Justice in George Orwells 1984 - 1293 Words

Justice in 1984 The concept of justice is an important subject in George Orwell’s 1984. Justice is defined according to Plato as â€Å"the interest of the stronger†. Justice plays a big role in 1984’s society. Justice is understood differently by the protagonists of the text than how it is represented by the societies in which they live. In the novel 1984 by Orwell, an extremely controlling totalitarian government called The Party, rules the society. They have introduced Telescreens which monitor your every movement, conversations and any other action. The citizens of Oceania, located on Air Strip One, are psychologically manipulated to believe in the three main slogans of the party: ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength’†¦show more content†¦More power means more money and more soldiers. Why give them freedom if they don’t have to? They do all this because they can, and no one is able to stop them. Newspeak is a language introduced by The Party which is a tool to limit free thought. Concepts such as freedom, revolution and individuality doesn’t exist in this language, reducing thought crime. Controlling the language is a way for The Party to control the thoughts of the people. If there is no word meaning peace, how can it be transmitted? The Telescreens are alwa ys on, it is the law to have them on at all times, day and night. The Party are constantly aware of the people’s thoughts and actions through constant spying. The concept of privacy doesn’t exist. The meaning of justice is very different in this novel. Justice is when the people obey the law which is what the people of Oceania are doing but the laws themselves are not just. The concept of justice is twisted in this novel. They justify what they are doing by telling the people it is for their own good and introducing the three slogans into their brains. The laws force the citizens to care just about the Party. All love and passion should be directed towards The Party. People should not be having sex without The Party’s approval; this would be done in order to make more children for The Party. They forbid people from having sexual relationships, families and hobbiesShow MoreRelatedExamples Of 1984 By George Orwell971 Words   |  4 Pagesparallels would be the hi gh end satiristic novel written by George Orwell 1984. From the communistic entity, the forced working ability, and economic lead by a man who takes on the persona of god; this short novel represents the american culture and many cultures or what they can or will become. This story is a warning of what human beings are, at the highest dystopian standpoint. In introduction, The foresight behind George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ was remarkable. Written in 1949, it was claimed as a kindRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Dystopia 881 Words   |  4 Pageswritten and published in 1949 by Secker and Warburg. Its name being â€Å"1984† by George Orwell. â€Å"Big brother is always watching,† the language the author utilizes drops subtle hints from time to time about what could possibly happen in the real world in near future. 1984 still remains one of the most intense and powerful warning signals about the peril of total government control. The time period 1984 was inspired in is crucial to its plot. It was inspired around WorldRead MoreComparing Orwells 1984 to Todays Government Essay1599 Words   |  7 Pages 1984 has come and gone. The cold war is over. The collapse of oppressive totalitarian regimes leads to the conclusion that these governments by their nature generate resistance and are doomed to failure. The fictional world of George Orwells novel, 1984, is best described as hopeless; a nightmarish dystopia where the omnipresent State enforces perfect conformity among members of a totalitarian Party through indoctrination, propaganda, fear, and ruthless punishment. In the aftermath of the fallRead MoreTotalitarian Governments in 1984 by George Orwell1578 Words   |  7 PagesYears from Now Picture a world where a small group of people knows exactly what people are doing and when they are doing it, and if one makes one wrong move they are erased off of the face of the planet. This is what it is like to live in George Orwell’s 1984. Orwell tells a story about what he thought the world would be like in forty years. He predicted the world to be a world of totalitarian rule in which there are only three super countries. One of those countries was called Oceania, where theRead MoreRhetorical Analysis : Apple Commercial1230 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis: Apple Commercial This paper will examine a particular Apple ad that appeared on television in 1984. The Macintosh was and still is very popular computer that provides a simplistic feel of creativeness and freedom. Freedom is a key concept because the ad expresses the need to have a sense of freedom to do what we want with no restrictions. Apple is well-known all over the world for the sex appeal to its products, like the iPhone, iPad, and the Macintosh series. These productsRead More1984 Doublethink Analysis1237 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Doublethink in The Government of 1984 â€Å" War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,†. The following quote originates from the infamous novel, 1984 by George Orwell. The significance of this popular quote was to display an example of the action of doublethink. Doublethink is the act of having two contradictory thoughts at the same time and believing both are true. Doublethink plays an influential role in the novel, 1984. The novel takes place in a super-state by the nameRead MoreModern Society In George Orwells Dystopian Novel 19841333 Words   |  6 PagesIn his dystopian novel â€Å"1984,† George Orwell imagines a world of evil, a place where the authentic individual is repressed of any basic rights. Fearful of this, he skilfully portrays the character, Winston Smith, to embody what life might be in a futuristic society, reduced of meaning, thought, and individuality. It is under these same values that German psychologist, Eric Fromm, hints Orwell’s work to be a warning. An eccen tric reservoir for readers to understand the dangers and repercussions ofRead MoreThe Importance Of Totalitarian Government In George Orwells 19841803 Words   |  8 PagesIgnorance is strength† (Orwell). This may seem like a list of paradoxes, useless and arbitrary in the context of any government. But, these three statements help establish the foundation of the world in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. The novel is set in an alternate version of the year 1984, imagined by Orwell in the 1940s. The world had split into three superstates: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The main character, Winston Smith, lives in Oceania where the entire superstate is run by an all powerfulRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Dystopian Novel 19841755 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.† This is the slogan of the Inner Party in 1984. George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 depicts a terrifying and bleak image of the future under â€Å"Big Brother † — an authoritarian regime that controls not only the citizens’ action, but their very own thoughts. The novel was written in 1948 as a critique of authoritarianism and Stalinism, after Orwell’s travel to Spain where he witnessed the atrocities committed by the fascist Spanish regime duringRead MoreInjustice In 1984 By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1013 Words   |  5 Pagesin today’s society, any type of injustice has hindered the ability for justice to thrive. If one is to think about it if there is corruption in any one place by any one person than there is an influence to promote the continuation of this corruption. As long as this continues then these places cannot achieve fairness. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses this sentiment when he says, â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.† Injustice, as stated by Martin Luther King, is constantly threatening

My Story Of My Childhood Essay - 1295 Words

When you think of someone who is a product of their environment, you may think of someone who steals because they may have grown up in poverty, or someone who abuses women because that s what they grew up watching happen in their own home, or maybe even someone who was raised in a very strict home may have grown up to be a very straight laced individual. My story is a little different. My story goes deeper than how I act on the outside, my story is about the inner workings of my mind and how growing up the way I did has directly affected me as an adult person today. My childhood wasn t the perfect childhood that everyone dreams of having. My childhood was a broken family, neglect, abuse, and disappointments. My parents divorced when I was two years old, but I really don t remember anything until I was four years old. My mother had full custody of me, my father would come get me every other weekend so I didn t get to see him much. The relationship between my mother and I at that time was not what a normal mother and daughter relationship was. I can remember most nights after supper, she would start getting ready to go out, already a little tipsy from the few beers she s had throughout the day. I would cry and beg her not to leave me, I would plead for her to stay home with me because I didn t want to go to sleep on the babysitters couch. No matter how much a begged and cried, I still went to the babysitter and I wouldn t see my mother again until she picked me up inShow MoreRelatedPersonal Story Of My Childhood963 Words   |  4 PagesPart One: Personal Story Throughout my childhood, I experienced many positive and negative events in my life that shape me into the person I am today. One particular event in my life occurred when I was in Grade 1, around the age of 7. It was a typical weekend, my sister and I would be inside the house doing homework that was assigned, my mother and grandmother would be preparing breakfast and lunch for the day, and my father would be outside doing yard work and landscaping in our backyard at theRead MoreMy Adulthood Adventure Story : My Childhood Adventure Story855 Words   |  4 Pagesexperiences that have happened throughout my life. My childhood adventure story shows so many different things that I learned. I learned to never leave the house without permission, the knowing of when I am doing something wrong, and how to clean my room on my own. My adolescence adventure story taught me that if you have to lie, it isn’t worth it, and that telling the whole truth will help you gain some trust back w ith not as bad as a punishment. From both of these stories combined, I learned to ask permissionRead MoreMy Childhood Has Been Surrounded By Stories1266 Words   |  6 Pages My childhood has been surrounded by stories, whose casts and settings are as real and fantastical as any fairytale. Masterfully orchestrated, these stories have been brought to life by the people that have survived decades to tell them, people I love dearly but will never truly understand — my grandparents. A South Korean surgeon trapped on a North Korean farm; a razor-sharp loan shark of a mother in Haiti; a sibling-favoring geography teacher in South Korea; a proud doctor in Montreal. These strangeRead MoreShort Story : Love You Forever From My Favourite Childhood Book By Robert Munsch1226 Words   |  5 Pagesthe host of the bar finally calls me up for my performance. I get up, straighten my jacket groggily, due to my one too many drinks, and headed up towards the stage. I begin to immediately sing the song â€Å"Love You Forever† from my favourite childhood book by Robert Munsch. I would have sung something better, but the fact was that I was drunk and tired and sick of work. Besides, no one really seemed to care, because they were drunk as hell. And so my night was filled with laughter, giggles, andRead MoreMy Life Of My Father849 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Goodbye Daddy†. Those two simple words felt stained to my lips every time I had to say them while growing up. I was raised in a military family, with a father that was never home. My father was in Special Forces so he was constantly deployed for months on end. I think his longest deployment was probably fifteen months, maybe eighteen, I have grown to forget them by now. While growing up, I was never allowed to discuss my father’s circumstances. Not just because of how important and secretive heRead MoreThe Influences and Impacts of Settings on Characters and Readers1445 Words   |  6 Pagesseriously consider developing when writing a short story. Alberto Alvaro Rios, an award-winning author and mastermind behind the short story â€Å"The Secret Lion,† utilizes his brilliant wri ting style to carefully devise an intricate double-setting that is simple, effective, and innocent. It reminds the reader how precious life is. The setting influences and impacts not only the main character, but the reader as well, who can also relate back to the story being told. Developed settings help the reader soakRead MoreFairy Tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm1359 Words   |  6 Pagespart of my childhood. I started my research on fairy tales written by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. Fairy tales often have a character that goes on a journey or an adventure. During his journey he encounters mystical beings that help or hurt the characters success. When I was a child, my grandparents would tell my sister and I stories like â€Å"Jack and the Bean Stalk† and â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. My grandfather would always act out the part of the wolf or the giant, while my grandma told the story. The fairyRead MoreThe Book The Wolves Of The Walls, The Sandm Dream Country, And The Ocean1742 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the second semester of my first year attending Rogers State University, I learned valuable life lasting lessons, concepts, and morals that will forever change the way that I view the world and the people that make up the cultures and societies in it. Multiple works that I studied and discussed in class consist of works by Neil Gaiman such as The Graveyard Book, The Wolves in the Walls, The Sandman: Dream Country, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Another important work that influencedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Peanut Butter Sandwich 927 Words   |  4 Pageswhich easily bring smiles to readers everywhere. Silverstein’s use of rhymes, tone, and organization all lead to a poem that creates a sense of nostalgia in the reader, reminding them of happy thoughts of childhood. I chose to imitate Peanut-Butter Sandwich so I could reproduce those feelings in my audience. In Peanut-Butter Sandwich, Silverstein uses a specific rhyming structure to enhance the poem. Throughout the poem, Silverstein rhymes the last words of each line with the final line to offsetRead MorePersonal Thoughts And Reflection Of My Interview Conduction947 Words   |  4 PagesThoughts and Reflection of my Interview Conduction When I was writing the log/partial transcript I thought I did not think I would be able to fit it into three pages. It seemed to me that I would need four or five pages. I think that I eventually got the hang of the process and I managed to make it three pages exactly. When I made my questions list I thought it might not be enough questions for the twenty-five minute time ‘limit’. When I began asking questions and my mom’s answers seemed to get

