Tesco Case Study with Questions Essay Example

Tesco Case Study with Questions Essay Tesco, well known as Britain’s leading food retail group with a presence also in Europe and Asia has also been a pioneer online. As this Tesco. com case study shows, retailer Tesco is generally recognized as the worlds largest online grocer and it has an annual turnover of ? 1 billion online in the UK and has launched in other countries, internationally and is diversifying into non-food categories. http://www. tescocorporate. com/plc/ In 2006/7, Tesco. com sales were reported to be sales up 29. %, profit (pre-Direct start-up costs) up 48. 5%; †¢More details on online sales and non-food sales details are also provided in the main www. tescoplc. com/plc/ Today the tesco. com model operates in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. Online grocery sales have exceeded ? 1 billion for the first time in the UK alone. We have an active customer base of 850,000 and more than 250,000 orders are now being completed each week. In the UK, nearly 1,860 vans operate out of 294 stores. In our Newcastle store our service is so popular that there are now 18 vans delivering to local customers. Drivers deliver between 9am and 11pm, and our staff start picking our customers’ orders from 6am. A record-breaking 1. 3 million shoppers chose tesco. com to deliver their presents and groceries over Christmas, and to make sure that these were all picked successfully, our staff started picking even earlier, at 4am. Tesco. com have around 9,000 pickers, the majority in existing stores, but one specific delivery store has been opened in Croydon. ttp://www. theregister. co. uk/2006/01/17/tesco_mobile_xmas/ 1. Sales at Tesco. com, the UK market leader in home shopping, rose by 32% year-on-year, but they still only represent over 3% of its UK sales of ? 32. 7bn! Tesco said it had 750,000 regular customers and 200,000 orders a week online giving a total turnover approaching ? 1 billion Update Tesco Direct launched Read http://www. internetretailer. com/2006/10/06/u-k-s-tesco-l aunches-tesco-direct-for-non-food-online-sales In 2006, Tesco launched Tesco Direct to rival catalogue retailers such as Argos. We will write a custom essay sample on Tesco Case Study with Questions specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tesco Case Study with Questions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tesco Case Study with Questions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Over 8,000 products will be available from beds and sofas through to kitchenware, electricals, cameras, bikes and golf clubs giving customers more products at great Tesco prices than they have ever had access to before. Customers can choose the product they want on a new website or from a new catalogue and then order in one of three ways: †¢On-line via the tesco. com website †¢By phone †¢In selected stores at the new Tesco Direct desks In the press release for this update it was reported that Tesco. com now has ? million regular grocery shoppers with over 200,000 orders per week and achieved over ? 1 billion in sales in 2005. Tesco Product ranges The Tesco. com site acts as a portal to most of Tescos products, including various non-food ranges (for example, Books, DVDs and Electrical items under the ‘Extra’ banner), Tesco Personal Finance and the telecoms businesses, as well as services offered in partnership with specialist companies, such as dieting clubs, flights and holidays, music downloads, gas, electricity and DVD rentals. It does not currently sell clothing online but in May 2005 it introduced a clothing website (www. clothingattesco. com), initially at to showcase Tescos clothing brands and link customers to their nearest store with this range. Tesco Competitors Tesco currently leads the UK’s other leading grocery retailers in terms of market share. This pattern is repeated online. The compilation below is from Hitwise (2005) and the figures in brackets show market share for traditional offline retail formats from the Taylor Nelson Softres Super Panel (see http://superpanel. tns-global. com). 1. Tesco Superstore, 27. 28% (29% of retail trade) 2. ASDA, 13. 36% 3. ASDA @t Home, 10. 13% (17. 1%) 4. Sainsburys, 8. 42% 5. Tesco Wine Warehouse, 8. 19% 6. Sainsburys to You, 5. 86% (15. 9%) 7. Waitrose. com, 3. 42% (3. 6%) 8. Ocado, 3. 2% (owned by Waitrose, 3. 6%) 9. Lidl, 2. 49% (1. 8%) 10. ALDI – UK, 2. 10% (2. 3%) †¢http://www. tesco. com/talkingtesco/oldDefault. asp Some companies are repeated since both their main site and the online shopping site are reported on separately. Asda. com now seems to be performing in a consistent manner online to its offline presence. However, Sainsburys online performance see ms to be significantly lower compared to its offline performance. Some providers such as Ocado which originally just operated within the London area have a strong local performance. Notably, some of Tesco. om competitors are absent from the Hitwise listing since their strategy has been to focus on retail formats. These are Morrisons (12. 5% retail share, Somerfield (5. 5%) and Co-op (5. 0%). Promotion of Tesco services As with other online retailers, Tesco. com relies on in-store advertising and marketing to the supermarkets Clubcard loyalty schemes customer base to persuade customers to shop online. NMA (2005) quotes Nigel Dodd, marketing director at Tesco. com as saying: ‘These are invaluable sources as we have such a strong customer base’. However, for non-food goods the supermarket does advertise online using keyword targeted ads. For existing customers, email marketing and direct mail marketing to provide special offers and promotions to customers is important. According to Humby (2003), e-retailer Tesco. com use what he describes as a ‘commitment-based segmentation’ or ‘loyalty ladder’ which is based on recency of purchase, frequency of purchase and value which is used to identify 6 lifecycle categories which are then further divided to target communications: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Logged-on† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cautionary† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Developing† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Established† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dedicated† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Logged-off† (the aim here is to winback) Tesco then use automated event-triggered messaging can be created to ncourage continued purchase. For example, Tesco. com have a touch strategy which includes a sequence of follow-up communications triggered after different events in the customer lifecycle. In the example given below, communications after event 1 are intended to achieve the objective of converting a web site visitor to action; communications after event 2 are intended to move the customer from a first time purchaser to a regular purchaser and for event 3 to reactivate lapsed purchasers. †¢Trigger event 1: Customer first registers on site (but does not buy). Auto-response (AR) 1: 2 days after registration e-mail sent offering phone assistance and ? 