Ink and Paper Communication Essay

Individuals state that the craft of letter composing is dead. Be that as it may, my concept of paradise is composing a letter to a dear companion in a distant town, a note to my cousin saying â€Å" thankyou † for the supper we had this end of the week, a fan letter to the author whose story I read and appreciated. I love to compose something, be it a short story, a sonnet, a genuine article or just letters. It is so otherworldly to accumulate the correct words and set up them on the paper†¦ I compose a few letters per day, and experience the ill effects of episodes of blame, figuring I may maybe be over troubling my companions and family members with my composed material. Letters have been significant in my life, those that I have composed and gotten. I have prized the ones which are of high repute to me, to peruse them over and over delighting in the mysterious spell they cast on me each time unfurling something new. It was a pastime that began from my youth, when I composed letters to my school companions, educators, family members and outsiders too. I sexually transmitted disease lX, when out of nowhere a large portion of the country was devoured by the energy of acting, I excessively was one of them. I composed my first fan letter to the incomparable ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ and got from him a composed answer and his signed photo. His letter, the uncommon handcrafted welcoming card, and the letters composed by my companions are the most loved belonging. As of late when I uncovered my letter composing habbit to my companion, I was told, †but my dear, nobody composes letters any longer! Where’s the time?† Agreed! I know individuals who never compose letters for whom its only an exercise in futility. That it is so natural to go after the phone type a couple of digits and converse with individual miles from you†¦ no considering over contemplations no tending to of envelopes and no hanging tight for reaction. Most likely, the phone is progressively productive and moment yet I question whether it is, overall as compelling as a letter. Letters have a specific force, your pulse ticks musically with each comma and a full stop†¦ you can save a letter , read it study it, haul it around like an appreciated belonging. It isn't flashing as a call, immediately done and immediately overlooked. As I have developed over years, I have developed and ideally become more shrewd. I have figured out how to reconsider before dropping a letter written feeling melancholic. I have thought twice about it in light of the fact that when the letter is gotten the anguish is ousted and afterward one is left restlessly considering the response at the opposite end. There were minutes when modesty drove me to composing letters. I would have always been unable to warm up to outsiders had I not been a sharp author. I can't fantasy about calling up an essayist, on-screen character, painter whose work I respect, until and except if I know them by and by. In any case, decisively I keep in touch with them letters of thankfulness, and if my letter is invited, it is replied and if not, I’ve got nothing to lose. Its interesting however I’ve kept up fellowships exclusively through letters that may, I dread, break if there is an up close and personal experience. So stay in contact. The pen and paper you use doesn't matter†the voice originating from the heart does. Whenever when you compose a letter notice for a second the supernatural tune that your pen plays on your paper , the cadence of the progression of your musings, similar to the principal raindrops contacting the mother earth. You feel as though you are really sitting before the other individual perusing out contemplations, gathering musings, shading them with ink and introducing them paper to adored ones†¦.. tensely sitting tight for the reply†¦. Letters have their uncommon image of enchantment.

The Big Jump free essay sample

I’ve been attempting to do this for a long time at this point. Each time I’ve backed down, yet this year? This is the year that I will at last make that bounce and show everybody that when I set my attention to something, I don’t surrender will I have achieved it. â€Å"Ready?† he inquires. I take a gander at him, at that point back to the hop. My heart pounds as adrenaline races through my veins. I figure do what needs to be done Emily. I glance back at him and state â€Å"I’m ready.† We put our head protectors on and switch the four-wheelers into gear. He takes off first. We head up the slope. The sound of the motors, the smell of fuel, and seeing sand are pushed up behind us. I arrive at the highest point of the pit and watch my sibling head towards the hop. He hits the hop and flies into the air. We will compose a custom exposition test on The Big Jump or then again any comparative theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page His tires land on the ground. â€Å"Perfect,† I murmur. I head towards the hop. I nearly hit the brakes, yet I work myself out of it. I hit the hop and go flying, I lift off the seat, I hang on as firmly as could be expected under the circumstances. Up,up,up. I sense that I am never going to descend yet at long last I do. Dropping out of the sky, with nothing connected to me. I’m gliding. BAM. I hit the ground. I pummel down on the seat and push on the brakes. The four-wheeler stops. I take my protective cap off and gaze into the forested areas. I couldn’t accept what I had quite recently done. I at long last did it! My sibling goes to me and says, â€Å"Emily, you did it.†