Shakespeare William, Richard III Essay Example For Students

Shakespeare William, Richard III Essay In Act four Scene two an interesting situation occurs, when Buckingham asks for more time to think about killing the two princes but Richard takes this very badly and says that he will not trust Buckingham again, Tut, tut, thou art all ice. Thy kindness freezes (Act four Scene two) He then gets someone who will do it for money with no questions. This is showing that he is weakening because before he was crowned he would fight against Buckingham but now he just sends him away. This could affect the view of the audience towards Richard because he is becoming weaker and perhaps less attractive because of this. In the final few scenes when Richard talks to his army and Richmond to his Richard appears to be very brave even when he hears the news that Derby has deserted him he still goes into the battle. Up to his final words, he is determined not to give up and to kill Richmond, A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! (Act five Scene four) This last part of the play and Richardss life I think truly impacts on the whole of the audience because even though he has committed horrific crimes and dreadful deeds the audience may be able to forgive him and admire his courage, which in turn leads to his attractiveness and character. In conclusion, I think that throughout the play Shakespeare presents Richard as an interesting and attractive character. The audience can pick up on this in every part of the play and right up to the end Richard is attractive to the audience and achieves, in my opinion, the goal of an evil and dastardly man combined with someone who is interesting and has motives that are complex and intricate.

To Kill a Mockingbird Outline free essay sample

Racism is shown by the Caucasian’s in Maycomb against the African-Americans in many different ways like when the jury convicts Tom Robinson guilty of raping Mayella Ewell. The details of Tom Robinson raping Mayella Ewell are very vague and do not show enough evidence that Mayella Ewell was raped. When the jury of all Caucasian men decide to vote if Tom Robinson is guilty or not, they all vote guilty only because Tom Robinson is black. â€Å"I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: Guilty†¦Guilty†¦Guilty†¦Pg 211†, this quote shows that the jury did vote Tom Robinson 100% guilty. Another quote from the book that proves the racism and prejudice is â€Å"They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullet holes in him Pg. 235†. This quote shows that the racism in the book is very heavy and even the police officers will keep their emotions guiding their actions and not their brain. We will write a custom essay sample on To Kill a Mockingbird Outline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Deep Blue vs. Kasparov essays

Deep Blue vs. Kasparov essays Garry Kasparov was born in Baku, the capital of the Russian republic Azerbaidzhan. At a very young age, it was clear that Garry was going to be a world famous champion chess player. Garry became the USSR Junior Champion at age 13, an International Grandmaster at 17, and the second strongest player in the world while still a teenager 19. In November 1985, Kasparov became the youngest World Champion in history. He was 22 years old. For the next 14 years, Kasparov would dominate the game like no other competitor before him. Within that 14-year span, Kasparov wrote many books and promoted the Kasparov Foundation as well as the Kasparov International Chess Academy. It is believed that Kasparovs dominance came from his ability to switch strategies in the middle of a match; critics attribute this skill as being the main reason why Kasparov beat Deep Blue in the first match. However, the rematch between Kasparov and Deep Blue would yield different end results, for the IBM team could study Garys moves and prepare future counter moves. In 1989, IBM hired 5 young programming and computer experts to research and develop a complex computer capable of testing the skills of the best chess players in the world. The result of 8 years of research and development was a processor that was capable of examining and evaluating nearly 3,000 moves per second. These were the capabilities of Deep Blue in the first match with Kasparov. After Kasparov successfully beat Deep Blue in the first meeting, IBMs researchers, led by Murray Campbell went back to the drawing board and greatly improved Deep Blues processing capability. The new Deep Blue that was to challenge Kasparov to a rematch was now capable of calculating 200,000,000 moves per second. To put that number into perspective, Garry Kasparov, can calculate approximately three positions per second. Additionally, to Deep Blues advantage, ...

Glow Stick Experiment - Rate of Chemical Reaction

Glow Stick Experiment - Rate of Chemical Reaction Who doesnt love playing with glow sticks? Grab a pair and use them to examine how temperature affects the rate of chemical reactions. Its good science, plus its helpful information for when you want to make a glow stick last longer or glow more brightly. Glow Stick Experiment Materials 3 Glow sticks (the short ones are idea, but you can use any size)Glass of ice waterGlass of hot water   How To Do the Glow Stick Experiment Yes, you can just activate the glow sticks, put them in the glasses, and see what happens, but that wouldnt be an experiment. Apply the scientific method: Make observations. Activate the three glow sticks by snapping them to break the container inside the tube and allowing the chemicals to mix. Does the temperature of the tube change when it starts to glow? What color is the glow? Its a good idea to write down observations.Make a prediction. Youre going to leave one glow stick at room temperature, place one in a glass of ice water, and place the third in a glass of hot water. What do you think will happen?Conduct the experiment. Note what time it is, in case you want to time how long each glow stick lasts. Place one stick in the cold water, one in the hot water, and leave the other at room temperature. If you like, use a thermometer to record the three temperatures.Take data. Note how brightly each tube glows. Are they all the same brightness? Which tube glows the most brightly? Which is the dimmest? If you have time, see how long each tube glows. Did they all glow the same length of time? Which lasted the longest? Which stopped glowin g first? You can even do math, to see how much longer one tube lasted compared with the other. Once you have completed the experiment, examine the data. You can make a table showing how brightly each stick glowed and how long it lasted. These are your results.Draw a conclusion. What happened? Did the outcome of the experiment support your prediction? Why do you think the glow sticks reacted to temperature the way they did? Glow Sticks and the Rate of Chemical Reaction A glow stick is an example of chemiluminescence. This means luminescence or light is produced as the result of a chemical reaction. Several factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction, including temperature, concentration of reactants, and the presence of other chemicals. Spoiler alert: This section tells you what happened and why. Increasing temperature typically increases the rate of the chemical reaction. Increasing temperature speeds up the motion of molecules, so they are more likely to bump into each other and react. In the case of glow sticks, this means a hotter temperature will make the glow stick glow more brightly. However, a faster reaction means it reaches completion more quickly, so placing a glow stick in a hot environment will shorten how long it lasts. On the other hand, you can slow down the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering the temperature. If you chill a glow stick, it wont glow as brightly, but it will last much longer. You can use this information to help glow sticks last. When you are done with one, put it in the freezer to slow down its reaction. It may last until the next day, while a glow stick at room temperature would stop producing light. Are Glow Sticks Endothermic or Exothermic? Another experiment you can perform is to determine whether or not glow sticks are endothermic or exothermic. In other words, does the chemical reaction in a glow stick absorb heat (endothermic) or release heat (exothermic)? Its also possible the chemical reaction neither absorbs nor releases heat. You might assume that a glow stick releases heat because it releases energy in the form of light. To find out whether this is true, you need a sensitive thermometer. Measure the temperature of a glow stick before activating it. Measure the temperature once you crack the stick to start the chemical reaction. If the temperature increases, the reaction is exothermic. If it decreases, its endothermic. If you cant record a change, then the reaction is essentially neutral as far as thermal energy is concerned.

The State of the Iranian Oil Industry and Its Role in Irans Economy Case Study

The State of the Iranian Oil Industry and Its Role in Irans Economy - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that Iran's economic reliance on the oil industry has been stronger than ever as demonstrated by the steady trend in domestic demand and the government’s effort to counter the adverse impact of its economic isolation. An increase in its energy output is seen as the only way to solve the issues it currently faces. This focus has led to several sustainability challenges that require immediate attention if the country is to achieve a viable economy in the long-term. Iran belongs to the top five oil-producing countries in the world. The International Energy Agency reported that in 2013, the country produced 2.5 million barrels per day and about 1.2 million barrels were exported. For this reason, the oil industry remains a backbone of the Iranian economy. It generates revenues that represent at least 18.7 percent of the country's gross domestic product and claim 85 percent of the country's total export and foreign currency earnings. Repor ts indicate that high oil prices in the past decades enabled Iran to accumulate almost $60 billion in foreign exchange reserves. The focus in oil production, however, has led or has aggravated three important sustainability challenges: air pollution; damage to water resources; and the environmental damage stemming from potential conflict. Air pollution remains the leading environmental problem in the country. It is caused by vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents. Particularly, combustion of vehicular traffic dominates pollutants. In Tehran, for example, they contribute to around 80 percent of air pollution.

Why should California's leaders save you and your peers a spot in Essay

Why should California's leaders save you and your peers a spot in college - Essay Example I am no exception in this regard. Many of my peers, handicapped by economic status, have received the same benefits. It is a fact that education is the greatest instrument of change in life. As such, a college education is the greatest gift we can receive from our State. I firmly believe that when California’s leaders elect to save us a place in college, they are choosing to make a long-term investment in the future welfare of our society. Financial assistance for higher education will usher in many social and economic benefits, both to us as individuals, and to society as a whole. On the individual plane, a higher education is obviously linked to better employment, increased salaries, financial assets and a higher quality of life, all of which will be passed on to the next generation. The betterment of the individual is synonymous with the betterment of society. In terms of public benefit, an educated workforce increases productivity and consumption, encourages participation in civic and community activities and will reduce dependence on government financial assistance in the long run. In my attempt to give back to society, I have enthusiastically thrown myself into community service, as a member of the Earth Club’s recycling program, and as a volunteer at the Trinity Lutheran Church’s Food Bank, the Peace Vigil, the LA Marathon and Keep America Beautiful. Here again, I have not been an exception – my peers have shared my enthusiasm to make California a better place, in our own small way. We are deeply aware of the benefits we have received from society and are fully committed towards sharing these benefits with those less fortunate than ourselves. A college education will help us to become true contributors to California and to the

