is how powerful their love is. This theme relates to the title because the love is what keeps those stars or building blocks (peoples lives) up and running and they wont let the fault (hardship) get in the way of the love. Love isn’t something that can be wished upon, you have to have that click.The click between Hazel and Augustus was so strong that they would not let anything get into the way. At the end of the book Hazel is forced to cope with the death of her one and only soul mate, Augustus. Hazel was devastated. She loved him so much. At his funeral, she went up to Augustus’s coffin to say her last good bye. â€Å"I love you present tense,† I whispered, and then put my hand on the middle of his chest and said, â€Å"It’s okay, Gus. It’s okay. It is. It’s okay, you hear me? † I had-and have-absolutely no confidence that he could here me. I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Okay.† (270)Hazel has been trying very hard not to let it get to her (the pain), and she does not want Augustus to be mad that he died on her. That is why Hazel says its okay, to apprise Augustus and make herself know that she can live through this. The theme of coping with the death of a loved one relates to the title of this novel because coping with the death of a loved one is another fault (struggle) that was in the stars that was initiated from death by cancer. Osteosarcoma was the wreaking ball that destroyed Augustus’s building blocks and Augustus’s passing was the wreaking ball that injured Hazel’s building blocks.There are many obstacles in life, and we always try to overcome them. Some people have it harder than others. Some people are forced to live their lives battling cancer. That is what The Fault in Our Stars is all about, the burden of living life as a different person with new problems everyday. Some days will be better than others, and some days will be worse. It’s a never-ending roller coaster. Su re there will be times where it slows down and rides along a straight path but there will always be those times where it goes fast and gets bumpy. People live today overcoming these endeavors.There are many themes in the novel that correspond with the title. The struggles in life with cancer, how love triumphs through hardship, and coping with the death of a loved one. These themes not only correlate to the title but they also portray the main idea of the story. Our lives are a set of building blocks and if we don’t learn how to eventually take and overcome the blows from the wrecking ball, we will never have that chance that all of us have always longed for (even for people who are not battling cancer), to not only become a skyscraper but to be commended as one. The Fault in Our Stars Our lives are a set of building blocks, and we always yearn to be perceived as skyscrapers. But not everyone has this capability. People have faults, and sadly, it can get to the point where those wrecking balls intervene. And the thing that was once a set of building blocks is no more. Some people have it harder than others. People live with cancer, deadly diseases that could ruin their lives. The Fault in Our Stars is a story mainly about the life of a girl named Hazel who falls in love with a person named Augustus.The problem is, that her and two other main characters in the story, Augustus and Isaac, have to live their lives battling cancer, which literally controls their â€Å"ordinary† lives. It is about the struggle (faults) that comes with dealing with cancer, and how they try to overcome these obstacles. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they do not. John Green titled his novel The Fault In Our Stars because the stars are the building blocks (a persons life), and the fault in those stars is what is keeping those building blocks from becoming skyscrapers, the wreaking ball (cancer).There are many significant themes throughout the novel that correlate to the title. The struggles in life with cancer, how love triumphs through hardship, and coping with the death of a loved one. These themes not only relate to the title but they also exemplify what this story is really about. Sets of building blocks that are slowly broken down, to the point where they are destroyed completely buy the wrecking ball, both literally and mentally. Cancer is something that it very hard to live with, and it generates numerous setbacks in life.The three main characters in this story, Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac live their lives battling cancer. They meet different obstacles every day, and the struggle is dealing with those obstacles. Hazel struggles with lung cancer, and every day she walks around with oxygen tank to help her lungs function. One time her cancer took a da ngerous toll when she woke up in the middle of the night at about four in the morning with an apocalyptic pain in the center of her brain. She woke her parents and was taken to the ICU. Hazel was knocked out, and they did save her.When she woke up in the morning her parents explained everything that had happened to her. â€Å"Mom and Dad told me that I did not have a brain tumor, but that my headache was caused by poor oxygenation, which was caused by my lungs swimming in fluid, a liter and a half(!!!! ) of which had been successfully drained from my chest, which was why I might feel a slight discomfort in my side, where there was, hey look at that, a tube that went from my chest into a plastic bladder half full of liquid that for all the world resembled my Dad’s favorite amber ale.My mom told me that I was going home, that I really was, and that I would have to get this drained every now and again and get back on the BiPAP, this nighttime machine that forces air in and out of my lungs. †(107) Hazel’s overexertion was very hard on her and the rest of her family. Now she has to get her lungs drained every once in a while and she is also on BiPAP. In my opinion this was more than just a struggle, this was a nightmare. A nightmare pioneered straight from her cancer, and it is just horrible. Augustus had lived a very rigid life with cancer.At the time that he met Hazel, he was cancer free with an amputated leg. When Augustus and Hazel went to the airport to go on their trip to Amsterdam, Augustus took very long to get to the plane when he said that he was going to go get food and come back. He told Hazel and her mom that the line at McDonald’s was really long but the truth came out when he was sitting on the plane next to Hazel. â€Å"Listen, sorry I avoided the gate area. The McDonald’s line wasn’t really that long; I just†¦. I just didn’t want to sit there with all those people looking at us or whatever.