5 discount off first purchase to encourage trial. Trigger event 2: Customer first purchases online. †¢AR1: Immediate order confirmation †¢AR2: 5 days after purchase e-mail sent with link to online customer satisfaction survey asking about quality of service from driver and picker (e. g. item quality and substitutions). †¢AR3: Two-weeks after first purchase Direct mail offering tips on how to use service and ? 5 discount on next purchases intended to encourage re-use of online services. AR4: Generic monthly e-newsletter with online exclusive offers encouraging cross-selling †¢AR5: Bi-weekly alert with personalised offers for customer. †¢AR6: After 2 months ? 5 discount for next shop †¢AR7: Quarterly mailing of coupons encouraging repeat sales and cross-sales Trigger event 3: Customer does not purchase for an extended period †¢AR1: Dormancy detected – Reactivation e-mail with survey of how the customer is finding the service (to identify any problems) and a ? 5 incentive. †¢AR2: A further discount incentive is used in order to encourage continued usage to shop after the first shop after a break. Tesco’s online product strategy NMA (2005) ran a profile of Laura Wade-Gery CEO of Tesco. com since January 2004 which provides an interesting insight into how the business has run. In her first year, total sales were increased 24% to ? 719 million. Laura, is 40 years old, a keen athlete and has followed a varied career developing from a MA in History at Magdalen College, Oxford, an MBA from Insead; Manager and partner in Kleinwort Benson; Manager and senior consultant, Gemini Consulting; Targeted marketing director (Tesco Clubcard), and Group strategy irector, Tesco Stores. The growth overseen by Wade-Gery has been achieved through a combination of initiatives. Product range development is one key area. In early 2005, Tesco. com fulfilled 150,000 grocery orders a week but now also offers more intangible offerings, such as e-diets and music downloads. She has also focused on improving the customer experience online – the time it takes for a new customer to complete thei r first order has been decreased from over an hour to 35 minutes through usability work culminating in a major site revision. To support the business has it diversifies into new areas, Wade-Gery’s strategy was ‘to make home delivery part of the DNA of Tesco’ according to NMA (2005). She continues: ‘What we offer is delivery to your home of a Tesco service – its an obvious extension of the home-delivered groceries concept. ’ My May 2005, Tesco. com had 30,000 customers signed up for DVD rental, through partner Video Island (who run the rival Screenselect service). Over the next year, her target is to treble this total, while also extending home-delivery services to the likes of bulk wine and white goods. Wade-Gery looks to achieve synergy between the range of services offered. For example, its partnership with eDiets can be promoted through the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme, with mailings to 10m customers a year. In July 2004, Tesco. com Limited paid ? 2 million for the exclusive licence to eDiets. com in the UK and Ireland under the URLs www. eDietsUK. com and www. eDiets. ie. Through promoting these services through these URLs, Tesco can use the dieting business to grow use of the Tesco. com service and in-store sales. To help keep focus on home retail-delivery, Wade-Gery sold women’s portal iVillage (www. ivillage. co. uk) back to its US owners for an undisclosed sum in March 2004. She explained to NMA: ‘Its a very different sort of product to the other services that were embarking on. In my mind, we stand for providing services and products that you buy, which is slightly different to the world of providing information. ’ The implication is that there was insufficient revenue from ad sales on iVillage and insufficient opportunities to promote Tesco. om sales. However, iVillage was a useful learning experience in that there are some parallels with iVillage, such as message boards and community advisors. Wade-Gery is also director of Tesco Mobile, the joint ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ venture with O2 which is mainly serviced online, although promoted in-store and via direct mail. Tesco also offer broadband and dialup ISP services, but believe the market for Internet telephony ( provided through Skype and Vonage for example) is not sufficiently developed. Tesco. om have concentrated on more traditional services which have the demand, for example, Tesco Telecom fixed-line services attracted over a million customers in its first year. However, this is not to say, that Tesco. com will not invest in relatively new services. In November 2004, Tescos introduced a music download service and just six months later, she estimates they have around 10% market share – one of the benefits of launching relatively early. Again, there is synergy, this time with hardware sales. NMA (2005) reported that as MP3 players were unwrapped, sales went up – even on Christmas Day! She says: ‘The exciting thing about digital is where can you take it in the future. As the technology grows, well be able to turn Tesco. com into a digital download store of all sorts, rather than just music. Clearly, film [through video on demand] would be next. ’ But it has to be based firmly on analysis of customer demand. She says : ‘The number one thing for us is whether the product is something that customers are saying they want, has it reached a point where mass-market customers are interested? ’ There also has to be scope for simplification. NMA (2005) notes that Tesco is built on a core premise of convenience and value and Wade-Gery believes what its already done with mobile tariffs, broadband packages and music downloads are good examples of the retailers knack for streamlining propositions. She says: ‘Weve actually managed to get people joining broadband who have never even had a dial-up service’ Tesco case study sources: Humby (2003), NMA (2005), Hitwise (2005), Wikipedia (2005) Humby, C. and Hunt, T. (2003) Scoring points. How Tesco is Winning Customer Loyalty. Kogan Page, London, UK. Hitwise (2005) Press release: The top UK Grocery and Alcohol websites week ending October 1st, ranked by market share of web site visits, from Hitwise. co. uk. Press release available at www. hitwise. co. uk. Discussion Questions 1. Describe the major E-Commerce characteristics used by Tesco. 2. What are the advantages for Tesco becoming an E-Commerce organisation? 3. In what ways has Tesco managed to gain competitive advantage over it’s other stores? 4. How has E-Commerce facilitated customisation of products and services? . What competitive strategy has Tesco used and how successful is it? 6. After reading the case study list the success factors for Tesco. What might the threats be? Carry out a SWOT Analysis. 7. Why might customers like Web Based Purchasing? Is it becoming more of an option due to lower prices? 8. What promotion policies does Tesco implement? Are they successful? 9. What product strategy has Tesco implemented? 10. Is Tesco’s p roduct strategy successful give reasons for your answers? Please be ready to discuss the answers with your tutor.