The Shapes of Human Communities Essay Example for Free

The Shapes of Human Communities Essay 1. In 1500, the world had all different societies, gatherers and hunters to empires, but it was different   2. Paleolithic Persistence a) gathering and hunting societies (Paleolithic peoples) still existed throughout the world but they had changed over time b) b. had new improved technologies and ideas, e.g., outrigger canoes, fish hooks, etc (had not adopted agriculture) c) exchanged goods over hundreds of miles and developed sophisticated sculpture and rock painting and northwest coast of North America developed very differently 3. Agricultural Village Societies a) predominated in much of North America, in Africa south of the equator, in parts of the Amazon River basin and Southeast Asia b) their societies mostly avoided oppressive authority, class inequalities ( forested region in present-day southern Nigeria – 3 political) c) Benin: centralized state ruled by a warrior king ,EwuareP d) Igbo : dense population and trade, and rejected kingship and state building e) Yoruba, Benin, and Igbo peoples traded among themselves and beyond 4. Agricultural village societies went through change in the centuries before 1500 a) population growth, emergence of distinct peoples b) rise of warfare as key to male prestige -creation of the Iroquois confederation c) some European colonists appreciated Iroquois values of social equality and personal freedom (even for women)agriculture,depose officeholders5. 5. Herding Peoples of the a) Turkic warrior Timur tried to restore the Mongol Empire ca. 1400 but ended up devastating Russia, Persia, and India b) his successors kept control of the area between Persia and Afghanistan for a century c) Timur’s conquest was the last great military success of Central Asian nomads d) the steppe nomads’ homeland was swallowed up in expanding Russian and Chinese empire 6. African pastoralists -independent from empires (Fulbe -West Africa’s largest pastoral society) 7. migration after 1000 c.e. ( small communities among agriculturalists) a) adopted Islam b) some moved to towns and became leaders c) jihads -created new states ruled by the Fulbe 2) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: Comparing China and Europe a) majority of the world’s population lived within a major civilization. b) China had been badly disrupted by Mongol rule and the plague and recovered under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) i. Confucian learning 1) Emperor Yongle (r. 1402–1422) summarizing all the wisdom of the past and reestablished the civil service examination system (centralized government) 2) Chinese sailors and traders had become important in the South China Sea and in Southeast Asian ports in the eleventh century d) Emperor Yongle commissioned a massive fleet; launched in 1405 e) Admiral Zheng ried to enroll peoples in the tribute system f) no intention of conquering new territories, establishing Chinese settlements, or spreading culture 3) Chinese government abruptly stopped the voyages in 1433 g) Chinese merchants and craftsmen continued to settle and trade in Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia,( without government support) 3) European Comparisons: State Building and Cultural Renewal 1. a similar process of demographic recovery, consolidation etc 2. 2. European population began to rise again ca. 1450 a) state building fragmented -independent and competitive states 3. the Renaissance: reclamation of classical Greek traditions 4. began in the commercial cities of Italy ca. 1350–1500 5. . greater interest in the individual and in accurate depiction of the worl 4) European Comparisons: Maritime Voyaging 1. Portuguese voyages of discovery began in 1415 2. 1492: Columbus reached the Americas 3. 1497–1498: Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa to India 4. European voyages -small compared to Chinese ones a) unlike the Chinese voyages, Europeans were seeking wealth in Crusades against Islam 7. Chinese voyages ended; European ones kept escalating a. no political authority in Europe to end the voyages b.   rivalry between states = more exploration c. China had everything it needed; Europeans wanted the greater riches of the East 5) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: The Islamic World 1. Islamic world +four major states or empires. Took process of within and beyond new states 2. In the Islamic Heartland: The Ottoman and Safavid Empires 3. Ottoman Empire lasted from fourteenth to early twentieth century (huge territory) A .sultans claimed the title â€Å"caliph† and the legacy of the Abbasids (effort to bring new unity to the Islamic world 4. Ottoman aggression toward Christian (fall of Constantinople in 145 -1529 siege of Vienna) Europeans feared Turkish expansion 5. Safavid Empire emerged in Persia from a Sufi religious order -empire was established shortly after 1500 6. Sunni Ottoman Empire and Shia Safavid Empire fought between 1534 and 1639 1) On the Frontiers of Islam: The Songhay and Mughal Empires 1. 1. Songhay Empire rose in West Africa in the second half of the fifteenth century a. Islam was limited largely to urban elites. b. Sonni Ali (r. 1465–1492) followed Muslim practices, but was also regarded as a magician with an invisibility charm ( center of Islamic learning/trade) 2. Mughal Empire in India was created by Turkic group that invaded India in 1526 b. over the sixteenth century, Mughals gained control of most of India. 3. The age of these four great Muslim empires is sometimes called a â€Å"second flowering of Islam. new age of energy, prosperity, and cultural brilliance 4. spread of Islam to new areas, such as Southeast Asia 2) spread by traveling merchants, supported by Sufi holy men 6) rise of Malacca as a sign of the times—became a major Muslim port city in the fifteenth centuryMalaccan Islam blended with Hindu/Buddhist traditions (Islamic learning) Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: The America a) Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were established by once-marginal peoples who took over and absorbed older cultures .(Both empires were destroyed by the Spaniards) b) The Aztec Empire a seminomadic people who migrated southward from northern Mexico c) Aztec Empire was a loosely structured, unstable conquest state ( population of 5–6 million d. local and long-distance trade on a vast scale (included slaves) 1) professional merchants (pochteca) became rich a. human sacrifice much more prominent in Aztec Empire than in earlier Mesoamerica 2) b. Tlacaelel is credited with the of state giving human sacrifice such importance Aztec Empire’s purpose is to maintain the cosmic order by supplying blood for the gods ocean trade in the west Atlantic/Indian Ocean picked up VII. A Preview of Coming Attractions: Looking Ahead to the Modern Era (1500–2000) A. No fifteenth-century connections were truly global. 1. those came only with European expansion in the sixteenth century 2. 1500–2000: inextricable linking of the worlds of Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, and Pacific Oceania B. â€Å"Modern† human society emerged first in Europe in the nineteenth century and then throughout the world. 1. core feature: industrialization 2. accompanied by massive population increase C. The prominence of European peoples on the global stage grew 1. , Western Europe became the most innovative, 2. spread of European languages and Christian religion throughout the world

Bill Gates Essay -- Biography Biographies Computers Essays

Bill Gates William Henry Gates, III was born October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington. He was the middle child of three born to William and Mary Gates. ATrey,@ as he was called because of the III, was sent to a private school by his father, a lawyer, and mother, a former teacher now on several prestigous boards (Moritz, 238). At age 13, Bill had completely taught himself programming after taking a computer studies class. After scoring a perfect 800 on the mathematics half of the SAT, he graduated from Lakeside school and enrolled at Harvard University as a prelaw major. As a student Gates was a wonder. He received an A in an economics class without attending and cramming the night before the final exam. In June 1975, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career in computers full time. Later that year after dropping out of Harvard he moved to New Mexico. There he and Allen Kay established Microsoft to produce their Basic for the MITS. Eighteen months later they were a few hundred thousand dollars richer and were hired by Tandy to develop software for its radio shack computers. Gates and Allen then moved their headquarters to Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, Gates re-wrote an operating system and called it MS-DOS, which stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System. Microsoft would eventually sell the rights of MS-DOS to IBM, making it a major computer corporation. Other computer companies wanted Microsoft to produce software for their computers, including Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple computers. With the operating system established, Gates and Microsoft set out to create applications software, for tasks such as financial analysis or word processing. Microsoft has continued being successful through the years and will be in the future as long as ! it keeps innov ating new and exciting computer software. Bill Gates has his eye on the future. He sees the world in a Apowerful, high-speed network-both within companies and across the so called Information Superhighway@ (Brandt, 57). He hopes to be on top of the Transformation from Personal Computers to nets. Gates predicts that an explosion of low-cost, high-capacity, networks will radically alter how we use technology in the upcoming decade. Now before Bill Gates came onto the scene in the early seventies, the main focus in the computer world was hardware. Chips, circuit boards, capacitors... ...hedgehog called Sonic, is the industry=s hottest property.@ In addition to Sega, AMr. Gates has also been talking to Time Warner and TCI about forming a venture, to be known as CableSoft, that should set standards for interactive TV.@(The Economist, 73) Bill Gates and his company Microsoft have been at the head of the rapidly changing computer industry for much of its existence. If profit margins and stock prices continue to grow and Microsoft products continue to be household names, the duo will remain in this position will into the future. Bibliography 1. Manes, Stephen; Andrews, Paul; Gates - How Microsoft=s Mogul Reinvented An Industry - And Made Himself The Richest Man In America. Doubleday 1993 2. AA Trojan hedgehog@, The Economist. January 22, 1994, p.73-74 3. AHigh noon for Billy the Kid?@, The Economist. June 24, 1995, P.59-60 4. Bitter, Gary G. AWillian H. Gates.@ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Computers. Macmillan Publishing: New York, NY, 1992, P.409-410. 5. Brandt, Richard. ABill Gate=s Vision.@ Business Week. June 27, 1994, P.56-62. 6. Moritz, Charles. AWilliam Gates.@ Current Biography. H.W. Wilson Company: New York, NY, 1991, P.237-241.

Save the Ailing Earth from Vehicular Pollution

Delhi Metro (Hindi: Dilli Me? ro) is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of five lines with a total length of 125. 67Â  kilometres (78. 09Â  mi). The metro has 107 stations of which 17 are underground. It has a combination of elevated, at-grade and underground lines and uses both broad gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. Delhi Metro is being built and operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC).As of April 2010, DMRC operates more than 100 trains daily between 6:00 — 23:00 with a frequency of 3 to 4. 5 minutes. [5] The trains have four to six coaches[6] and the power output is supplied by 25-kilo volt, 50 Hz AC through overhead catenary. The metro has an average daily ridership of over a million commuters,[3] and has carried over a billion commuters in seven years since its inception. The concept of a mass rapid transit for Delhi first emerged from a traffic and travel cha racteristics study carried out in the city in 1969. 8] Over the next several years, many official committees by a variety of government departments were commissioned to examine issues related to technology, route alignment and governmental jurisdiction.In 1984, the Delhi Development Authority and the Urban Arts Commission came up with a proposal for developing a multi-modal transport system, which would consist of constructing three underground mass rapid transit corridors as well augmenting the city's existing suburban railway and road transport networks. 10] While extensive technical studies and search for financing the project were in progress, the city expanded significantly resulting in a two-fold rise in population and a fivefold rise in the number of vehicles between 1981 and 1998. [10] Consequently, traffic congestion and pollution soared, as an increasing number of commuters took to private vehicles with the existing bus system unable to bear the load. 8] An attempt at priv atising the bus transport system in 1992 merely compounded the problem, with inexperienced operators plying poorly maintained, noisy and polluting buses on lengthy routes, resulting in long waiting times, unreliable service, extreme overcrowding, unqualified drivers, speeding and reckless driving. [11] To rectify the situation, the Government of India and the Government of Delhi jointly set up a company called the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on March 5, 1995 with E. Sreedharan as the managing director. [12

Sugar

Sugar is a common name of substances that are white, soluble in water, fermentable and generally sweet, containing carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in its composition, extracted from the juice or starch of the roots and roots of many plants such as sugarcane, sugar beet, carrot, maize, date, grape, wheat, and potatoes. Sugar has various types such as sucrose, lactose, maltose, laevulose, fructose, glucose, and starch. Sucrose from sugar beet and sugar cane is the sugar that used in daily life. Aside from the sugar we take with fruits, vegetables and natural foods, added sugar is the main cause of many health problems. The main focuses of this article will be the damages sugar causes to our physical and mental health along with the why and how to quit sugar. Effects on Physical Health All forms of sugar such as corn syrup, honey, maple syrup affect the body somehow. The body cannot handle a very high amount of processed sugar. The basic organs are severely damaged by the consumption of this poor-quality sugar. Sugar alone is not a group of food itself. However, as expected, sugar is present in most foods by itself and does not contain any nutrients, proteins, fats and enzymes, and is the only empty calorie structure. There is no safe quantification of added sugar. Only natural sugar in fruits and vegetables is balanced with vitamins, fibers and enzymes, so the properties of fruits and vegetables slow down sugar digestion and help the body. However, added sugar does not provide any benefit. Sugar, the trigger of many chronic illnesses, is found in the abundance of packaged foods, all kinds of pastries and sweetened drinks. In particular, health problems that are caused by the loss of sugar are frequently encountered in people who are constantly consuming intensively since childhood. Among the damages of sugar, the disorder of blood sugar balance comes first. Sugar consumption which causes excessive secretion of the insulin hormone that makes blood sugar balance, causes the blood sugar to fall again due to such high insulin, which leads to many troubles. It is also known that this effect of sugar, which reduces the resistance of the body and makes all disease and disorders more open, is triggered by a long irreversible process. As the consumption of sugar increases, more fat accumulates in the tissues and these fat tissues, which gradually cover the internal organs, also prevent the functioning of the organs. As a result, there are serious consequences from heart and vascular diseases to fatty liver, cancer, obesity and dysfunction in the organs.