â₠¬  (145, 146)Here Augustus’s struggle with cancer is the looks that people would give him, looks that were just too hard to fathom. He didn’t want to get those looks. It bothered him. Augustus did not like people looking at him like there was something wrong with him. It was just mortifying. Isaac was Augustus’s friend that introduced him to Hazel. Isaac and Hazel went to support group together. Isaac suffered from eye cancer, and he was going to get a surgery that would eradicate himself of his cancer. The problem was that this surgery would steal his sight.This was a huge obstacle that cancer has set for him and he has to cope with the struggle of loosing his sight. But something even worse happened to Isaac when he told his girlfriend about the news (that he was going to be blind). His girlfriend stopped seeing him and it broke Isaacs heart. She was his true love and they said they would always be together, but she could not take it anymore. â€Å"She said she can’t handle it. I’m about to lose my eyesight and she can’t handle it. † (60) The reason his sight was going to be disdained was to loose his cancer.Meaning that the cancer was the cause of him loosing his sight, initiating the lose of his true love. This was Isaac’s huge struggle in life with cancer. Loosing the love of his life. The theme of struggles in life with cancer relates to the title because these struggles from cancer are the faults (struggles) that are in the stars, what is keeping the building blocks from becoming skyscrapers, which is initiated by the wrecking ball (cancer). Cancer is a deadly disease that constructs many problems in life.According to the love that was shared between Hazel and Augustus, no problem or â€Å"fault† would ever desist the love that these two had for each other. Augustus showed hazel that there is more to life than staying home and letting cancer consume you. It did not take long for them to fal l in love. Together they were unbeatable and they would never let anything bring them down. They both went through rigorous paths, but together, their loved steered themselves out of that hardship, and to safety. When Hazel was taken to the hospital because of her overexertion the nurse informed her about Augustus.â€Å"You’re not going to ask about your boyfriend? † she asked. â€Å"Don’t have one,† I told her. â€Å"Well there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,† she said. â€Å"He hasn’t seen me like this, has he? † â€Å"No Family only. †(108) Even though it was very hard to see Hazel in that faze of discomfort, Augustus went because he loved her. He did not let hardship terminate his love for hazel. He would not let anything stop him from seeing her. When Augustus Osteosarcoma returned, he went to buy a pack of cigarettes in the middle of the night, and something went wrong with his G-tu be. He told Hazel to come and help him fix it.She took off her BiPAP, attached herself to an oxygen tank and went to help him before it was too late. When she saw him Augustus was in the drivers seat of his car covered in his own vomit. â€Å"Oh, G-d, Augustus, we have to get you to a hospital. † I gagged from the smell but bent forward to inspect the place above his belly button where they’d surgically installed the tube. The skin of his abdomen was warm and bright red. â€Å"Gus, I love you. † (244-245). Hazel loved Augustus so much that she took off her BiPAP, and left by herself with her oxygen tank to help Augustus in his urgent time of need.She did not let this â€Å"fault† bring down her spirits and she did what ever she could to keep him alive. She saved his life and if she did not go there to help him (and call 911) Augustus would not have made it. Their love triumphs through hardship, that is how powerful their love is. This theme relates to the title because the love is what keeps those stars or building blocks (peoples lives) up and running and they wont let the fault (hardship) get in the way of the love. Love isn’t something that can be wished upon, you have to have that click.The click between Hazel and Augustus was so strong that they would not let anything get into the way. At the end of the book Hazel is forced to cope with the death of her one and only soul mate, Augustus. Hazel was devastated. She loved him so much. At his funeral, she went up to Augustus’s coffin to say her last good bye. â€Å"I love you present tense,† I whispered, and then put my hand on the middle of his chest and said, â€Å"It’s okay, Gus. It’s okay. It is. It’s okay, you hear me? † I had-and have-absolutely no confidence that he could here me. I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Okay.† (270)Hazel has been trying very hard not to let it get to her (the pain), and she does not want Augustus to be mad that he died on her. That is why Hazel says its okay, to apprise Augustus and make herself know that she can live through this. The theme of coping with the death of a loved one relates to the title of this novel because coping with the death of a loved one is another fault (struggle) that was in the stars that was initiated from death by cancer. Osteosarcoma was the wreaking ball that destroyed Augustus’s building blocks and Augustus’s passing was the wreaking ball that injured Hazel’s building blocks.There are many obstacles in life, and we always try to overcome them. Some people have it harder than others. Some people are forced to live their lives battling cancer. That is what The Fault in Our Stars is all about, the burden of living life as a different person with new problems everyday. Some days will be better than others, and some days will be worse. It’s a never-ending roller coaster. Su re there will be times where it slows down and rides along a straight path but there will always be those times where it goes fast and gets bumpy. People live today overcoming these endeavors.There are many themes in the novel that correspond with the title. The struggles in life with cancer, how love triumphs through hardship, and coping with the death of a loved one. These themes not only correlate to the title but they also portray the main idea of the story. Our lives are a set of building blocks and if we don’t learn how to eventually take and overcome the blows from the wrecking ball, we will never have that chance that all of us have always longed for (even for people who are not battling cancer), to not only become a skyscraper but to be commended as one.