The Ginko Tree (Ginko Bilboa) essays

The Ginko Tree (Ginko Bilboa) essays The Ginko Tree (Ginko Biloba) is indigenous to Korea, China and Japan can be found all over the world. Ginko can grow over 40 meters high and for over a thousand years. There have been fossils dated back as far as 250 million years ago. The herb is the extract from the fan shaped leaves. Some call it the most popular herbal medicine in the world, aimed at "augmenting cognitive functions" such as memory, learning, alertness and mood. Germany uses it officially to treat dimensia. The US National Institute on Aging are testing its effects on alzhiemers. Most information about effects are based on folklore. The US FDA doesn't regulate herbal treatments and the manufacturers are not required to test for safety. The typical daily dose of Ginko is 120 Mg in two or three tablets. The extract contains several flavonoids, a group of natural plant products that have specific chemical structure of carbon rings. Ginko also has bioflavonoids and two different types of terpenes, naturally occurring chemicals that are also found in catnip and marijuana. There have been many tests without solid, conclusive results. Results that showed slight improvement with alzheimers patients used EGb 761. Most tests, test memory and learning, rather than attention motivation and anxiety. Because most studies have faults this article focused on the most rigorous ones. In 1998 Barry S. Oken of Oregon Health Sciences U. took 50 studies then narrowed them down to 4 with specific criteria, i.e. they had alzheimers, standard Ginko was taken, and a double blind placebo controlled test. This is where neither the tester nor the subject know whether the placebo or ginko was taken. The people that took the Ginko ended up doing 10-20% better than the placebo eaters. Another large test in Germany showed less beneficial results for Ginko. Other tests in England have shown that Ginko has helped a little with short-term memory. A critical question has yet to be answere...

Why is Bill Gates a successful leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why is Bill Gates a successful leader - Essay Example Through his innovative ideas, constant hard-work and extraordinary leadership skills he has achieved tremendous success and fame. His exceptional example is given in various management courses and his wise quotes are used to motivate and direct individuals around the world. Bill Gates exemplary leadership is dependent upon many steps that he has consciously adopted. 1. A Clear Vision Bill Gates knows that in order to move forward he can leave no man behind, to ensure this he has a clear vision not only in his mind but he also makes certain to pass it on to his employees. He sets a clear standard, an exact measurement of what is expected from them. By saying inspiring expressions like, Every house and business must run on Microsoft software, or a computer on every desktop, he provides an unambiguous picture to his employees of exactly what is expected of them. This helps clear misconceptions and misunderstandings and provides refreshing clarity to employees. He has set a standard for them, they can easily envision it and therefore achieving it becomes easier. (Samson, Danny, and Daft 17) 2. Empowering Employees After giving his employees a clear goal, Bill Gates ensures that his employees have the power to achieve them. He is heard to say on several occasions that leaders are those who have the ability to empower others.By exercising leadership through a participative style he ensures that employees at all levels are involved in decision making. Everyone provides their valuable input and contributes to providing the best solution. He is very positive in his attitude and energizes his employees and pushes them to achieve more than they think they are capable off hence promising success for Microsoft. 3. It’s Okay to Make Mistakes People who work for Bill Gates are fearless and confident. They take risks and have the ability to think out of the box because he never discourages them. Bill Gates is a staunch believer of the philosophy that mistakes and failur es are important contributors to success. He is constantly ensuring his employees that they should not be afraid of making mistakes. He went so far as to say on one occasion that, unhappy customers are the greatest source of learning. Such a positive and open attitude affirms employee beliefs that they will not be punished if they do something wrong therefore being more confident in themselves and their jobs. Such confidence makes the work environment not only positive but also fun where employees go an extra mile to achieve results. The 2007 version of Microsoft Office that has become so popular was a design put forward by an IT technician. Even though this idea is a complete opposite of Bill Gates original design the employee had confidence that she could discuss her idea with Bill Gates without any fear of offending him. This is an excellent example of the confidence that Microsoft employees have and how this confidence gets translated into astounding achievements for the organiz ation. (7 Key Lessons from a Greatest Leader of all times - Bill Gates | Life of Excellence) 4. Appreciating Employees Bill Gates is not that stereotypical boss who sweeps in at the end of the day and takes credit for all the work. He appreciates his employee’s efforts and whenever necessary makes it popular that his employees are his main strength and the greatest factor contributing to Microsoft’s success. He personally interacts with employees to find out who is doing what, offers solutions to problems and gives praise without a second thought. His admiration of employee work and ideas is positive reinforcement that encourages employees to work harder and harder, because they know that their efforts are not wasted. (Manager's Role in Successful Motivation:

Computer technology and the networked organization Essay

Computer technology and the networked organization - Essay Example This helps one monitor the network properly. Any failure is easily seen and will not affect the entire organisation of the company. Star topology is reliable because it is easy to back up the data and easy to access the data. Another important reason is that in this topology my companies system will have no disruptions to the network when connecting and removing devices. Under the architecture the configurations of the company peer to peer networking architecture will be put in place. This will be of help because all the computers in the network will have the same privilege, capabilities and responsibility among themselves. This will enable file sharing and if anyone wants to acquire information from another customer then he will do it fast and also it is hard for the system to collapse because all computers depend from each other not like client server where one computer is expected for file sharing. The communication protocol used will be TCP/IP because it will enable the computers in the network to communicate without the help of central management. The reason why I will use TCP/IP in my company because it is compatible with various types of computer hardware and network configurations. Another reason why I found it relevant is it routable and so finds the most efficient path for the packets to move across the network. I would have created a firewall that will not allow the people who are not in the network to get access in it. This implies that it will set up a control of the incoming and outgoing network traffic by analysing the data packets and determining whether it should pass or not. Secondly I will train my personnel and enforce a policy.by having employees and customers who understand and adhere to the companies’ security policies will enable reduce security problems. I will create strong security passwords and strong forms of authentication to prevent guessing and cracking. Thirdly I will uses security

Stress Effects and Ways to Reduce Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stress Effects and Ways to Reduce Stress - Essay Example However, there are number of causes of stress. Like emotional stress, physical stress, environmental stresses, energetic and health stress. Physical stress occurs due to over physical work/activity and it is very common in adults. Most importantly, physical stress effects regularly on many body joints changes and will create pain in your later life. Stress can affect you in the two ways; long term and short term. Long term stress is much worst than short term; Moreover; long term stress is more dangerous because it creates regular changes in your body in many ways. In general term, there are there broad sectors of stress effects. From the medical point of view, the physiological stress if activate in your brain, it will triggers the pituitary gland and sympathetic nervous system as a result of its activation - it creates regular changes in your adrenal gland which raises your heart rates. Furthermore, human liver produces energy throughout the stress situation and in the process, the patient can suffer stomach pain, constipation and so forth. The physiological stress raises your heart beats up to 71 to 90 beats in a minute to 200 per minute. Yes, Stress effects emotiona... In general term, there are there broad sectors of stress effects. 1) Physiological Effects From the medical point of view, the physiological stress if activate in your brain, it will triggers the pituitary gland and sympathetic nervous system as a result of its activation - it creates regular changes in your adrenal gland which raises your heart rates. Furthermore, human liver produces energy throughout the stress situation and in the process, the patient can suffer stomach pain, constipation and so forth. The physiological stress raises your heart beats up to 71 to 90 beats in a minute to 200 per minute. Emotional Effects Yes, Stress effects emotionally as well and if it affects emotionally, it can create sound changes in your brain function. As a result of its activation, it adversely affects your mental capabilities, - your logical thinking becomes illogical, and you become anxious for no reason. However, it can be minor or major, major stress could lead you to a suicide. Besides this, it alters your behavioral patterns suddenly in these feelings; you become very sensitive and can be very irritating. You could enter into an argument with others for no reason; whatsoever, you can suddenly starting fighting with others at work. It may turn your mind on pessimistic thinking on all aspects, by and large behavioral changes adversely affect decision making powers either at work or at home concerns. Also, you could become gloomy and it makes you less tolerant. Physical Effects Physical effects includes frequent headaches, back ache and other muscle pain, sleep difficulties and exhaustion, cramp in the neck and shoulders, appetite and weight changes, anxiety, feelings of being helpless and hopelessness, fatigue, memory and concentration problems however