War Theory essays

War Theory essays Is the war against terrorism in Iraq necessary and are we fighting for a true cause? For many years several people have argued about the moral reality of war and if it is right or wrong. One possible basis for this position is that war occurs between nations and morality is normally considered something which regulates the conduct between individuals. Just war theory insists declaration of war to be justified: it's all or no justification. It attempts to provide a common sensical combination of both deontology and consequentialism as applied to the issue of war. A Pacifist rejects war and are in favor of peace, believing that there are no moral grounds which can justify resorting to war. However the lack of laws regulating international relations is not the same as lack of morals that regulate international relations. Those believing in pacifism are free to criticize the war as a mistake, but not as immoral because it would require a more definitive stand. Just war theo ry is the most influential perspective on the ethics of war and peace. Many of the rules that were developed as the just war tradition have since been codified into contemporary international laws governing armed conflict. This tradition has been influential as it dominates both moral and legal discourse surrounding the war, which leaves open discussion for debate. Just war theory is divided into three parts, which is also referred to as Latin. These parts are jus ad bellum, which concerns the justice of resorting to war. Jus in Bello, concerns the justice of conduct within war after it has begun and jus post bellum, which concerns the justice the termination of war. Just war theory offers rules to guide decision-makers on the appropriateness of their conduct during the resort to war, conduct during war and the termination phase of the conflict. We must ensure that wars are only started for a very narrow set of true defensible reasons. These wars ...

Timeline of Events in Ancient Babylonia

Timeline of Events in Ancient Babylonia [Sumer Timeline] Late 3rd Millennium B.C. Babylon exists as a city.Shamshi-Adad I (1813 - 1781 B.C.), an Amorite, has power in northern Mesopotamia, from the Euphrates River to the Zagros Mountains. Â   1st Half of 18th Century B.C. 1792 - 1750 B.C. Collapse of Shamshi-Adads kingdom after his death. Hammurabi incorporates all of southern Mesopotamia into the kingdom of Babylon. 1749 - 1712 B.C. Hammurabis son Samsuiluna rules. The course of the Euphrates River shifts for unclear reasons at this time. 1595 Hittite king Mursilis I sacks Babylon. Sealand Dynasty kings appear to rule Babylonia after the Hittite raid. Almost noting is known of Babylonia for 150 years after the raid. Kassite Period Mid-15th Century B.C. The non-Mesopotamian Kassites take power in Babylonia and re-establish Babylonia as the power in the southern Mesopotamian area. Kassite-controlled Babylonia lasts (with a short break) for about 3 centuries. It is a time of literature and canal building. Nippur is rebuilt. Early 14th Century B.C. Kurigalzu I builds Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar Quf), near modern Baghdad probably to defend Babylonia from northern invaders. There are 4 major world powers, Egypt, Mitanni, Hittite, and Babylonia. Babylonian is the international language of diplomacy. Mid-14th Century Assyria emerges as a major power under Ashur-uballit I (1363 - 1328 B.C.). 1220s Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243 - 1207 B.C.) atttacks Babylonia and takes the throne in 1224. Kassites eventually depose him, but damage has been done to the irrigation system. Mid-12th Century Elamites and Assyrians attack Babylonia. An Elamite, Kutir-Nahhunte, captures the last Kassite king, Enlil-nadin-ahi (1157 - 1155 B.C.). 1125 - 1104 B.C. Nebuchadrezzar I rules Babylonia and retakes the statue of Marduk the Elamites had taken to Susa. 1114 - 1076 B.C. Assyrians under Tiglathpileser I sack Babylon. 11th - 9th Centuries Aramaean and Chaldean tribes migrate and settle in Babylonia. Mid-9th to End of the 7th Century Assyria increasingly dominates Babylonia.Assyrian king Sennacherib (704 - 681 B.C.) destroys Babylon. Sennacheribs son Esarhaddon (680 - 669 B.C.) rebuilds Babylon. His son Shamash-shuma-ukin (667 - 648 B.C.), takes the Babylonian throne.Nabopolassar (625 - 605 B.C.) gets rid of the Assyrians and then strikes against the Assyrians in a coalition with Medes in campaigns from 615 - 609. Neo-Babylonian Empire Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadrezzar II (604 - 562 B.C.) rule the western part of the Assyrian Empire. Nebuchadrezzar II conquers Jerusalem in 597 and destroys it in 586.Babylonians renovate Babylon to suit the capital city of an empire, including 3 square miles enclosed in city walls. When Nebuchadnezzar dies, his son, son-in-law, and grandson assume the throne in rapid succession. Assassins next give the throne to Nabonidus (555 - 539 B.C.).Cyrus II (559 - 530) of Persia takes Babylonia. Babylonia is no longer independent. Source: James A. Armstrong Mesopotamia The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Brian M. Fagan, ed., Oxford University Press 1996. Oxford University Press.

American Revolution in 1770's period Research Paper

American Revolution in 1770's period - Research Paper Example This essay outlines the causes of the war and the chronology of event that resulted to the declaration of independence. In the period between1754 and 1763, the British engaged the Indian and the French in a war that started as early as 1600s. During the 1750s, the French and the British were in the war with each other in Europe, but the war even spread to North America. The British colony wanted to take over the territories and fur trade that French had in North America. The American Native joined the French to fight against the occupation of British in the French land. The Native feared that the British would to take their land and for them to protect themselves, they had to join the French in battling the British soldiers. In 1779, the British General Wolfe captured Quebec and brought the war to an end. In 1763, a peace treaty was signed, and British got almost all of the French land. Moreover, the British introduced taxation to cover the cost of the war (Colin, 1991). The American native began their quest for independence long before the revolution, but before the start of the revolution, the American population has increased to about two million. In the time before the war, the colonies have urbanized, and road were now connecting the diverse colonies. In addition, the media has grown, and newspapers kept all the colonies informed. At this time, the colonies were enlightened and were thinking of themselves as Americans. The colonists, both the rich and poor differed on the issue of independence. George Washington who owned huge chunk of land and other businessmen like John Hancock agitated for independence. They did not want the British to control over their businesses and their lives. However, some other wealthy colonists feared the agitation of independence would affect their wealth if the revolution began. The wealth of these colonists was connected to the British government and its trade. The poor colonists could not relent from

Strategy and Organizational Performance Research Paper

Strategy and Organizational Performance - Research Paper Example However, during the execution of the strategic planning process, it is necessary for the businesses to consider the weaknesses and limitations of the strategic management and planning concept in order to apply it to bring a positive outcome. The businesses in the present days are moving towards an extensive application of the strategic planning to improve and assess the organizational performance. They have adopted the concept of strategic management to cope up with the upcoming challenges in the corporate world and be successful in the business arena. All the organizations work with strategies and objectives to sustain themselves in the cutting edge competition from their cut-throat rivals. The term ‘Strategy’ refers to the plan of action which may be adopted by any business or service organizations in order to accomplish a particular goal or set of objectives. Most of the organizations, at present, utilize the idea of Grand Strategy, which is referred to as a complete and broad ranging plan for the prominent activities of an organization with the help of which it achieves its long-standing objectives within a vibrant business environment (Rogers, Miller & Judge, 1999). The basic purpose of strategy is to provide significant support to the strategic business plan, individual career plans, work unit plans and effective job performance. Besides this, an organizational strategy also prioritizes the activities and useful initiatives that have to be taken in the department. The concept of strategic management is widely applied to the organizations. It refers to a filed which deals with the specifications of the development of missions, visions, and plans and policies of the organization with respect to its programs and plans. These elements help the organization achieve its goals through a proper allocation of plans, polices, programs and projects (Hart, 1992). The field of strategic

Radiality as a Comprehensive Behavioral Model Essay

Radiality as a Comprehensive Behavioral Model - Essay Example The origins of the radiality as a foundational cultural model in the domain of spatial relationship may be traced to the island nation of Tonga (Bennardo 2009). Tongan language has only 3 linguistic representations of spatial relationships. This makes it a simpler study than languages with many more because correlation interpretation is reduced to fewer permutations. The concept of radiality impacts other realms of understanding within anthropology. It correlates with understandings of religious belief (Bennardo 2009). It explains theories about spatial navigation and material possessions. It also helps in our comprehension of kinship patterns. This method of interpretation contributes no less to our understanding of social relationships. It seems cognitive processes of language production and interpretation manifest in gross behavioral patterns. Methods of radiality modeling result in a broader understanding of social relationships with respect to language (Bennardo 2008). Looking for a cultural model of social relationships in Tongan, investigators collected linguistic, experimental, and social network data. They focused on the core concept of the model where 'Ofa is giving, either giving help from higher to lower or giving duty or respect from lower to higher. Surveys were formulated to study spatial linguistic correlations to cognitive beliefs. Three semi-structured interviews were used (Bennardo 2008). One was about how individuals perceive social relationships between others where participants answered questions about the existence and composition of groups in their village, their island, and country. Another was about individual personal relationships where participants answered questions about their relationships to other people in the village. Still, another was about indirect social relationships where participants told a story that occurred in their village that they thought represented village life. From 60 interviews of about 24 hours of audiovisual recordings verbal coders went to work. They conducted statistical analyses of words to uncover certain obviates. They applied methods of metaphor and keyword analysis to identify specific correlations (Bennardo 2008). Metaphor analysis included certain priorities: first to identify metaphors, second to sort them by type and identify key words, and third to locate organizational principles. Key word analysis included four words that appeared during the metaphor analyses: 'Ofa 'love'; Fatongia 'duty'; Kavenga 'lighter duty'; Faka'apa'apa 'respect.' The results of these tests yielded the following information about Tongan culture. Researchers found a number of relevant cognitive behavioral principles as a result of their statistical analysis. It seems society is hierarchical to the Tongans (Bennardo 2008). Individuals are located at different levels of the society's ladder. 'Ofa 'love' links these individuals to make them a whole. The king and elite are connected with the Divine as evident in the shininess of their bodies. This work has provided a greater understanding of language and relationships in Tongan society. How does radiality impact our understanding of social relationships It does so by providing a method of understanding for describing how language influences cognition and social behavior. Its pragmatic value is evident in its contributions to behavioral

Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage

Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Q1: Using an appropriate model, evaluate the business model of a company of your choice, describing how the company differentiates itself from its competitors and sustain competitive advantage. 1. Executive Summary Cummins started off as diesel engine manufacturing company since 1919 and now growing as â€Å"power† leader in the world. Cummins expand network through company- owned distributor, independent distributor and dealer to serve customer globally. In 2009, Cummins reported net income of $428 million in $10.8 billion of sales [1]. Cummins have been diversifying its business to broad range of products from power generation, filtration technology, turbo technology, fuel system, emission controls and air handling [2]. Due to external pressure and growing market in Asia, Cummins recently setup Centre of Excellent in Singapore focus more on Marine and Offshore market. In this post module assignment, competitive strategy will only focus on Cumminss marine and offshore business. In this PMA, the value curve is based on own industry experiences assumption. However, analysis on financial will based overall Cummins business listed in stock market which named â€Å"CMI†. 1.1. Vision Statement â€Å"Making peoples lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins† [3]. Cummins believe in by developing new technology will lead to better living for the people. 1.2. Mission Statement Cummins mission statement as quoted below [3] â€Å"Motivating people to act like owners working together† â€Å"Exceeding customer expectations by always being first to market the best products† â€Å"Partnering with our customers to make sure that they succeed† â€Å"Demanding that everything we do leads to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment† â€Å"Creating wealth for all stakeholders.† 1.3. Cummins compare with Industrial leader Figure 1 Financial Analysis CMI Vs Industry Leader [4] Figure 1 shows overview financial analysis of Cummins (CMI) compare within industry leader [4]. Cummins rank 35 among 379 diversified machinery industries in industrial goods sector for market capitalisation. Cummins stock values increase more than triple over the past 3 years and promise future growth with its business strategy [4]. 1.4. Ocean Strategy Ocean strategy has been introduced by W.C. Kim and R Mauborge since 2004. Starting then, this strategy is adopted and implemented successfully in various organisations globally. Recently, Malaysias Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak shared his experience on Ocean Strategy when dealing with increasing crime in the country [5]. He is using Blue Ocean Strategy as management tools in order to promote thinking out of the box. Key successful activities such as leveraged untapped resources when replaced police with soldier doing patrolling around countrys border and conduct training for new police force in the underutilised army facilities. This initiative save a lot of money from government and promote cross functioning role among government agency [5]. The principle of the ocean strategy is treating market as universe. There are two oceans available in the universe named Red Ocean and Blue Ocean. Red Ocean defined as known competition. In this Ocean, product is already well defined and competitors only able to compete with price [6] .Customer expectation on the product almost generic and not much technology can be developing in this area. For diesel engine in marine and offshore market, the competitors for Cummins include Caterpillar, MTU and Mitsubishi. How Cummins can break trough become market leaders? Cummins apply Blue Ocean Strategy when dealing with its business. Blue Ocean Strategy defines as untapped market which no competition and industries that do not exist at this point of time [6]. This in return will resulting higher profit compare with conventional approach. This clearly shows in W.C. Kim and R Mauborge studys on business launches in 108 companies. They summarize revenue and profit impact of business launches shows in Figure 2. In this study, 86% business launches within own boundaries (Red Oceans) and 14% business launches looking for new opportunities (Blue Oceans) [6]. Red Oceans approach focus on existing customer by improving their product and study shows that this resulted 62% on total revenue and 39% on total profit. In contrast, 14% of the businesses launches by creating blue oceans can bring in higher return which about 61% of the total profit [6]. Cummins spend heavily on research and development for past 5 years as shown in Figure 3. In 2010 alone, Cummins invest 414million in new technology development [2]. One of recent Blue Oceans initiatives is setting Marine and Offshore Centre of Excellent in Singapore. This business focus on the â€Å"Packaging† instead of selling conventional type of â€Å"bare diesel engine† like other competitor such as CAT, MTU and Mitsubishi. Figure 4 shows pictorial view on the value added components into bare diesel engine 1.5. Strategy Canvas Figure 5 shows strategy canvas of the marine and offshore diesel engine. X-axis represents critical success factors of the markets competition and Y-axis correspond to values perceived by marine and offshore customer. Marine and offshore is a mature and establish market. Engine makers always compete with price, image, brand, delivery, product performance and service availability. Cummins performs averagely in critical successful factors. However, in order to compete in the competitive market, Cummins break through conventional way by creating new team to focus on product value added specifically for marine and offshore customer. Cummins applied Blue Ocean strategy. Figure 6 shows Red Ocean strategy from others diesel engine maker and Blue Ocean strategy from Cummins. Q2: Using either Porters generic strategies or the Strategy Clock, identify examples of organizations following strategies of differentiation, low cost or low price, and stuck-in-the middle or hybrid. How successful are these strategies. 2. Porters 5 forces generic Strategies â€Å"Using the five forces framework, creative strategists may be able to spot an industry with a good future before this good futureis reflected in the prices of acquisition candidates† Michael Porter [7]. Porters five forces: Threat of New Entrants: Analyse potential new comer to market is important to understand potential future competitors Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers is the party that create demand for industry, understand buyers requirement will help to maintain competitive advantages. For example, bargaining power of buyers is high if product is standard. Threat of substitute products or service: Buyers always look for alternative or cheapest way to get products or service. Substitute product can bring the overall industry price lower Bargaining Power of Supplier: Supplier supply raw material or service to manufacturer. Bargaining power of supplier is high when to many buyer and less supplier in the market Rivalry among existing competitors: Current fast moving industry, its important understand the strategy of existing competitors. Example: How competitor gain competitive advantages or product differentiation. Porters 5 Forces allowed the company undertand and analyse own industry struture and futher help the management to decide on companys strategy. According to Porter, organisation is able to gain competitive advantanges by strategies the company using one of the â€Å"Porters Generic Strategies† as shown in Figure 8; 1) Cost Leadership, 2) Differentiation, 3) Focus [8]. 2.1. Cost Leadership Strategies Cost leadership strategies emphasize on low cost in company strategies. Company will offer low per-unit cost product or service to customer that sensitive to price. In order to become low cost provider, company can practise integration strategies (backward, forward and horizontal). There are few factors that will affect the strategies include economies of scale, learning curve, productivity, company structure, relationship with supplier and quality control. Several example organizations that practice this are Wal-Mart (general merchandiser), Air Asia (budget Airline) and Macdonalds (Fast Food) [9]. In this PMA, I will use Air Asia as example to study its business model and look into company successful factor. Air Asia strategy as illustrate in Figure 9, the company mission is to continue to be the markets carrier low cost provider. In order to compete with other aircraft carrier and achieve company vision for â€Å"Lowest cost airline†, Air Asia implement a few strategy to reduce operation cost. Strategy implemented as per below: 2.1.1. Keep operation cost low- NO frills In order to compete in this competitive market, Air Asia able to keep operational cost low by implementing few â€Å"NO†s in the strategy [10]: NO meal: No food or drinks will be provided free in the in-flight service. NO frequent flyer program: NO Membership or rewarding program which commonly used for others airline like Kris flyer for Singapore Airline and Skymiles for Delta airline. NO Seat assignment Ticket: In order to keep administrative cost low NO Entertainment: NO news paper and entertainment system such as movie, games and music. No ticket : Ticketless replaced conventional type printed ticket No waiting lounge: NO lounge provide in the airport 2.1.2. Single air craft fleet In order to streamline the operation, Air Asia phasing out its 14 Boeing B737 in 2010 and replace by only operate single air craft which is A320. Few advantages of using single aircraft as stated below Keep inventory cost low Saving cost in service and maintenance such as keeping same model of spares parts. No duplicated resource due to difference Air Craft experience needed Reduce time and training cost due to only one model. This allowed the company avoid going to through the expensive â€Å"learning curve† process and also may dissatisfied demanding customer. Michael and Nikos study on the organisation learning curves for customer dissatisfaction across airlines. They plotted estimate U-Shaped learning curve as show in Figure 10 and show evident that complaint rates followed U-shaped function of experience Able to increase fuel efficiency and improve productivity 2.1.3. Simplified distribution system Air Asia design simple user friendly system for customer to book and check- in their ticket. Customers are able to check in using own mobile as shown in Figure 11. This ticketless system is able to reduce waiting time for customer queuing to check- in at the airport counter. 2.1.4. Point to point network (≠¤ 4 hrs) All Air Asia flight is running by point to point network within 4 hours radius or less as its business model. This model only carry passenger from point A to point B without any connecting flight. This in order to keep operation cost simple in order to reduce costs [10]. 2.1.5. Optimum Aircraft Utilization Another way to keep operating cost low and maximizes profit, Air Asia increase productivity by optimise flight utilisation. Air Asia is the fastest in the region by achieving 25 minute turnaround time. Air Asia is able to achieve equal or more than 75% for last 5 years on the load factor. Once, Air Asia achieve close to 100% load factor for Bali Perth route. Load factor is defined by AirAsia as â€Å"numbers of passengers as a percentage of number of seats flown† [10]. On top of that, Air Asia applies â€Å"Tier based† system for ticketing which depend on supply and demand. When demand is low, the price is low. When demand is high the ticket price will also go high. This system is efficient especially during low season allowed Air Asia maintain the reasonable high percent load factor, 2.2. Differentiate Strategies Differentiation strategies offer service or product which unique perceived by customer. Differentiation strategies do not guarantee good payback especially current standard product offered in the industry is more than enough to meet customer expectation. There will a risk on implementing this strategy and need to study carefully on customer requirement before implementing. Product value added, extra servicing, products flexibility and better compatibility are some of the features that can create differentiate in the industry. Cost is not an issue in this strategy; hence company can demand higher price if customer strongly attached to offered differentiation features. Typical move in this strategy is product development. Organisations that apply these strategies include Apple (Lifestyle product), Raul Lauren (Apparel) and Maytag (Home appliance) Apple is applying differentiate strategies compare with other competitors in the industry by selling lifestyle product instead of conventional electronic gadget. In first 6 months of 2011, Apple spends 1.2 billion in research and development. This is about 40% increase compare with 2010 [13]. One of the successful examples when Apple launches iPad during 2010 and Steve Jobs defined iPad as â€Å"entirely new category of mobile devices†. Apple sold more than 15 million units worldwide after launching [14]. 2.2.1. Innovative and creativity product Apple is a â€Å"trend leading† company in the market. The company famous in creating innovative products and able to capture a significant market share after launching new products. Apple spends heavily in research and development because the company believe RD are critical for future growth and are able to create competitive advantages 2.2.2. Wide range of software and applications Apple created another successful platform for customer to download software and application. Traditional, example like phone, other competitor just focus on few simple features which only contains game, photography function, movie and some basic feature. By introducing new approach, Apple created â€Å"The App Store†. Now â€Å"The App Store† has more than 350,000 apps available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch globally. The apps offered wide range of application from games, entertainment, utilities, social networking, music and others. In Jan 2011, Apple announces that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded . 2.2.3. Apple store Unlike others competitors store which only focus on products price and feature, Apple differentiate by giving customer different shopping experience in the store. Apple design Apples retail store to give the patrons good impression of stylish, clean, fashion and stream-lined. The product like i Phone, iTunes and etc will placing in a place that customer can try out the features and application. 