My Family and the Conservative Theory Essay

I believe that my family is a great example of the conservative theory. I was raised by both of my parents who have been married for over thirty years. There was myself and my two sisters that also comprised our household. We lived in Saudi Arabia growing up and are followers of Islam. My father, Mahdi was a geography teacher on the college level, from which he has since retired. My mother taught middle school science. My older sister has been married for over five years and has one three year old child. I am currently attending college and studying finance and my younger sister is attending college and studying accounting. Being part of the Muslim community is part of the conservative nature of my family. We choose to try and live our lives according to the five pillars of Islam. These are the beliefs that the religion was founded upon. The first pillar of Islam is that Allah is complete and supreme oneness and that Muhammad was the great prophet. This one pillar is the foundation for the way that my family chooses to live our lives. We choose to participate in a culture where we are governed by Allah a will to do what is good and morally just. The second pillar of Islam is the establishment of daily prayers. Daily prayers are very important in our culture. They are the communication that we have with Allah and the way that we are guided in how we are going to make decisions. As a follower of Islam we pray five times per day. The third pillar of Islam is concern for the needing. This includes being willing to sacrifice to help others who are less fortunate than we are. It is important in my culture to give to those who are needy and to help them as much as we possibly can. Islam teaches not being selfish and wanting worldly possessions but rather being selfless and always giving of oneself to others. This means that it has never been important to me or my family as to whether or not we are wearing a certain brand of clothing or whether or not we have certain processions. It is not important for us to try to keep up with mainstream society in an attempt to fit in as we believe that our riches are destined for another time and another place. We value saving and are conservative in our spending and shopping habits. The fourth pillar of Islam is self purification through fasting. Fasting is a big part of our beliefs and we are conservative in this area as well. We fast during the month of Ramadan from sun up until sun down. This is to teach us discipline. There is no stronger conservative value than discipline as when we are disciplined we are able to make decisions without feeling the pressure of the outside world. The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage to Mekkah. The pilgrimage to Mekkah is important as we are traveling to the divine spot where Muhammad heard the words of Allah that he used to write the Koran. One of the biggest differences in the Islamic culture that we are a part of in comparison to most other cultures of today is the beliefs that we are taught about dating. Muslim teachings teach us that we are not to date until we are in the confines of marriage. It is against our teachings to go out on dates or to have premarital sex as these behaviors are considered worldly and a poisoning of ourselves and we are to be a temple to Allah. In our culture we start a dua when we want to start dating. This means that we ask Allah to send us a mate with whom we will make a good match with. We believe that Allah’s divine wisdom will allow us to meet our perfect match. I believe that a man and woman are created to be able to find the one perfect match for you who will give you spiritual unity and peace. When someone in my family is looking for a partner with whom to share their life with, the whole family becomes involved. It is still important to find someone who we are going to connect with and get along with and having a person chosen for us is not a way of controlling who we date but rather a way of keeping us from making the mistake of bad relationships and having to suffer through the pain of heartache. The overall idea is that by keeping ourselves pure and clean and not being in a physical relationship with anyone we are able to find a partner who truly is the best match for us emotionally. We also are able to find the one true partner that Allah has created for us by not letting physical attraction or other decisions get in our way. We remain pure for those who we are going to marry and yes this does mean that we do not believe in premarital sexual intercourse or sexual relationships in any way. My family is very conservative in the area of dating as both my sister and her husband and my mother and father are part of marriages that were arranged. My family also does not believe in divorce. We believe that if you truly are with the person that Allah has placed you with then there is no reason for divorce from that person. Growing up following the practices of Islam has made me a much more conservative person than most of my peers. I believe that those who commit crimes should be punished to the full extent. One heated subject for today’s culture has been the idea of corporal punishment and I am in favor of this practice when it is used for the correct reasons and within the realms of the law. I feel that this is the conservative approach on this topic, following the adage if you â€Å"can’t do the time then don’t do the crime. † I also am against abortion which is another topic of heated debate today. Abortion is something that is not allowed through the practices of Islam and something that would never be okay for me or anyone in my family. Homosexuality is also popular today and in the faith of Islam it is not allowed as it is considered a true sin. However it is also a sin to perform any type of sexual act outside of marriage as sexual acts are supposed to be for the purpose of creating a family. My family has not had children out of wedlock. My family has always worked hard to uphold themselves to the moral standards of Islam. Some of this has been difficult as I have always had to think of the moral debate to a subject and how I could justify my decision within my faith. I was raised to be respectful to my parents and could not have said some of those things that I have heard other students talk about saying to their parents. I have always been raised that without my parents I would not be anything and that I needed to uphold the utmost respect for them and their decisions in life. Even when I have disagreed with things that my parents have said, I will still give them the respect of listening to their decision without question. I have always known that my family was different from the other families that I have been witness to since moving to the US. Since we have always practiced Islam and since I grew up in Saudi Arabia I did not realize that we were so much more conservative than other families. Being a part of a conservative family has taught me many things, including that I have values and principals that I am not willing to let down for any reason. I want to follow the teachings of Allah and I want to preserve a culture that I feel reacts in a better way too many of the controversial issues of today. There are all kinds of issues that have to be dealt with on a regular basis when someone is growing up in today’s culture. In a way it is nice to not have to worry about some of these issues as they are behaviors that are not permitted by Islam therefore they are behaviors that I have never thought about being involved in. I do not date and I am a virgin and therefore I find that I am a part of a subgroup within the US culture that is unique in itself. Stating that I am simply conservative might be an understatement as I believe that Allah has better for me and that I should uphold myself to the highest moral standards in order to be able to please him and find my end reward later after this life has ended. I also believe that I have been taught unique values which have carried over into my conservative way of thinking. I was raised by both of my parents who are still married and I have watched my older sister attempt to have the same life that we did growing up. I am hopeful that one day Allah will speak and that I will find my mate and be able to fulfill my life as well.