Main advantages of unstructured methods

Main advantages of unstructured methods Unstructured method This method makes use of a rational compilation of elements to load up the domain, because the engagements of elements have no visible pattern, the mesh is called unstructured. This type of grids in general makes use of triangles in 2D and tetrahedral in 3D. With structured method, the elements are capable of twisted and stretched to well the domain. This method has the skill to be automated to a large degree. Known good CAD model, a good meshing student or person can without human intervention place triangles on the surface and tetrahedral in the volume with very small effort from the user. The automatic meshing algorithm characteristically involves meshing the boundary and then also adding elements touching the boundary or adding points in the interior and reconnecting the Delaunay elements. Main advantage of unstructured method Advantages of unstructured method is with the aim of they are very programmed and, as a result, require small user time effort but the user no need to worry about lay out block structure or relations. In addition the unstructured methods are well suitable to inexperienced users because they require small user input and will generate a suitable mesh under most circumstances. Unstructured method and its applications Triangle mesh generator makes use of 2D problems, and it produces an unstructured triangular mesh. Tetrahedral meshing is appropriate for uses in viscous flow simulations are wished-for. The approach which is chase consists of the initial generation of a number of unstructured layers of highly rigid elements Structured method This method of mesh generation starts with basic geometry and tensor analysis previous to moving on to identify the variety of approaches that can be employed in the generation of structured meshing. In addition structured method makes use of quadrilateral elements in 2D and hexahedral elements in 3D in a computational rectangular selection. Main advantage of structured method Advantages of structured mesh method is their simplicity, ease of use code and is suitable for multi-mesh, it is very complicated to generate a structured mesh for complex construction of body, such as a complete aircraft. Structured method and its applications Structured mesh, in particular multi-block structured mesh, is one of the main productions CFD tools. Multi-block means that the block topology can be from multiply connected blocks and each block is composed of 3D hexahedral, 2D quadrilateral and 1D linear or quadratic element set up in rows and columns, but this blocks can be removed, deleted or glued to others parts and also the multi-block structured mesh gives CFD user more control over the design of their meshing and make sure that quality is maintained all the way through their design and achieves the results. Multi-block topology A multi-block topology is used to build a meshing for the same geometry and this mesh is build in 6 blocks and deleting the top 2 corner blocks to complete a meshing with right aspect ratio. Hybrid method Hybrid mesh method is designed to obtain advantage of the positive aspects of both unstructured and structured mesh. Hybrid mesh makes use of some form of structured mesh in local regions while using unstructured mesh in the size of the domain. In addition the hybrid mesh contain tetrahedral, hexahedral and pyramid elements in 3D and quadrilaterals in 2D. But hexahedral elements are excellent close to solid boundaries and can afford the user of CFD a high degree of control. Main advantage and disadvantage of hybrid method Hybrid mesh advantages method is when we can make use of the positive properties of structured mesh elements in the regions which require them the most and use automatic unstructured mesh techniques where is not much happen in the flow field. Prismatic or hexahedral layers close to wall surfaces show good clustering capability characteristic of structured meshing approaches. Another advantage is that the use of tetrahedral mesh to fill the rest of the domain permit single-block generation for particularly complex geometries since the tetrahedral is the simplex element in 3D. Hybrid mesh disadvantage method is difficult to use and involve user of CFD expertise in put out the various structured mesh properties and locations to obtain the best results. The hybrid method is less strong the unstructured mesh methods. Hybrid method and its applications Hybrid method, in particular prismatic mesh generation makes use of the visibility condition, namely, the node normal vector is able to be seen from all the triangles sharing the node. A simple and general method is included to treat walls, concaves and narrow gaps. Tetrahedral and pyramids are integrated naturally by treating them as exceptional cases of prismatic cells and the methods is successfully applied for a entire aircraft configuration and partially slotted flap. To describe key features of ALL existing meshing options in Ansys Mesh module and discuss their applications (please refer to build-in documentation in the software).

Physics of Black Holes Essay -- physics space black holes

Black holes - the strange scientific phenomenon that has astounded physicists and astronomers alike for decades. Popular subjects in science fiction novels, black holes are one of the greatest enigmas of the scientific world. Even today, the concept of a super-dense ball of matter that not even light can escape from is somewhat farfetched, and many scientists disagree with each other about nearly every aspect of a black hole. This project will attempt to shed some light on these mysterious formations, and will inform you the reader of the most popular and widely accepted theories surrounding them. Karl Schwarzschild is credited with being the brilliant astronomer who developed the concept of black holes. In 1916, using Einstein's general theory of relativity, he began to make calculations about the gravity fields of stars. He concluded that if a huge mass, such as a star, were to be concentrated down to the size of an infintessimal point, the effects of Einstein's relativity would get really fairly extreme. Schwarzschild doubted that a star could get that small, and theorized that if a star did infact shrink upon itself like that, its gravity would remain the same and the planets revolving around it would remain in the same orbits they always had. Since then however, some of Schwarzschild's theories have been disproved, but most of his initial theories hold intact today. The Schwarzschild Radius, the maximum radius a body with a specific mass can have that won't let light escape, is named in his honor, and the equation of which is still in use today: Rs=2MG/(c^2) In truth, English geologist John Michell was the first to suggest the existence of black holes. He referred to them "dark stars" and based his calculations on Newt... ...ke for instance the two images below. The first is a two-dimensional representation of the gravity of a normal star. Imagine any object floating through space as a marble. Said marble rolling along the flat surface of the space will roll into the indentation made by the sun's gravity. If you flick the marble hard enough, it can roll out of the indentation and roll away. The second pic is a representation of the gravity made by a black hole. Notice that if the marble rolls into the hole, there's no way it can get out, since there is no end to the hole. Such prospects are intriguing, and provide science fiction novelists with endless material for their writings. None of these theories have been proved, and since we can't get close enough to a black hole to study one, they're all perfectly valid. Perhaps one day mankind will discover the truths behind black holes.