2.2.4. Provide good service and maintenance Apple provides good service respond compare with others competitors like Samsung and Nokia. In Singapore, Apple provides one to one exchange for i Phone if there is defect and still under warranty. This is different from some of the competitors, depend on the level of repair, some will take about 2 to 3 weeks. This will create some issue for some consumer that only has one hand phone. 2.3. Focus Strategies Focus strategies offers product or service to fulfil the requirement for targeted groups of customer in the industry [9]. Focus strategies can be categorized into 2; Focus cost leadership which focus on low cost solution in narrow market and Focus differentiation provide customised product or service to niche market [16]. Market penetration and market development can be use when applying focus strategies [9]. Focus strategies beneficial when competitors are not able to support on unique requirement of certain group of customer. Organisation which pursuing this strategies include IKEA (Furniture), Ferrari (Automotive) and Federal Express (logistic) 2.3.1. Focus Cost Leadership Strategy IKEA is the Swedish global furniture company that applied focus cost leadership strategy in their business strategy. IKEA offering wide range of home furnish product with low price so that many people can afford to purchase. In order to achieve the strategy, IKEA apply below concept: 2.3.1.1. Design and develop base on price In order to keep competitive price, IKEA design and develop product base on price. The price is â€Å"fix† even before the product is launch. The designer will have to work directly with supplier to ensure meeting low cost by optimised productivity, material efficiency and process improvement [17]. 2.3.1.2. Reduce logistic, handling and operating cost In order to reduce logistic, handling and operating cost, IKEA designer always consider flat-pack transportation and self-assembly during design and development phase. Flat-pack furniture is often delivered in multiple sub assemblies together with simple instruction manual and required customer to perform self assembly. This modular concept is able to save transportation, handling and operating cost. For example, assembled furniture tends to be more bulky and is more expensive to store in warehouse and transportation. Besides, that, IKEA is able to save operating cost by reduce one â€Å"Assembly† process in production . 2.3.1.3. Self-Service in IKEA Store In order t keep the operating cost low and reduce the needs of sales assistance, IKEA design the flow of store layout and display the product effectively by using â€Å"actual room† concept. For example, sofa is placed in â€Å"living room† section and bed is placed in â€Å"Bed Room† section. All the furniture is clearly labelled and useful information like dimension is easily located in the display product [17]. 2.3.2. Focus Differentiate strategy Ferrari is applying focus differentiate strategy by develop high performance car within automotive industry. Ferrari focus on high end consumer compare with other automotive competitors like Honda, Toyota or Ford which target more broad customer. Below is the strategy for Ferrari: 2.3.2.1. New Way of Purchase Car Ferrari compete created innovative approach by introduce new way of purchase car â€Å"Premium Ownership Program† to serve its target customer. This program include insurance, maintenance, warranty , Ferrari tailored made driving course and pit stop service which provide the customer â€Å"mind free† after owning and driving Ferrari car [18]. 2.3.2.2. Innovative Technology Ferrari developed own software to meet customer service expectation such as rapid response times, up to date database and personalise customer service. One of the latest features such as, the customer can view the look of the vehicle and change the preference in â€Å"Service configurator system† even in pre-order stage [19]. 2.3.2.3. Best Dealer Ferrari believes choosing the right strategic partner or dealer is the right way to serve the customer. In order to motivate the dealer, Ferrari created prestigious award Podio Awards for supplier or business partner recognition. 2.4. Stuck in the middle or Hybrid Strategies Porter does not recommend â€Å"Stuck in the middle† or Hybrid strategies if the company want to achieve above average performance in the industry. Company must choose either one of the strategy in the Porters Generic strategy. He claimed that it is difficult for a company to strategies the business to produce low cost product but still remain unique perceived by customer [8]. However, Rodney Goon argues on Porters theory and commented some of the company such as Singapore Airline (SIA) are able to success using â€Å"Hybrid strategy†. Figure 12 shows business strategy applied by SIA which plotted by Rodney [21]. Singapore Airline have been awarded 2nd place in World Top Airline in 2010 by Skytrax in Hamburg [22]. Figure 13 shows main operating cost for SIA. Top 3 costs consist of Fuel, Aircraft and People [23]. In order to achieve competitive advantages, SIA apply below approach: 2.4.1. Become Market Leader Differentiation Strategy SIA founded in 1972 started as small airline company and now evolve become the world trend leading company for Airline industry. SIA become market leader by setting trend started since 1970s when introducing headsets, drink and choice of meals in Economy Class. Figure 14 shows overview on SIA trend setting for more than 39 years in the industry. In 1991, SIA introduce satellite- based telephone to enable passenger to call to ground during flying. In 1998, in order to improve the quality and standard of in-flight meal, SIA formed International Culinary Panel which involves renowned chef from all over the world. By doing this, the passengers are able to enjoy world class cuisine even during travelling. In order to improve customer service satisfaction, SIA introduce in-flight entertainment system named Krisworld which include Audio and Video system. Passenger can watch movie, listen to music and playing game during flying. In 2004, SIA reach another milestone by flying world longest non-stop flight from Singapore to New York (Newark). In 2007, SIA flying new Airbus design A380 which is world largest passenger Aircraft from Singapore to Sydney . 2.4.2. Brand â€Å"Singapore Girl† Differentiation Strategy SIA successfully improve its service compare with others competitors by creating unique iconic image for SIAs air stewardess as â€Å"Singapore Girl† and promote â€Å"Youre a great way to fly† started in 1972. This iconic brand is famous of caring, elegant and good looking girl whom will provide good service for the passenger during on board the plane. â€Å"Singapore Girl† has continuously won many awards in Airline and Travel Industry over the years . 2.4.3. Low Cost -Cost Leadership Strategy â€Å"Everything behind The Scenes Is subject To Rigorous Control† quoted by Rodney . SIA spend heavily on the area that customer can be seen as discussed above in order to remain premium in the industry but cutting cost for area that behind the scene in order to remain cost compatible. Total cost for Singapore airline is about 14.2% is the lowest in the market compare with other competitors like American Airline which labor cost is approximately 31% of total operating expense . Other than that, average price per aircraft purchase is less than other airline provider. This is due to SIA is the market leader in trendsetting and always working with aircraft builder like Airbus when there is new product launching. First purchase in world for A380 allowed SIA command a better purchase price. Q3: What are the major advantages and disadvantages of an integrative strategy? 3. Integrative strategy Organisation is able to gain competitive advantages by using integrative strategy. Integrative strategy can be categorized as vertical, backward, forward and horizontal integration. There are advantages and disadvantages when applying each concept and detail discuss as below: 3.1. Vertical Integration Vertical integration is business strategies which expand its business either through gaining control over company that distribute or selling its product (Forward integration) or taking control over company that provide the raw material for finish goods (Backward Integration). Figure 15 illustrate 4 typical stages for value added chain in PC industry (27). Example for Dell or Hewlett Packard, in order to produce a personal computer, assembly components such as chips, microprocessor and disk drive etc is needed from others manufacturing company (Intel/ Micron). Similarly, component parts manufacturing needs raw material like chemical, metal and ceramic to manufacture the component. Kyocera is one of the suppliers for those materials. Backward integration strategy in this case is trying to taking control over components parts manufacturing and raw material supplier. Whereas for forward integration strategy, PC maker try to gains control over the company that selling or distribute the final product such as OfficeMax and ComUSA [27] This company provide platform to reach end user. 3.2. Forward Integration Forward integration strategy involves increase ownership or control over retailers or distributor and illustrates in Figure 16. One of the effective mean of forward integration is through Franchising [9]. Approximate $2 trillion revenue created annually through franchising business every year globally. This equal to 4th largest Gross National Product in the world [28]. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting understanding customer better One of the companies using forward integration strategy successfully is Dell. Dell founded in 1984 by Michael Dell with one direction â€Å"selling final products to customer directly† [29]. By doing this, company able to reach end user and getting feedback instantly through companys distributor and retailer without filtering. Low development and training cost By introduce franchising; the company are able to reduce development and training cost. Franchisor will provide training, equipment and product to franchisee. This in order to skip the â€Å"trial error† phase for franchisee and able to help franchisee generate profit with less risk. Example companies like Subway, McDonalds and 7-eleven. Provide better services Company can provide better services through its own controlled network and services. Provide lower cost of sales In order to compete in this competitive world, price of the end product is always one of the critical successful factors for the company. Dell is using this strategy to reduce price bypassing third party involvement such as retailers etc. No mark up from other company in the finished goods Disadvantages: Increase bureaucratic cost Expanding business forward which also means that increase bureaucratic cost for whole value- added chain activities. Due to uncertain demand in current market, it will post some risk to the company Increase Inventory Getting control over distributors or retailer, indirectly manufacturer may have to manage whole product cycle inventory include end products. Company may incurred higher inventory cost if wrongly manage 3.3. Backward Integration Manufacturer need supplier provide raw material in order to produce its end products or service. Backward integration allowed company gain control toward supplier as shown in Figure 16. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting better quality control Company are able to apply standard quality plan throughout the value chain. This is especially important when dealing with sophisticated components such as crankshaft, piston and turbocharger for engine. By improving the quality of this critical component will increase competitive advantages among the rivals Reduce threat from powerful vendors By increasing control over the vendors, it will reduce threat from powerful vendors. Optimized supply chain â€Å"Keeping track of so many suppliers is onerous† says Mark Shimelonis of Xerox [9]. Nowadays, a number of companies following Japanese firms lead in managing the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted supplies and low prices. Lower structure cost Outsourcing is one of the examples of the backward strategy. Outsourcing strategy will able to reduce cost when company engaging third party specialist that performing charging lower than company own operate value-chain activity. Cummins outsource IT support to India Company and panel design to CMR or Auto Maskin to keep the company structure cost lower. Nike outsourcing its manufacturing plant in China due to lower labor cost [27]. Disadvantages: Technology change Technology change is inevitable in current competitive market. But backward vertical integration may lock a company â€Å"way of doing business† and prevent organisation changes due to technology change. One of the examples is when radio manufacturer acquired a manufacturer of vacuum tube in 1950s to reduce production cost. When, transistors replace vacuum tube in 1960s, the competitor rapidly change to latest technology. However for this radio manufacturer company, the management refuse to change and as the result, lost in the competitive advantages and cause business failure. Thus, backward integration can cause serious disadvantages when trying to match rapid technology change [27] Risk of information loss Increase control over the supplier which mean also potentially important information flow to the supplier. For example, Cummins need to provide important parameter and interfacing information in the engine control module to backward supplier like CMR and Auto Maskin in order to joints develop the engine protection panel. Technical drawing will be shared among backward supplier and manufacturer. Potential high cost Less supplier competition will lead to less efficiencies when produce a product. The backward support company will work in the â€Å"comfort zone† and less initiative. The manufacturer is â€Å"forced† to get the input from â€Å"internal supplier† even there will be some others external supplier can produce lower cost .As the result will cause potentially higher production cost . 3.4. Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration refers to company that use â€Å"single industry strategy† and seeking control over competitor in same market. A number of the company apply this concept as growth strategy. Merger and acquisition allowed the company to expand its core business and technical capabi Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Q1: Using an appropriate model, evaluate the business model of a company of your choice, describing how the company differentiates itself from its competitors and sustain competitive advantage. 