Product and Innovation Management of Nokia

Product and Innovation Management of Nokia Introduction As competition in the markets intensifies and the consumers become increasingly sophisticated and selective in their consumption behaviors, companies have no option than to improve their innovation strategies and management techniques (Duncombe 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Product and Innovation Management of Nokia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Companies are nowadays seeking new ways to enhance the characteristics of their products to make them more appealing to the consumers. The Wall Street Journal reveals that mobile phone companies are some of the major industries that have witnessed remarkable growth in innovation (Gecevska, Chiabert, and Lombardi Cus 2010). As a multinational communications company, Nokia has improved its product innovation and is continually producing products that attract the consumers in the telecommunication industry. With its focus nowadays turned to the manufact uring of smartphones, Nokia has set its aims at ensuring that the company uses modern technologies (Kirshin 2014). This paper examines the market performance of the Nokia Lumia smartphones and explains the reasons for their outstanding performance. Overview of Nokia Lumia Smartphones One of the technological wonders that surprised the consumers of the 21st century was the integration of hi-tech operating systems into the mobile phones (Cagan Vogel 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After being superior in the business of computer technology for quite sometime, Microsoft Corporation collaborated with Nokia Corporation and entered the smartphone market (Anwar 2014). Nokia Corporation managed to introduce a new form of mobile technology that uses Windows 8.1 operating system rather than Android. Smartphones, being the trend and the most popular among communicatio n technologies, have spurred a new wave of anxiety among the majority of the youngsters, which means investing in them is a worthy idea nowadays. Since 2013, Nokia Corporation has been radical in its innovation that has resulted in the development of the Nokia Lumia 435, Nokia Lumia 730, Nokia Lumia 535, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 830, Nokia Lumia 520, and now the Nokia Lumia 920. Smartphones are small laptops that people have found reliable and convenient in their communication, use, and maintenance (Grieves 2009). What makes the Lumia smartphones amazing is that they offer a new platform that includes the use of the innovated Windows operating system. Nokia and Microsoft experts have integrated mobile firmware that allows handset users to install and uninstall Windows mobile apps, access the Internet with ease, and surf there with the fastest speed (Kirshin 2014). The Nokia Lumia smartphones come in varieties of different colors, and consumers can choose the color they prefer, w ithin the available range of colors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Product and Innovation Management of Nokia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The powerful high definition front and back cameras allow the smartphone users to take photos of their colleagues, or take personal photos, which they can use for their social media activities (Hussein 2012). Global technological reports claim that Nokia Lumia smartphones are increasingly becoming popular and steadily dominate the Asian, African, and American markets. The Theory of Diffusion of Innovation Innovation is a realistic subject that began reshaping in its practice and literature back in the 1960s, when industrialization became a significant growth aspect for the modern towns (Bernard Tichkiewitch 2008). Towards the end of the 1960s, E.M. Rogers came up with an innovation theory known as the diffusion of innovation model. Born by a father who loved electromechani cal innovations, E.M Rogers got interested in understanding the process of the diffusion of innovation (Chigona Licker 2008). In 1962, Rogers published the theory of Diffusion of Innovation that had changed the modern perceptions about innovations. In his view, Rogers claims that there are five main categories of innovation adopters, as the process is pragmatic and with various sections of transformation (Webb 2000). Rogers presumes that in an innovation process, there are five major categories of adopters, which include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and the laggards. The five main categories of adopters have unique definitions that are relative to their innovation roles. According to Rogers, innovators are the kind of people who initiate the innovation idea and invest in it regardless of its risky factors and other preliminary problems.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The early adopters are a group of people that represent the opinion leaders (Molla Licker 2005). These kinds of adopters often enjoy associating with leadership roles and embracing change opportunities. The third group of the adopters is the group of early majority, which is the group of people that needs to see substantial evidence that the innovation is really working for them to venture into the business of adopting or working with it (Chigona Licker 2008). The fourth group of people is the late majority, who are the kind of persons, skeptical about an innovative change and trying the innovation only when the majority population have tested it (Stark 2004). The last group of the adopters is the laggards group of individuals who are naturally conservative people. Unless highly persuaded, laggards can hardly adopt an innovation. With regard to such theoretical assumptions, most of the users of Windows handsets across the world have had their own opinions concerning the three mobi le phone operating systems (Rigby 2014). When Microsoft and Nokia merged efforts to produce the Nokia Lumia handsets, the first impression was that Microsoft was trying to regain its lost market dominance in the telecommunication industry (Rigby 2014). Nevertheless, the company has been very resilient about the criticisms that the two companies have failed to produce innovative smartphone designs that will influence the international mobile consumption trends. When they first announced their debut in 2011, after successful market trials, consumers had already familiarized with Android phones as well as iPhones (Rigby 2014). Creating a plan to enter the competitive market was a challenge for the investors of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. The initial process of venturing into these Windows mobile phones was tiring and challenging for these creative investors. While figuring out the billions of money that the companies were to invest and the amount that was to come as returns, the inves tors understood that there would be early adopters, the early majority consumers, the late majority consumers, and the laggards (Rigby 2014). To beat the market odds and maneuver with a new brand of smartphones, the Nokia Corporation and the Microsoft Corporation designed a strategic production and marketing strategy that has supported their continual survival in the handset business. The companies understood the need to incorporate the 4Ps marketing mix strategy to increase their market share and product revenues in the presence of the established Android smartphones and Apple iPhones. To provide an all-round strategic move, the Nokia Corporation and the Microsoft Company focused on the 4Ps (Von 2003). The 4Ps that formed the aims of production were the Product (Nokia Lumia smartphone), the Price (low pricing), the Promotion (strategic marketing), and the Place of distribution. With the 4Ps as their marketing strategy, high technological innovation and unique and user-friendly smar tphone design are some of the product development initiatives that Nokia Lumia began adopting. The pricing strategy of Nokia Lumia delved on the low pricing technique to win the business partners and new groups of consumers (Anwar 2014). Low pricing meant that the investors would sell more and earn low but regular profits. As their places of distribution, the Nokia Lumia marketers began targeting the most populated nations, such as China, Russia, and most of the Sub-Saharan Africa regions. These regions form the group of developing nations. These developing nations have a lot of