Gay Marriage: Social Calamity or Long Overdue? Essay

Abstract There is growing attention to the issue of marriage equality for gay people in this country. As of the writing of this paper, 16 of the 50 states in the United States of America have legalized gay marriage, either by legislation or by popular vote (Wisniewski, 2013). The discourse regarding the issue becomes quite contentious largely because of non-secular ideology that has demonized the concept of homosexuality for many years. As a sociological issue, the conflict has become a divisive force for many, from political powers as far down to the family level. The constitution guarantees equal rights for all in this country; freedom of religion, speech, etc. yet appears to stall when equal rights for the gay community are involved. There has been significantly more popular support for the cause recently, but the stigma and prejudice continue to linger. Is this a moral debate or has an outdated ideology become so embraced by many that the battle has only just begun? Are Rights Really Equal? When asked if one believes in equal rights for all citizens, the typical, rote response is a resounding â€Å"Yes†. If the question becomes more specific as to include the right for homosexuals to marry, a hesitation follows. The concept of gay marriage is far deeper a societal problem for most because its roots lie in prejudicial perspectives that have permeated us for years. Before the fight for the right to marry, the gay community has long endured simply the right to exist openly without feeling pariah-like. The United States is not a theocracy, of this we are certain. However, there are many more religiously affiliated citizens than not. The First Amendment gives us freedom of religion, which should also include freedom from religion. The truth of the matter meets somewhere in between the two, especially when US currency bears â€Å"In God We Trust† boldly on its face. There are political leaders who continue to evoke the name of God in their speeches, even though  the fact is that our founding fathers were mostly non-theists and the motto on our money did not initiate until 1958 or so. But people continue to view homosexuality as a â€Å"sin†, therefore gay marriage is not an option. This issue has created a divide in this country, much like most other civil rights have. When slavery was abolished, it took years to establish anti-segregation laws. Civil change takes time, historically, and gay marriage is no different. Protests continue either in support of or against gay marriage, at times becoming violent. Families become divided when a member openly announces his or her orientation and disapproval prevails, sometimes resulting in families disowning or ostracizing that offender from the family. Government has been forced to become involved, due to an outcry for the various rights that are bestowed upon a married member of this society. Rights to inheritance and to personal medical information and decision making are two examples of spousal rights. Monogamous homosexual couples are denied these rights, since without marriage, the rights fall to their closest relative. Functional Sociology and Gay Marriage Society has long viewed traditional marriage a fundamental and necessary building block. Marriage is the institution by which our population is regenerated and offspring are socialized then integrated as functioning members. Functional theorists might argue that if the paradigm is changed to include same sex couples, social decay may follow, as the family unit is unable to function if not in the traditional way. Single parent households have been faulted with producing children that score lower in school than those from the traditional, two parent family, as well as have higher rates of unacceptable social behavior, such as drug abuse or teenage pregnancy. Functionalists believe children benefit from each gender parent in a different way, therefore require both to be whole. (Tischler, 2011) Conflict Theory and Gay Marriage Conflict theory maintains that society functions when a more powerful or accepted sector exerts its will and exceeds at the expense of less powerful or accepted portions. (Tischler, 2011). Since homosexuality has been regarded taboo by the majority for so long, heterosexuals have maintained their position of acceptance and normalcy in the US. Vocational positions,  especially powerful ones such as political leaders, have historically been heterosexual. We have a â€Å"President† and a â€Å"First Lady†; expected heterosexuality. For the stigma to be removed, traditionally expected and understood ways of life would drastically change. Would traditional, heterosexual marriage decay in the process? The Future of Marriage Regardless of sociological theory, religious belief, and cultural expectation, the movement towards acceptance of gay marriage is gaining momentum and losing the attached stigma. Gay marriage is legal in 16 states (Wisniewski, 2013), and gay couples right to adoption has increased. Heterosexual divorce rates remain hovering at a 50% mark, and have been for many years prior to homosexual marriage. Society is resilient, proving itself over years of change. The ideal aspiration would be for both homosexual and heterosexual married couples to simply co-exist; neither having any real influence over the others’ success or demise. References Tischler, H.L. (2011) â€Å"Introduction to Sociology†. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781285396835/pages/55834839 Wisniewski, M (2013) Update 1-Illinois Governor Signs Same-Sex Marriage Into Law. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/20/usa-gaymarriage-illinois-idUSL2N0J524N20131120.