1. Executive Summary Cummins started off as diesel engine manufacturing company since 1919 and now growing as â€Å"power† leader in the world. Cummins expand network through company- owned distributor, independent distributor and dealer to serve customer globally. In 2009, Cummins reported net income of $428 million in $10.8 billion of sales [1]. Cummins have been diversifying its business to broad range of products from power generation, filtration technology, turbo technology, fuel system, emission controls and air handling [2]. Due to external pressure and growing market in Asia, Cummins recently setup Centre of Excellent in Singapore focus more on Marine and Offshore market. In this post module assignment, competitive strategy will only focus on Cumminss marine and offshore business. In this PMA, the value curve is based on own industry experiences assumption. However, analysis on financial will based overall Cummins business listed in stock market which named â€Å"CMI†. 1.1. Vision Statement â€Å"Making peoples lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins† [3]. Cummins believe in by developing new technology will lead to better living for the people. 1.2. Mission Statement Cummins mission statement as quoted below [3] â€Å"Motivating people to act like owners working together† â€Å"Exceeding customer expectations by always being first to market the best products† â€Å"Partnering with our customers to make sure that they succeed† â€Å"Demanding that everything we do leads to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment† â€Å"Creating wealth for all stakeholders.† 1.3. Cummins compare with Industrial leader Figure 1 Financial Analysis CMI Vs Industry Leader [4] Figure 1 shows overview financial analysis of Cummins (CMI) compare within industry leader [4]. Cummins rank 35 among 379 diversified machinery industries in industrial goods sector for market capitalisation. Cummins stock values increase more than triple over the past 3 years and promise future growth with its business strategy [4]. 1.4. Ocean Strategy Ocean strategy has been introduced by W.C. Kim and R Mauborge since 2004. Starting then, this strategy is adopted and implemented successfully in various organisations globally. Recently, Malaysias Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak shared his experience on Ocean Strategy when dealing with increasing crime in the country [5]. He is using Blue Ocean Strategy as management tools in order to promote thinking out of the box. Key successful activities such as leveraged untapped resources when replaced police with soldier doing patrolling around countrys border and conduct training for new police force in the underutilised army facilities. This initiative save a lot of money from government and promote cross functioning role among government agency [5]. The principle of the ocean strategy is treating market as universe. There are two oceans available in the universe named Red Ocean and Blue Ocean. Red Ocean defined as known competition. In this Ocean, product is already well defined and competitors only able to compete with price [6] .Customer expectation on the product almost generic and not much technology can be developing in this area. For diesel engine in marine and offshore market, the competitors for Cummins include Caterpillar, MTU and Mitsubishi. How Cummins can break trough become market leaders? Cummins apply Blue Ocean Strategy when dealing with its business. Blue Ocean Strategy defines as untapped market which no competition and industries that do not exist at this point of time [6]. This in return will resulting higher profit compare with conventional approach. This clearly shows in W.C. Kim and R Mauborge studys on business launches in 108 companies. They summarize revenue and profit impact of business launches shows in Figure 2. In this study, 86% business launches within own boundaries (Red Oceans) and 14% business launches looking for new opportunities (Blue Oceans) [6]. Red Oceans approach focus on existing customer by improving their product and study shows that this resulted 62% on total revenue and 39% on total profit. In contrast, 14% of the businesses launches by creating blue oceans can bring in higher return which about 61% of the total profit [6]. Cummins spend heavily on research and development for past 5 years as shown in Figure 3. In 2010 alone, Cummins invest 414million in new technology development [2]. One of recent Blue Oceans initiatives is setting Marine and Offshore Centre of Excellent in Singapore. This business focus on the â€Å"Packaging† instead of selling conventional type of â€Å"bare diesel engine† like other competitor such as CAT, MTU and Mitsubishi. Figure 4 shows pictorial view on the value added components into bare diesel engine 1.5. Strategy Canvas Figure 5 shows strategy canvas of the marine and offshore diesel engine. X-axis represents critical success factors of the markets competition and Y-axis correspond to values perceived by marine and offshore customer. Marine and offshore is a mature and establish market. Engine makers always compete with price, image, brand, delivery, product performance and service availability. Cummins performs averagely in critical successful factors. However, in order to compete in the competitive market, Cummins break through conventional way by creating new team to focus on product value added specifically for marine and offshore customer. Cummins applied Blue Ocean strategy. Figure 6 shows Red Ocean strategy from others diesel engine maker and Blue Ocean strategy from Cummins. Q2: Using either Porters generic strategies or the Strategy Clock, identify examples of organizations following strategies of differentiation, low cost or low price, and stuck-in-the middle or hybrid. How successful are these strategies. 2. Porters 5 forces generic Strategies â€Å"Using the five forces framework, creative strategists may be able to spot an industry with a good future before this good futureis reflected in the prices of acquisition candidates† Michael Porter [7]. Porters five forces: Threat of New Entrants: Analyse potential new comer to market is important to understand potential future competitors Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers is the party that create demand for industry, understand buyers requirement will help to maintain competitive advantages. For example, bargaining power of buyers is high if product is standard. Threat of substitute products or service: Buyers always look for alternative or cheapest way to get products or service. Substitute product can bring the overall industry price lower Bargaining Power of Supplier: Supplier supply raw material or service to manufacturer. Bargaining power of supplier is high when to many buyer and less supplier in the market Rivalry among existing competitors: Current fast moving industry, its important understand the strategy of existing competitors. Example: How competitor gain competitive advantages or product differentiation. Porters 5 Forces allowed the company undertand and analyse own industry struture and futher help the management to decide on companys strategy. According to Porter, organisation is able to gain competitive advantanges by strategies the company using one of the â€Å"Porters Generic Strategies† as shown in Figure 8; 1) Cost Leadership, 2) Differentiation, 3) Focus [8]. 2.1. Cost Leadership Strategies Cost leadership strategies emphasize on low cost in company strategies. Company will offer low per-unit cost product or service to customer that sensitive to price. In order to become low cost provider, company can practise integration strategies (backward, forward and horizontal). There are few factors that will affect the strategies include economies of scale, learning curve, productivity, company structure, relationship with supplier and quality control. Several example organizations that practice this are Wal-Mart (general merchandiser), Air Asia (budget Airline) and Macdonalds (Fast Food) [9]. In this PMA, I will use Air Asia as example to study its business model and look into company successful factor. Air Asia strategy as illustrate in Figure 9, the company mission is to continue to be the markets carrier low cost provider. In order to compete with other aircraft carrier and achieve company vision for â€Å"Lowest cost airline†, Air Asia implement a few strategy to reduce operation cost. Strategy implemented as per below: 2.1.1. Keep operation cost low- NO frills In order to compete in this competitive market, Air Asia able to keep operational cost low by implementing few â€Å"NO†s in the strategy [10]: NO meal: No food or drinks will be provided free in the in-flight service. NO frequent flyer program: NO Membership or rewarding program which commonly used for others airline like Kris flyer for Singapore Airline and Skymiles for Delta airline. NO Seat assignment Ticket: In order to keep administrative cost low NO Entertainment: NO news paper and entertainment system such as movie, games and music. No ticket : Ticketless replaced conventional type printed ticket No waiting lounge: NO lounge provide in the airport 2.1.2. Single air craft fleet In order to streamline the operation, Air Asia phasing out its 14 Boeing B737 in 2010 and replace by only operate single air craft which is A320. Few advantages of using single aircraft as stated below Keep inventory cost low Saving cost in service and maintenance such as keeping same model of spares parts. No duplicated resource due to difference Air Craft experience needed Reduce time and training cost due to only one model. This allowed the company avoid going to through the expensive â€Å"learning curve† process and also may dissatisfied demanding customer. Michael and Nikos study on the organisation learning curves for customer dissatisfaction across airlines. They plotted estimate U-Shaped learning curve as show in Figure 10 and show evident that complaint rates followed U-shaped function of experience Able to increase fuel efficiency and improve productivity 2.1.3. Simplified distribution system Air Asia design simple user friendly system for customer to book and check- in their ticket. Customers are able to check in using own mobile as shown in Figure 11. This ticketless system is able to reduce waiting time for customer queuing to check- in at the airport counter. 2.1.4. Point to point network (≠¤ 4 hrs) All Air Asia flight is running by point to point network within 4 hours radius or less as its business model. This model only carry passenger from point A to point B without any connecting flight. This in order to keep operation cost simple in order to reduce costs [10]. 2.1.5. Optimum Aircraft Utilization Another way to keep operating cost low and maximizes profit, Air Asia increase productivity by optimise flight utilisation. Air Asia is the fastest in the region by achieving 25 minute turnaround time. Air Asia is able to achieve equal or more than 75% for last 5 years on the load factor. Once, Air Asia achieve close to 100% load factor for Bali Perth route. Load factor is defined by AirAsia as â€Å"numbers of passengers as a percentage of number of seats flown† [10]. On top of that, Air Asia applies â€Å"Tier based† system for ticketing which depend on supply and demand. When demand is low, the price is low. When demand is high the ticket price will also go high. This system is efficient especially during low season allowed Air Asia maintain the reasonable high percent load factor, 2.2. Differentiate Strategies Differentiation strategies offer service or product which unique perceived by customer. Differentiation strategies do not guarantee good payback especially current standard product offered in the industry is more than enough to meet customer expectation. There will a risk on implementing this strategy and need to study carefully on customer requirement before implementing. Product value added, extra servicing, products flexibility and better compatibility are some of the features that can create differentiate in the industry. Cost is not an issue in this strategy; hence company can demand higher price if customer strongly attached to offered differentiation features. Typical move in this strategy is product development. Organisations that apply these strategies include Apple (Lifestyle product), Raul Lauren (Apparel) and Maytag (Home appliance) Apple is applying differentiate strategies compare with other competitors in the industry by selling lifestyle product instead of conventional electronic gadget. In first 6 months of 2011, Apple spends 1.2 billion in research and development. This is about 40% increase compare with 2010 [13]. One of the successful examples when Apple launches iPad during 2010 and Steve Jobs defined iPad as â€Å"entirely new category of mobile devices†. Apple sold more than 15 million units worldwide after launching [14]. 2.2.1. Innovative and creativity product Apple is a â€Å"trend leading† company in the market. The company famous in creating innovative products and able to capture a significant market share after launching new products. Apple spends heavily in research and development because the company believe RD are critical for future growth and are able to create competitive advantages 2.2.2. Wide range of software and applications Apple created another successful platform for customer to download software and application. Traditional, example like phone, other competitor just focus on few simple features which only contains game, photography function, movie and some basic feature. By introducing new approach, Apple created â€Å"The App Store†. Now â€Å"The App Store† has more than 350,000 apps available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch globally. The apps offered wide range of application from games, entertainment, utilities, social networking, music and others. In Jan 2011, Apple announces that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded . 2.2.3. Apple store Unlike others competitors store which only focus on products price and feature, Apple differentiate by giving customer different shopping experience in the store. Apple design Apples retail store to give the patrons good impression of stylish, clean, fashion and stream-lined. The product like i Phone, iTunes and etc will placing in a place that customer can try out the features and application. 