late majority and the laggards groups of consumers and investors (Cooper Edgett 2009). These groups of people may have been skeptical about Androids and iPhones because Androids were relatively new and iPhones were extremely expensive. Such strategies have made Nokia Lumia suceed. The Current Market Performance of the Nokia Lumia Smartphones Nokia Corporation has generally been successful in the handset bus iness. In 2006, Nokia generated an income that for the first time in Finland’s history, seemed to be excess. Based on the assessment report of the Wall Street Journal, which is the leading business and innovation magazine, Nokia Lumia has been performing incredibly well as the demand for smartphones increases. In this $7.2 billion deal, Microsoft and Nokia Corporations have been ripping some extensive profits from the manufacturing and distribution of the Lumia windows smartphones (Fakhrutdinova, Fakhrutdinova, Kolesnikova, Yurieva 2015). The Nokia Lumia smartphones targeted the American smartphone markets, the Asian smartphone markets, and the African smartphone markets, which had been growing rapidly over the past five years (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). In a 2013 report about business innovation, it has appeared that Nokia possesses approximately 40% market dominance, with the Lumia smartphones contributing to about 16% in the increase of its market share. Perhaps, what re mains unknown to most of the consumers is that the Nokia Lumia phones have been increasing their market reputation in a steady process. The estimated profit returns are slowly regaining momentum and the process of dominating the major markets is on a gradual development (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). Just before the end of two years after its launch, Microsoft’s quarterly financial report revealed that the Nokia Lumia smartphones had generated about $23.20 billion worth of profit. In the subsequent year on 23 August 2014, Microsoft announced a growth of its profit margin to approximately 26.5 billion, which was a 10% increase in the net profits (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). In a separate financial report that Nokia released independently on 24 Oct 2014, Nokia Lumia smartphones had a sales record of $9.3 billion, even though the overall sales for Nokia phones had decreased by 14%. These statistics indicate an incredible performance of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. The above statisti cal facts stress the essence of the Nokia-Microsoft partnership in the smartphone business. It is important to consider that although majority of the ordinary consumers may not have the overall knowledge on how the Nokia Lumia smartphones have spurred a unique competition in the world of smartphones; the performance of the smartphone is incredible (Rigby 2014). The Nokia Lumia smartphones have blended well with the creatively designed windows-operating systems. The major sectors that may have caused an incredible market performance that has come within the shortest period of the investment are the management sectors, the production sectors, and the marketing departments (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). The three sectors were important in the product development and distribution because there was innovation in the management, innovation in the production, and innovation in the marketing departments. The ability of Nokia and Microsoft to provide an enabling environment for the existence of the partnership was a noteworthy idea. Reasons for high Performance of Nokia Lumia Smartphones The success or failure of a certain tech product relies on several aspects of production, management, and marketing (Eisenhardt Martin 2000). With the changing market demands, the complex consumer behaviors, and the increasing market competition, the performance of technological products has to rely on the stability of the management, the suaveness of the marketers, and the design of the products (Garcia Calantone 2002). Core innovation strengths, strategic management techniques, and efficient marketing skills are some of the major performance determinants that determine the performance of tech products (De Wit Meyer 2010). Since its debut into the smartphone business in 2011, Nokia Corporation has developed several strategic moves to enable the telephone products to maneuver in the smartphone market. To make a sensational market dominance, the Nokia Corporation has enabled a smart str ategy that entails the strategic use of mobile designing technologies, the strategic planning of the management systems, and the strategic development of the marketing techniques that match the market demands. Innovation in the Product Designing An important factor that makes a mobile phone worthy and appealing to the modern consumers, who are nowadays very knowledgeable, is the techniques used in designing the phones (Eisenhardt Martin 2000). The innovation that Nokia Corporation has used in manufacturing of the Nokia Lumia smartphones is exceptional and outstanding. Nokia Lumia smartphones use the famous windows operating systems, although mostly the windows 8 operating system that has numerous tech features that are appealing to the phone users (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). Although windows 8 operating system initially recorded a diminutive market performance in the computer technology, the operating system has boosted the selling of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. Nokia Lumia phones are 3G and 4G compatible, have powerful photo-sharing capabilities, and have features that enhance social media communication (Carlson, Walden Bowman 2006). Nokia Corporation collaborated with Google and Skype to allow consumers to enhance their access to social media communication in the Lumia smartphones. Nokia also collaborated with Yahoo Corporation to allow photo sharing through their Flicker service. Innovation in the Marketing Strategies The marketing technique of companies is one of the foremost determinants of the market performance for any new product that is seeking a quick market penetration (Roman 2003). Since the Nokia Corporation ventured into the smartphone business, the company designed radical marketing strategies that supported a market growth for the Nokia Lumia smartphones. Nokia Corporation designed a strategic market penetration approach that dwelled on the modern advertising platforms to maneuver (Grieves 2009). As Anwar (2014) claims, the company used the advantage of the growing influence of the digital televisions, the social media platforms, and the unique printed media. Concerning the strategic use of social media, Nokia Corporation implemented attractive mobile photos, effective product description techniques, and an easy communication to attract consumers in Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (Anwar 2014). The Microsoft-Nokia alliance opened an online marketing website, attractive facebook pages, and several tweeting platforms that constantly updated the users about the new Lumia arrivals. Digital televisions also played a vital role in advertising Lumia Smartphones. Innovation in the Pricing of the Phones One of the elements that can make a product in the telecommunication industry to permeate into the market and gain an incredible performance is the idea of strategic pricing (Bailur 2006). While launching the Microsoft-Nokia partnership of manufacturing and distributing the Nokia Lumia smartphones, Nokia Corporation knew the esse nce of using a strategic pricing plan that would enable an easy market penetration. When Nokia merged with Microsoft to develop the Lumia smartphones, the companies agreed on the high-production, low-pricing strategy as their market entry strategy (Anwar 2014). To compete effectively with the Iphone and the android smartphones, Nokia Corporation endorsed a marketing strategy that concentrated with the low-pricing approach. Even for the first-time buyers who admired the smartphones, Nokia sold its Nokia Lumia phones at as low as $200 (Rigby 2014). The focus of Nokia Corporation concerning the pricing of the Nokia Lumia smartphones has been persistent with the issues of regional assessment of the markets and production of affordable smartphones. Proper Financing of the Product Financial stability of a company in the marketing and promotion of a recently