The Review of In Search of Management by Tony J. Watson

The Review of In Search of Management by Tony J. Watson Introduction The management is the crucial aspect of the organization success. There are a lot of study materials and professional literature on this topic. The book In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos, and Control in Managerial Work by Tony J. Watson is devoted to the problems of the managerial work. The author is the British author and the professor at the Nottingham University Business School.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on The Review of In Search of Management by Tony J. Watson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He specializes in the research on â€Å"organizations, managerial work, strategy-making, entrepreneurship, HRM and industrial sociology† (Watson 2013, n.pag.). Professor Tony J. Watson gained his BA in London in 1968, MSc in Loughborough in 1972, and PhD in Nottingham in 1976 (Business school n.pag.). The author published a number of reputable works on management and strategy development. His books cover the topics of his research interests including â€Å"the organization theory and the sociology of work; managerial, entrepreneurial, strategic and human resourcing behavior in organizations; organizational culture; and ethnography† (Business school n.pag.). The works by Professor Watson are highly appreciated by the economists and managers. They are used as the study materials at the business schools as well. Tony J. Watson is the ongoing member of a number of the memberships and fellowships. In particular, he is a member of the Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CPID), the member of the editorial boards of Human Relations, Journal of Management Studies, and Personal Review (Business school n.pag.). He is also an ongoing member of the British Academy of Management (Business school n.pag.). Prof. Watson says that he is â€Å"especially enthusiastic about narrative forms of research reporting as means of teaching and provi ding insights to a range of audiences about the complexities, contradictions, pains and delights of organizational and business life† (Business school n.pag.). In the book In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos, and Control in Managerial Work, Tony J. Watson uncovers the problems of the managerial work from the standpoint of the attitude of the middle managers to their responsibilities and the company, for which they work.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Key Points of Criticism In Search of Management presents the interesting view on the organization’s management as the author analyses the different aspects of the managerial work taking into consideration the responses of the middle class managers regarding their job. It can be stated that the book is unique as the majority of other authors have not considered the problem in this context. In should be noted that the most part of the research on management is based on the quantitative estimation of its quality and efficiency. The central theme of the book In Search of Management is the â€Å"discovery of what management is look like† (Watson 2001, n.pag.). The main goal of the author was to create the book, which would be helpful for the broad range of users. It was a challenging task taking into account the fact that people tended to draw a distinction between the â€Å"academic† books and the â€Å"practical† manuals. It may be no accident that the author decides to present his dialogue with his management fellow. He tries to emphasize that there is a widespread opinion in the managerial community that the management in theory and the management in practice are two rather different concepts and that the academics do not capture the problems of real managerial work in their research quite often. Watson says that he tries to erase this distinction b etween the academic and practical management in his book In Search of Management. The author argues that â€Å"the managers themselves, however much they tend to scorn the very idea of theory, are inevitably theorists of a sort† (Watson 2001, p. 2). In my view, the author has achieved his goal. He masterly applies the theoretical conceptions to the practical issues arguing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s management. In addition, Watson’s book is not overloaded with the terminology and, thus, is appropriate for the readers of the wide range. The book is written in the form of a story. The comprehensive language and the structure of the book support its universality. Rosemary Stewart (1994) states in her book review published in The Independent that the book can be described as the â€Å"diary of a professor at work† (Stewart 1994).Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on The Review of In Search of Management by To ny J. Watson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Search of Management encompasses the realities of the world of management. Stewart (1994) claims that the book â€Å"is about people and its purpose is to help organizations survive† (Stewart 1994, n.pag.). In my view, these words reflect the essence of the book and its value. The author puts the emphasis on the role of people in organization. That is why he tries to consider the managerial work from the standpoint of the process of communication and collaboration with people. Watson states that the efficiency of management is directly related to how well people inside the organization work together. The concept of the â€Å"team† plays a vital role in his book. Watson tries to prove the idea that the long-term success of the organization is determined by the effectiveness of the team work. In his book, Watson analyses the reasons for failure of the British manufacturing companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s strategy. Although the employees of the company were rather competent in their work, the company could not progress further and was not able to compete in the market successfully. It seemed that the management lost the direction in the way of its strategy realization. The managers claimed that everyone in the organization had their task and everyone did it well but it did not helped. The author of the book argued that the problem of this company boiled down to the fact that its managers paid too much attention to the philosophical aspect of management. As a result, employees were frequently told about the values and goals of the organization. However, what the company lacked was the sufficient attention to the technical aspect of their work. The commitment of the employees was not enough to improve the performance.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In Search of Management is very interesting book, which is worthy to read for both the academics and practitioners. Willmott (1995) describes the book as â€Å"an insightful, eloquent and entertaining account of the complexity, chaos and ambivalence that is so carefully expurgated from the majority of academic textbooks, guru handbooks and scholarly monographs† (Willmott 1995, n.pag.). It should be said that the first edition of In Search of Management was published in 1994. However, the ideas presented by the author remain urgent nowadays. Prof. Watson says that it is not surprising that his book is still popular as the factors influencing the managerial work remain the same. He states that, although the significant changes have occurred in the business world since the time of the first publishing of his book, the nature of the problems, which the managers should solve, have not been changed. Dr. David Potter claims that In Search of Management remains up-to-date as â€Å"t he ideas of Watson still sound very practical† (Potter 2010, n.pag.). Conclusion In order to sum up all above mentioned, it should be said that the book In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos, and Control in Managerial Work by Tony J. Watson represents the important material for study and provides the background for further research. The author touches upon the urgent problems of the managerial work. The central theme of the book is the search of the essence of management. The analysis presented in the work is based on the interviews with the managers of the company. The author tries to explain why the commitment of employees may be not enough to achieve the goals of the company. In spite of the fact that the first edition of the book was published 19 years ago, it remains relevant today. Overall, the book In Search of Management is the interesting work, which I recommend to read everyone, who is interested in management. References Business school. Professor Tony Watson, not tingham.ac.uk/business/liztw.html Potter, D 2010, My Cultural Reflections; Tone Watson â€Å"In Search of management†, culturalchange.co.uk/?p=1088 Stewart, R 1994, ‘Book Review / Diary of a professor at work: In search of management, Tony J Watson; Routledge, pounds 40hb, pounds 12.99pb’, The Independent, 7 September, n.pag., independent.co.uk/news/business/book-reviewdiary-of-a-professor-at-work-in-search-of-management-tony-j-watson-routledge-pounds-40hb-pounds-1299pb-1447296.html Watson, T. 2001, In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos, and Control in Managerial Work, Thomson Learning, London Watson, T 2013, Tony Watson. Nottingham Trent University, uk.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=20125 Willmott, H 1995, In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos, and Control in Managerial Work, http://business.highbeam.com/138396/article-1G1-17231473/search-management-culture-chaos-and-control-managerial