2.2.4. Provide good service and maintenance Apple provides good service respond compare with others competitors like Samsung and Nokia. In Singapore, Apple provides one to one exchange for i Phone if there is defect and still under warranty. This is different from some of the competitors, depend on the level of repair, some will take about 2 to 3 weeks. This will create some issue for some consumer that only has one hand phone. 2.3. Focus Strategies Focus strategies offers product or service to fulfil the requirement for targeted groups of customer in the industry [9]. Focus strategies can be categorized into 2; Focus cost leadership which focus on low cost solution in narrow market and Focus differentiation provide customised product or service to niche market [16]. Market penetration and market development can be use when applying focus strategies [9]. Focus strategies beneficial when competitors are not able to support on unique requirement of certain group of customer. Organisation which pursuing this strategies include IKEA (Furniture), Ferrari (Automotive) and Federal Express (logistic) 2.3.1. Focus Cost Leadership Strategy IKEA is the Swedish global furniture company that applied focus cost leadership strategy in their business strategy. IKEA offering wide range of home furnish product with low price so that many people can afford to purchase. In order to achieve the strategy, IKEA apply below concept: 2.3.1.1. Design and develop base on price In order to keep competitive price, IKEA design and develop product base on price. The price is â€Å"fix† even before the product is launch. The designer will have to work directly with supplier to ensure meeting low cost by optimised productivity, material efficiency and process improvement [17]. 2.3.1.2. Reduce logistic, handling and operating cost In order to reduce logistic, handling and operating cost, IKEA designer always consider flat-pack transportation and self-assembly during design and development phase. Flat-pack furniture is often delivered in multiple sub assemblies together with simple instruction manual and required customer to perform self assembly. This modular concept is able to save transportation, handling and operating cost. For example, assembled furniture tends to be more bulky and is more expensive to store in warehouse and transportation. Besides, that, IKEA is able to save operating cost by reduce one â€Å"Assembly† process in production . 2.3.1.3. Self-Service in IKEA Store In order t keep the operating cost low and reduce the needs of sales assistance, IKEA design the flow of store layout and display the product effectively by using â€Å"actual room† concept. For example, sofa is placed in â€Å"living room† section and bed is placed in â€Å"Bed Room† section. All the furniture is clearly labelled and useful information like dimension is easily located in the display product [17]. 2.3.2. Focus Differentiate strategy Ferrari is applying focus differentiate strategy by develop high performance car within automotive industry. Ferrari focus on high end consumer compare with other automotive competitors like Honda, Toyota or Ford which target more broad customer. Below is the strategy for Ferrari: 2.3.2.1. New Way of Purchase Car Ferrari compete created innovative approach by introduce new way of purchase car â€Å"Premium Ownership Program† to serve its target customer. This program include insurance, maintenance, warranty , Ferrari tailored made driving course and pit stop service which provide the customer â€Å"mind free† after owning and driving Ferrari car [18]. 2.3.2.2. Innovative Technology Ferrari developed own software to meet customer service expectation such as rapid response times, up to date database and personalise customer service. One of the latest features such as, the customer can view the look of the vehicle and change the preference in â€Å"Service configurator system† even in pre-order stage [19]. 2.3.2.3. Best Dealer Ferrari believes choosing the right strategic partner or dealer is the right way to serve the customer. In order to motivate the dealer, Ferrari created prestigious award Podio Awards for supplier or business partner recognition. 2.4. Stuck in the middle or Hybrid Strategies Porter does not recommend â€Å"Stuck in the middle† or Hybrid strategies if the company want to achieve above average performance in the industry. Company must choose either one of the strategy in the Porters Generic strategy. He claimed that it is difficult for a company to strategies the business to produce low cost product but still remain unique perceived by customer [8]. However, Rodney Goon argues on Porters theory and commented some of the company such as Singapore Airline (SIA) are able to success using â€Å"Hybrid strategy†. Figure 12 shows business strategy applied by SIA which plotted by Rodney [21]. Singapore Airline have been awarded 2nd place in World Top Airline in 2010 by Skytrax in Hamburg [22]. Figure 13 shows main operating cost for SIA. Top 3 costs consist of Fuel, Aircraft and People [23]. In order to achieve competitive advantages, SIA apply below approach: 2.4.1. Become Market Leader Differentiation Strategy SIA founded in 1972 started as small airline company and now evolve become the world trend leading company for Airline industry. SIA become market leader by setting trend started since 1970s when introducing headsets, drink and choice of meals in Economy Class. Figure 14 shows overview on SIA trend setting for more than 39 years in the industry. In 1991, SIA introduce satellite- based telephone to enable passenger to call to ground during flying. In 1998, in order to improve the quality and standard of in-flight meal, SIA formed International Culinary Panel which involves renowned chef from all over the world. By doing this, the passengers are able to enjoy world class cuisine even during travelling. In order to improve customer service satisfaction, SIA introduce in-flight entertainment system named Krisworld which include Audio and Video system. Passenger can watch movie, listen to music and playing game during flying. In 2004, SIA reach another milestone by flying world longest non-stop flight from Singapore to New York (Newark). In 2007, SIA flying new Airbus design A380 which is world largest passenger Aircraft from Singapore to Sydney . 2.4.2. Brand â€Å"Singapore Girl† Differentiation Strategy SIA successfully improve its service compare with others competitors by creating unique iconic image for SIAs air stewardess as â€Å"Singapore Girl† and promote â€Å"Youre a great way to fly† started in 1972. This iconic brand is famous of caring, elegant and good looking girl whom will provide good service for the passenger during on board the plane. â€Å"Singapore Girl† has continuously won many awards in Airline and Travel Industry over the years . 2.4.3. Low Cost -Cost Leadership Strategy â€Å"Everything behind The Scenes Is subject To Rigorous Control† quoted by Rodney . SIA spend heavily on the area that customer can be seen as discussed above in order to remain premium in the industry but cutting cost for area that behind the scene in order to remain cost compatible. Total cost for Singapore airline is about 14.2% is the lowest in the market compare with other competitors like American Airline which labor cost is approximately 31% of total operating expense . Other than that, average price per aircraft purchase is less than other airline provider. This is due to SIA is the market leader in trendsetting and always working with aircraft builder like Airbus when there is new product launching. First purchase in world for A380 allowed SIA command a better purchase price. Q3: What are the major advantages and disadvantages of an integrative strategy? 3. Integrative strategy Organisation is able to gain competitive advantages by using integrative strategy. Integrative strategy can be categorized as vertical, backward, forward and horizontal integration. There are advantages and disadvantages when applying each concept and detail discuss as below: 3.1. Vertical Integration Vertical integration is business strategies which expand its business either through gaining control over company that distribute or selling its product (Forward integration) or taking control over company that provide the raw material for finish goods (Backward Integration). Figure 15 illustrate 4 typical stages for value added chain in PC industry (27). Example for Dell or Hewlett Packard, in order to produce a personal computer, assembly components such as chips, microprocessor and disk drive etc is needed from others manufacturing company (Intel/ Micron). Similarly, component parts manufacturing needs raw material like chemical, metal and ceramic to manufacture the component. Kyocera is one of the suppliers for those materials. Backward integration strategy in this case is trying to taking control over components parts manufacturing and raw material supplier. Whereas for forward integration strategy, PC maker try to gains control over the company that selling or distribute the final product such as OfficeMax and ComUSA [27] This company provide platform to reach end user. 3.2. Forward Integration Forward integration strategy involves increase ownership or control over retailers or distributor and illustrates in Figure 16. One of the effective mean of forward integration is through Franchising [9]. Approximate $2 trillion revenue created annually through franchising business every year globally. This equal to 4th largest Gross National Product in the world [28]. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting understanding customer better One of the companies using forward integration strategy successfully is Dell. Dell founded in 1984 by Michael Dell with one direction â€Å"selling final products to customer directly† [29]. By doing this, company able to reach end user and getting feedback instantly through companys distributor and retailer without filtering. Low development and training cost By introduce franchising; the company are able to reduce development and training cost. Franchisor will provide training, equipment and product to franchisee. This in order to skip the â€Å"trial error† phase for franchisee and able to help franchisee generate profit with less risk. Example companies like Subway, McDonalds and 7-eleven. Provide better services Company can provide better services through its own controlled network and services. Provide lower cost of sales In order to compete in this competitive world, price of the end product is always one of the critical successful factors for the company. Dell is using this strategy to reduce price bypassing third party involvement such as retailers etc. No mark up from other company in the finished goods Disadvantages: Increase bureaucratic cost Expanding business forward which also means that increase bureaucratic cost for whole value- added chain activities. Due to uncertain demand in current market, it will post some risk to the company Increase Inventory Getting control over distributors or retailer, indirectly manufacturer may have to manage whole product cycle inventory include end products. Company may incurred higher inventory cost if wrongly manage 3.3. Backward Integration Manufacturer need supplier provide raw material in order to produce its end products or service. Backward integration allowed company gain control toward supplier as shown in Figure 16. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting better quality control Company are able to apply standard quality plan throughout the value chain. This is especially important when dealing with sophisticated components such as crankshaft, piston and turbocharger for engine. By improving the quality of this critical component will increase competitive advantages among the rivals Reduce threat from powerful vendors By increasing control over the vendors, it will reduce threat from powerful vendors. Optimized supply chain â€Å"Keeping track of so many suppliers is onerous† says Mark Shimelonis of Xerox [9]. Nowadays, a number of companies following Japanese firms lead in managing the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted supplies and low prices. Lower structure cost Outsourcing is one of the examples of the backward strategy. Outsourcing strategy will able to reduce cost when company engaging third party specialist that performing charging lower than company own operate value-chain activity. Cummins outsource IT support to India Company and panel design to CMR or Auto Maskin to keep the company structure cost lower. Nike outsourcing its manufacturing plant in China due to lower labor cost [27]. Disadvantages: Technology change Technology change is inevitable in current competitive market. But backward vertical integration may lock a company â€Å"way of doing business† and prevent organisation changes due to technology change. One of the examples is when radio manufacturer acquired a manufacturer of vacuum tube in 1950s to reduce production cost. When, transistors replace vacuum tube in 1960s, the competitor rapidly change to latest technology. However for this radio manufacturer company, the management refuse to change and as the result, lost in the competitive advantages and cause business failure. Thus, backward integration can cause serious disadvantages when trying to match rapid technology change [27] Risk of information loss Increase control over the supplier which mean also potentially important information flow to the supplier. For example, Cummins need to provide important parameter and interfacing information in the engine control module to backward supplier like CMR and Auto Maskin in order to joints develop the engine protection panel. Technical drawing will be shared among backward supplier and manufacturer. Potential high cost Less supplier competition will lead to less efficiencies when produce a product. The backward support company will work in the â€Å"comfort zone† and less initiative. The manufacturer is â€Å"forced† to get the input from â€Å"internal supplier† even there will be some others external supplier can produce lower cost .As the result will cause potentially higher production cost . 3.4. Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration refers to company that use â€Å"single industry strategy† and seeking control over competitor in same market. A number of the company apply this concept as growth strategy. Merger and acquisition allowed the company to expand its core business and technical capabi