launched product is a crucial success factor that determines the performance of a product (Gorski 2003). When Nokia ventured into the business of manufacturing and distributing smartphones, the partnership deal with Microsoft considered the essence of financial stability in the production process. Since the year 2013, Microsoft has been offering Nokia with financial backing to support the mass production of cheap smartphones (Hussein 2012). Such an innovative financial strategy assisted the Nokia Corporation to regain market momentum within the large markets like China, Russia, and America. Recently, Microsoft Company has produced an extra of 2.3 billion to support Nokia Corporation to develop low-end Nokia Lumia smartphones (Anwar 2014). Despite Iphones and Androids having significant market dominance, adequate financing of the Nokia Lumia project has made the Nokia Corporation to expand their market share in Africa, Asia, and parts of America. Innovation in the Service Sector Nokia, being a leading brand in the telecommunication industry, understood the need to improve the customer service while marketing its N okia Lumia smartphones across the nations. According to Fakhrutdinova et al. (2015), the first service innovation that Nokia thought was essential, was the incorporation of the physical customer care services where consumers could send complaints about the phones, receive an instant assistance on technical problems, and fix the problems associated with the windows mobile-phone operating systems. In each of the countries that Nokia invested in the marketing of its smartphone products, there were strategic physical offices that consumers could send inquiries concerning the operations of the phones and the challenges that pertained to the performance of the Lumia smartphones (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). Although the Nokia Lumia smartphones needed the physical offices from the Nokia Corporation to enhance their customer care, the phones already had user-friendly interfaces that supported easy phone operations. Such strategic moves made Nokia to perform incredibly fair in the competitive smartphone market. Innovation in the Management Sector One of the important factors that support radical innovation is an efficient strategic management (Aspara, Lamberg, Laukia, Tikkanen 2011). The theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) states that when innovation is in progress, there is a group of people known as the innovators (Hofstede 2003). In Nokia Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, leaders were the innovators who were venturesome, opinionated, skilful and with creative ideas (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). Most of the leaders from the Microsoft team and from the Nokia Corporation were sure about their dedication and risk taking approaches towards the improvement of the Nokia Lumia ideas. The two companies found the best innovators who could strategically incorporate the features of windows 8 in the mobile phones (Sell, Mezei Walden 2014). The leaders also knew the importance of collaborating with giant Internet companies, such as Google and Yahoo, to incorporate their best features in the mobile phones. The leaders motivated aggressive research and development strategies that supported in the marketing of the phones. Conclusion The assumptions of Rogers concerning the Diffusion of Innovation are paramount in understanding the concepts of product development and management. The five forms of innovation adopters help companies design strategic marketing plans. Product innovation and management are two aspects of the commercial world that continue to pose concerns for the surviving businesses. The mobile phone industry is one of the principle sectors where innovation seems to influence product marketing, distribution, and performance. With a special attention given to the phones that come with computerized operating systems, innovation seems to affect the presence and performance of the modern smartphones. Nokia Lumia smartphones emerged through a partnership deal between Microsoft and Nokia Corporations. Despite the dominance of the Android smartph ones and the Apple smartphones, the windows-based Nokia Lumia smartphones are increasingly gaining prominence. This occurs because the two partners focused on understanding the 4Ps of marketing. Innovations in the product marketing, product pricing, and product management have been fantastic. References Anwar, M 2014, ‘Voice of Editors: Rationale to the Crisis of Nokia Smartphone Portfolio’, International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 122-124. Aspara, J, Lamberg, J, Laukia, A and Tikkanen, H 2011, ‘Strategic Management of business model transformation lessons from Nokia’, Management Decision, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 622-647. Bailur, S 2006, ‘Using stakeholder theory to analyze Telecenter projects’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 61–80. Bernard, A Tichkiewitch, S 2008, Design of Sustainable Product Life Cycles, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Cagan, J Vogel, C 2 002, Creating Breakthrough Products: Innovation from Product Planning to Program Approval, FT Press, New York. Carlson, C, Walden, P Bowman, H 2006, ‘Adoption of 3G+ services in Finland’, Journal of Mobile Commerce, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 369-385. Chigona, W Licker, P 2008, ‘Using Diffusion of Innovations Framework to Explain Communal Computing Facilities Adoption among the Urban Poor’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 53-73. Cooper, R Edgett, S 2009, Product Innovation, and Technology Strategy, Stage-Gate International, London. De Wit, B Meyer, R 2010, Strategy Synthesis: Resolving strategy paradoxes to create competitive advantage, Cengage Learning EMEA, Andover. Duncombe, R 2006, ‘Using the livelihoods framework to analyze ICT applications for poverty reduction through microenterprise’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 81–100. Eisenhardt, K Martin, J (2000). Dynamic Capabilities: What are they?. Strategic Management Journal, vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 1105-1121. Fakhrutdinova, E, Fakhrutdinova, R, Kolesnikova, J Yurieva, O 2015, ‘New Start of Nokia’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 61-66. Garcia, R Calantone, R 2002, ‘A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: a literature review’, The Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 110-132. Gecevska, V, Chiabert, P, Lombardi, F Cus, F 2010, ‘Product lifecycle management through innovative and competitive business environment’, Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 323-336. Gorski, P 2003, The Disciplinary Revolution: Calvinism and the Rise of the State in Modern Europe. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Grieves, M 2009, PLM: Driving the Next Generation of Lean Thinking, New York: McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, 2003, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Hussein, M 2012, ‘Open innovation Mill: Utilization of Nokia’s Non-Core ideas’, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 58, no.3, pp. 765-773. Kirshin I 2014, ‘Modeling the long-term trend of accumulation of knowledge’, Life Science Journal, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 482-486. Molla, A Licker, P 2005, ‘Ecommerce adoption in developing countries: A model and instrument’, Information Management, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 877–899. Rigby, B 2014, Microsoft Sees End to Nokia Losses, https://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/2014/07/23/microsoft-sees-end-to-nokia-losses/wcm/80ae76d0-1f7f-4521-ba73-6402568be1aa Roman, R 2003, ‘Diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework for Tele-centers’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 55–68. Sell, A, Mezei, J Wald en, P 2014,.’An attitude-based latent class segmentation analysis of mobile phone users’, Telematics Informatics, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 209-220. Stark, J 2004, PLM: 21st century Paradigm for Product Realization, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Von, E 2005, Democratizing Innovation, MA: MIT Press Cambridge, London. Webb, A 2000, Project Management for Successful Product Innovation, Gower Publishing, New York.