Rubber bands Essays

Rubber bands Essays Rubber bands Paper Rubber bands Paper The aim of this experiment is to find how the amount of stretching, when shooting a rubber band, affects the length of the shot. Hypothesis When you stretch an elastic rubber band, you store potential elastic energy inside it. When the rubber band is released, the potential elastic energy will be transformed into the same amount of kinetic energy. This will cause the rubber band to move, and the more kinetic energy we have, the longer the rubber band will fly. Thus, the more stretching performed on the rubber band, the longer it will fly. Stand, double muff, 2 flags, 2 rubber bands with an circumference of 0. 20 respective 0. 22 m, measuring tape with an uncertainty of , and a ruler with an uncertainty of . Procedure The experiment was performed indoors at normal room temperature. We of course began to set up our equipment in a proper way. (see picture) The setup ensured that we would have the same angle of the rubber band in each shot. Three different lengths between the flags were used, 0. 15 m, 0. 20 m and 0. 25 m. When the rubber bands were attached to the flags, the total circumference of the rubber bands then became 0.30 m, 0. 40 m and 0. 50 m, and the increase in length of the rubber band was different dependent on which rubber band was used (see table). Rubber 1 was not as slack, as thin, and had a smaller circumference than rubber 2. Five shots with each rubber band on each length were done, and a mean value was calculated. The values were inserted into a diagram in order to increase and simplify the comprehension of the result. The following result was reached when investigating the shot length on different stretching lengths: These values are then inserted in a graph, which looks like following:On the x-axis we have the stretch of the rubber band in meters, and on the y-axis we have the shot length in meters. The different points represent the length of the shots on different stretching values. The lines are drawn to best fit. Conclusion We see a clear result, and it does indeed follow our hypothesis. The more the rubber band is stretched, the longer the shot length becomes. As kinetic energy is required for anything to move, we can draw the conclusion that that kinetic energy must have come from somewhere, and in this case it was the potential elastic energy in the rubber band, which was stored in it when stretched. However, another interesting result was reached. As we see in the diagram, the lines drawn to best fit are not linear, but shaped as curves. This implies that the increase in shot length is not correlating to the increase in stretching. As the table and the diagram show, the flight in meters per stretched meter decreases the more you stretch the rubber band. We also see that the curves cross each other. Rubber 2, which had a shorter flying distance, would when stretched only 0. 004 m, have a greater range than rubber 1 with the same stretching. This low value of stretching of course is quite hard to measure as you probably would not have been able to release the rubber band at all. Perhaps if you would have used rubber bands in a larger scale and with some differentiating property, a difference would have been possible to actually measure. However, to draw any conclusion like this from the graph probably should not be done. Our measuring points are nowhere close to the actual crossing of the lines, but at least a hint about what might happen is given, even though we can not draw any certain conclusions.

Fiber Optic Cable use in the European Market Annotated Bibliography

Fiber Optic Cable use in the European Market - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, the study has also found that the technology has been improved since the use of fiber optic cables was first introduced. Fiber optic cables have also been the favored choice of communication for Europeans as it has been found that they are able to handle all forms of services with optimum efficiency1. This article says that the optic fiber cable network in Europe offers speeds of up to 10 gbps and is capable of providing as many as 80 channels per cable. The additional motivation behind the heavy use has been the provision of closer spacing of transmission signals both within the frequency as well as the time domains. Fiber optic cables are also capable of transmitting over very long distances (in the range of 500-1500 kilometers) without the need for any form of regeneration midway. In fact, the study of Electronicast suggests that it is the pressure for increasing bandwidth that as been fueling the need within networking companies to opt for the fiber cabling option. The article further states that the trend has also been encouraging fresh research into developing and producing cables with higher speeds and bandwidths2. This article from min... This article from mindbranch has highlighted that the increase in demand for fiber optic cables within Europe has put a huge stress on the supply capability of manufacturers and delays up to periods of up to 1-1.5 years of less are very common. However, in anticipation of this demand and supply imbalance, some of the major network companies have entered into agreements with cable manufacturers that assures them of a periodic and timely supply of fiber optic cables during the agreement period. This has in a way helped the major industry players in getting over the problem of cable shortage. Network service providers in Europe have also sensed this problem and have given importance to the future increase in network traffic. In order to be able to cut down on the costs, they have resorted to using only a portion of the network bandwidth and have left the other parts unutilized so that they can provide for cables with higher speeds in the future without any major overhaul of the existing cabling. With an increasing demand, the total worth of optical fiber cabling in Europe will rise to $20 billion by 2010, up from the $10 billion as on 20053. Yankee (2006), a long look at optical transport: Ultra long haul and submarine systems. New York: Yankee group. It is also worth mentioning about a short article from the Yankee group that has provided information on the nature and volumes of optic fiber cables in Europe. According to them, the total length of fiber optic cables installed in Europe has increased tremendously, with Western Europe accounting for a 22% increase, which was even more than the whole of north America put together. This suggests that the use of fiber optic cables has been more preferred in Europe. Estimates put the rate at 10% by

Define tolerance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define tolerance - Essay Example Thus, this paper helps to provide an insight into the meaning of tolerance with respect to recent events that have taken place in history where people have been shunned by society on the grounds of limits of tolerance. America has a diverse society full of individuals who need to be respected for who they are. In the recent past, the Muslim community was barred from constructing a Mosque near Ground Zero where the Twin Towers had once stood only because of the allegation that it was their religion that had brought about harm on the rest of American society by the bombings. However, this is a false accusation because people need to be tolerated no matter what religion they follow; others need to understand that just because they follow the same religion as the terrorists did, they are not part of the same way of thinking or way of life. Americans as such are losing out on their tolerance levels towards accepting other people within their society. They fear losing out on their individual identities. However, they need to understand that accepting and tolerating other people will only expand their culture and further give others a chance to experience the same. At the end of the day, everyone is a human being and thus there arises no question of a superiority complex that many people live with. It is imperative for every man to be tolerant towards another’s dreams and ideas as well because everyone has certain desires that they want to fulfil. Tolerance should stop stepping in only when one’s needs and wants conflict and do not coincide with another’s to a reserved extent; this means that when people start hampering each other’s lives then others should stop being tolerant towards them. It is obvious that one will not be tolerant towards terrorists, however, other Muslims around the world have not done any harm to anyone in a personal or derogatory manner and thus it does not make sense to bar