An Introduction to the Cold War in Europe

An Introduction to the Cold War in Europe The Cold War was a twentieth-century conflict between the United States of America (U.S.), the Soviet Union (USSR), and their respective allies over political, economic, and military issues, often described as a struggle between capitalism and communism- but the issues were actually far grayer than that. In Europe, this meant the US-led West and NATO on one side and Soviet-led East and the Warsaw Pact on the other. The Cold War lasted from 1945 to the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Why Cold War? The war was cold because there was never a direct military engagement between the two leaders, the U.S. and the USSR, although shots were exchanged in the air during the Korean War. There were plenty of proxy wars around the world as states supported by either side fought, but in terms of the two leaders, and in terms of Europe, the two never fought a regular war. Origins of the Cold War in Europe The aftermath of World War II left the United States and Russia as the dominant military powers in the world, but they had very different forms of government and economy- the former a capitalist democracy, the latter a communist dictatorship. The two nations were rivals that feared each other, each ideologically opposed. The war also left Russia in control of large areas of Eastern Europe, and the US-led Allies in control of the West. While the Allies restored democracy in their regions, Russia began making Soviet satellites out of its liberated lands; the split between the two was dubbed the Iron Curtain. In reality, there had been no liberation, just a new conquest by the USSR. The West feared a communist invasion, physical and ideological, that would turn them into communist states with a Stalin-style leader- the worst possible option- and for many, it caused a fear over mainstream socialism, too. The U.S. countered with the Truman Doctrine, with its policy of containment to stop communism spreading- it also turned the world into a giant map of allies and enemies, with the US pledging to prevent the communists from extending their power, a process that led to the West supporting some terrible regimes- and the Marshall Plan, massive aid aimed at supporting collapsing economies that were letting communist sympathizers gain power. Military alliances were formed as the West grouped together as NATO, and the East banded together as the Warsaw Pact. By 1951, Europe was divided into two power blocs, American-led and Soviet-led, each with atomic weapons. A cold war followed, spreading globally and leading to a nuclear standoff. The Berlin Blockade The first time the former allies acted as certain enemies was the Berlin Blockade. Postwar Germany was divided into four parts and occupied by the former Allies; Berlin, situated in the Soviet zone, was also divided. In 1948, Stalin enforced a blockade of Berlin aimed at bluffing the Allies into renegotiating the division of Germany in his favor rather than invading. Supplies could not get through to a city, which relied on them, and the winter was a serious problem. The Allies responded with neither of the options Stalin thought he was giving them, but started the Berlin Airlift: for 11 months, supplies were flown into Berlin via Allied aircraft, bluffing that Stalin wouldn’t shoot them down and cause a hot war. He didn’t. The blockade was ended in May 1949 when Stalin gave up. Budapest Rising Stalin died in 1953, and hopes of a thaw were raised when new leader Nikita Khrushchev began a process of de-Stalinization. In May 1955, as well as forming the Warsaw Pact, he signed an agreement with the Allies to leave Austria and make it neutral. The thaw only lasted until the Budapest Rising in 1956: the communist government of Hungary, faced with internal calls for reform, collapsed and an uprising forced troops to leave Budapest. The Russian response was to have the Red Army occupy the city and put a new government in charge. The West was highly critical but, partly distracted by the Suez Crisis, did nothing to help except get frostier toward the Soviets. The Berlin Crisis and the V-2 Incident Fearing a reborn West Germany allied with  the U.S., Khrushchev offered concessions in return for a united, neutral Germany in 1958. A Paris summit for talks was derailed when Russia shot down a U.S. U-2 spy plane flying over its territory. Khrushchev pulled out of the summit and disarmament talks. The incident was a useful out for Khrushchev, who was under pressure from hardliners within Russia for giving away too much. Under pressure from the East German leader to stop refugees fleeing to the West, and with no progress on making Germany neutral, the Berlin Wall was built, a complete barrier between East and West Berlin. It became the physical representation of the Cold War. Cold War in Europe in the 60s and 70s Despite the tensions and fear of nuclear war, the Cold War division between East and West proved surprisingly stable after 1961, despite French anti-Americanism and Russia crushing the Prague Spring. There was instead conflict on the global stage, with the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. For much of the  60s and 70s, a program of dà ©tente was followed: a long series of talks that made some success in stabilizing the war and equalizing arms numbers. Germany negotiated with the East under a policy of Ostpolitik. The fear of mutually assured destruction helped prevent direct conflict- the belief that if you launched your missiles, you would be destroyed by your enemies, and it was better to not fire at all than to destroy everything. The 80s and the New Cold War By the 1980s, Russia appeared to be winning, with a more productive economy, better missiles, and a growing navy, even though the system was corrupt and built on propaganda. America, once again fearing Russian domination, moved to rearm and build up forces, including placing many new missiles in Europe (not without local opposition). US President Ronald Reagan increased defense spending vastly, starting the Strategic Defense Initiative to defend against nuclear attacks, an end to Mutually Assured Destruction. At the same time, Russian forces entered Afghanistan, a war they would ultimately lose. End of the Cold War in Europe Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982, and his successor, realizing change was needed in a crumbling Russia and its strained satellites, which they felt were losing a renewed arms race, promoted several reformers. One, Mikhail Gorbachev, rose to power in 1985 with policies of Glasnost and Perestroika and decided to end the cold war and give away the satellite empire to save Russia itself. After agreeing with the U.S. to reduce nuclear weapons, in 1988 he addressed the UN, explaining the end of the Cold War by renouncing the Brezhnev Doctrine, allowing political choice in the previously dictated-to satellite states of Eastern Europe, and pulling Russia out of the arms race. The speed of Gorbachev’s actions unsettled the West, and there were fears of violence, especially in East Germany where the leaders talked of their own Tiananmen Square type uprising. However, Poland negotiated free elections, Hungary opened its borders, and East German leader Honecker resigned when it became apparent the Soviets would not support him. The East German leadership withered away and the Berlin Wall fell ten days later. Romania overthrew its dictator and the Soviet satellites emerged from behind the Iron Curtain. The Soviet Union itself was the next to fall. In 1991, communist hardliners attempted a coup against Gorbachev; they were defeated, and Boris Yeltsin became leader. He dissolved the USSR, instead creating the Russian Federation. The communist era, begun in 1917, was now over, and so was the Cold War. Conclusion Some books, although stressing the nuclear confrontation that came perilously close to destroying vast areas of the world, point out that this nuclear threat was most closely triggered in areas outside Europe, and that the continent, in fact, enjoyed 50 years of peace and stability, which were sorely lacking in the first half of the twentieth century. This view is probably best balanced by the fact that much of Eastern Europe was, in effect, subjugated for the whole period by Soviet Russia. The D-Day  landings, while often overstated in their importance to the downhill of Nazi Germany, were in many ways the key battle of the Cold War in Europe, enabling Allied forces to liberate much of Western Europe before Soviet forces got there instead. The conflict has often been described as a substitute for a final post–Second World War peace settlement that never came, and the Cold War deeply permeated life in the East and West, affecting culture and society as well as politics and the military. The Cold War has also often been described as a contest between democracy and communism while, in reality, the situation was more complicated, with the democratic side, led by the U.S., supporting some distinctly nondemocratic, brutally authoritarian regimes in order to keep countries from coming under the Soviet sphere of influence.

Middle East Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Middle East Politics - Essay Example The author starts with a personal interview of Osama Bin Laden when he was constructing a road in Sudan. He contrasts this with his second interview with Bin Laden in Afghanistan when Sheikh Osama declares war on America and the Royal Family of the Saudi Arabia. The book, though a non-fiction, presents the entire sequence of the history with such aplomb that goes very well like a novel. The interest of the reader is held to the author's attention and slowly but steadily ensures that the points he raises sinks into the minds of the readers. One of the typical issue that is being raised by the author is about the US aggressive nature and its allies trying to make out the best commercial benefit from the situation in the middle east rather than sort it out and restore normalcy. In addition to the situation this created, the author tries to explain the steps taken by the US government to enhance the level of confrontation in every area in the Middle East. In order to go with his theory, the author takes us through a short interlude on how the Bin Laden regime in Afghanistan originally supported and cultivated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, turned against them slowly and steadily after the Iraqi war. The literary reviews that the author invokes during the course of the book are quite comprehensive and relevant. He refers to the Holocaust in Armenia and a number of other events which did not happen during the 30 years that the author is covering in the Middle East history. His comfortable knowledge of the various writings on the subject and on the historical happenings prior to the modern history of the Middle East has defined the way the book has flown. All along the book the author maintains his critical approach of the western politics and the steps taken by various governments of the west in increasing the instability of the region. The problems of today are more or less their own making by ignoring the earlier warnings on the horizon. 3. Methodology The author has taken up a macro research on the political scene in the Middle East. He has successfully built a case to augment his originally theory, that of unwanted US interference in the Middle Eastern politics resulting in loss of face due to an erroneous statement in the parliament for Blair and Bush duo. Similarly, the resultant political scene after the Iraqi war and other reprehensible moves in the Middle East, the author says, that the amount of gains that the US and its allies got was slowly lost and the entire victory is now tending towards a loss for the US and allies. This has been further strengthened by the bad move of the Israeli attack on Lebanon. The author leads us to this story and tries to solidify the cause and effect of such an approach, including the people behind it and how this would benefit the American People, if at all it does and how this might help the men in the deserts of the Middle East. The book has a hypothesis which the author does not say in so many words. But the hypothesis is underlying in the entire

Basis of Emelio and Charitas Assets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Basis of Emelio and Charitas Assets - Essay Example Since the car is used for business use as well as personal use, its adjusted basis of $21,000 (19,500+1,500) is allocated to business purpose based on the extent of use for the same. Therefore the basis would be $14,280 [21000x6800/(6800+3200)]. The basis of the property received by Charita from her former spouse as part of divorce settlement would be same as former spouse's basis in it. Former spouse's basis in the property was lower of the following amounts: Since the alternate valuation is elected and the stock is distributed to Charita within 6 months after her uncle's death, Charita's basis in the stock would be FMV of the stock on date of distribution, which is $14,500. If alternate valuation was not elected by the executor, the basis would have been FMV on date of her uncle's death - $14,000. If alternate valuation was elected, but the date of distribution was not within 6 months of death, then the basis would be FMV on alternate valuation date - $13,300. .. FMV of the property on the date of its conversion to rental property - $90,000 Adjusted basis on the date of conversion - $50,000 Therefore, the basis of the property is $50,000. h. Desmond Inc Stocks Inherited Since the alternate valuation is elected and the stock is distributed to Charita within 6 months after her uncle's death, Charita's basis in the stock would be FMV of the stock on date of distribution, which is $14,500. If alternate valuation was not elected by the executor, the basis would have been FMV on date of her uncle's death - $14,000. If alternate valuation was elected, but the date of distribution was not within 6 months of death, then the basis would be FMV on alternate valuation date - $13,300. i. Stock in Software Corporation The basis of the original stock is $20,100 (price paid for the stock $20,000+brokerage $100). The basis of stocks after the split would be its FMV on date of split, which is $200,000 [(1000x2)x$100]. j. Shares gifted by Emelio's father The basis of any shares received as gift would be as follows: Gain basis - Adjusted basis of donor + Gift tax paid on appreciation = $3,500 (100x$35) Loss basis - Lower of Gain basis and FMV on date of gift = $3,500 (Lower of $3,500 and $4,500) If Gift tax was paid on the appreciation, the basis would have to be computed using the following formula: Adjusted basis of the donor + [Gift tax X (FMV - Adjusted basis)/(FMV -