The Language Tutor There Is No Spoon But You

I have been a private language tutor for five years now, teaching English, Russian, and Hungarian from Budapest to NYC, and in that time, I have noticed something rather shocking: every language learner â€Å"decides† for themselves how far they are going to progress in the target language. Some people simply â€Å"decide† that they will master a language, never really reaching a limit. Others will progress to a respectable level before coming to a point where they continue taking classes, but real progress grinds to a halt. Still others will reach their limits much, much sooner, and will never really progress past basic, no matter how long they study. And here’s the fascinating thing: a student’s culture of origin, level of education, and even first language seem to have nothing to do with this â€Å"limit.† I have had students who never graduated high school become masters of ESL, showing up college professors who never seem to get a handle on the language, and vice versa. So what is this limit, and why do I say it’s a choice? Why is it different for different people, when each and every one of us is capable, at birth, of learning any one of the Earth’s six thousand languages? Most importantly, is it possible to push your limit and â€Å"choose† to go beyond what you thought was possible? What I have found is that most people’s limit for solving a problem is the degree to which it simply†¦ annoys them. Imagine two people trying to fix a hopelessly mangled car engine. One of them is a personal assistant to a corporate executive and needs to fix the company car so that the boss can go out of town for the weekend. The other is a gearhead, someone who is passionate about cars and how they tick. Even if both have the same degree of mechanical background, they will respond to every problem they encounter differently. The first will look up in abject frustration every time the carburetor starts smoking†¦ call this the â€Å"Why me?† response. The second, for whom this engine is a personal project, will look on every problem with intrigue and curiosity. Call this the â€Å"Hmm†¦ that’s interesting,† response to the same smoking carburetor. Of these two, who has a greater chance to fix the engine? When it comes to learning languages, of course, the situation is a little more complicated. Language learners are notorious for not only having different strengths, but also in different areas. Anything that a person feels is important they will be naturally curious about, while other things illicit a â€Å"why me?† response, and will essentially be unlearnable because the student feels deep down that it’s a waste of time. I have known ESL students who communicate very efficiently with only one tense: â€Å"I do it today, I do it tomorrow, I do it yesterday,† and never really bother learning the difference between â€Å"I do it, I am doing it, I did it, I have done it.† In a sense, they are right†¦ after all, why bother learning the tenses if you can simply specify the time of each action? Some languages, like Mandarin, have no tenses at all, and indicate time exclusively in this way. This may well be true. And yet, those students who struggle with pe rfection will continue to improve for as long as it seems important to them, and those that don’t bother will stop learning, and will likely spend the rest of their lives at more or less the same level, no matter how many classes they take (though they may advance in other areas that seem more useful, such as pronunciation or vocabulary). The secret to continuing to learn, as I see it, is to be less like the office employee and more like the hobbyist. This may be less important if all you want to do is communicate in English, which for all its sometime weirdness is, at the end of the day, a fairly easy language to learn. There are many people who have spent years passively learning the language and operate at a very high level of functionality, even if they continue to make basic mistakes†¦ my own mother comes to mind, who still passionately implores, â€Å"It is no spoon!† every time she watches the Matrix. There are other languages, however, which are much harder. Most of my Russian and Hungarian students were not hobbyists but people who married a Russian or Hungarian and wanted to pick up a bit of their spouse’s language. They came in with the mistaken impression that if they sit in class long enough, they will eventually learn to speak. Unfortunately, these are just not languages that you are guaranteed to learn by sitting in class. I would go so far as to say that, unless tackled with a whole lot of love and curiosity, they are close to impossible. The British Diplomatic Service has stated, for example, that of all the languages its diplomats learn, Hungarian takes on average the longest (beating out other heavy-hitters like Chinese and Arabic). Apparently, the British Diplomatic Service never bothered learning Oneida or Inuktitut, languages which make Hungarian look like an episode of Sesame Street brought to you by the letter H, but that’s neither here nor there. Re gardless, among other difficulties, such as having anywhere from eighteen to twenty-eight grammatical cases, Hungarian has a system of double conjugation. There are two forms for â€Å"I see,† two forms for â€Å"we see,† two forms for â€Å"I saw,† etc, and every time you use a verb you have to choose between them depending on whether what you see is an apple or the apple. If all you want to do is learn the language as quickly as possible, this seems truly annoying and pointless†¦ and you will never get it. If you are curious, however, figuring out which of the two forms to use for which situation can be a lot of fun, and will come much more easily to you. So the next time you sit down to learn Sanskrit or Spanish, do yourself a favor. Don’t think of it as a job. Think of it as a challenge. Be curious about how it works... you will learn it much faster. Languages are hard, and if you have the right mindset, very, very cool.

Masculinity Essay - 1321 Words

Part A: Bronies and the Social Construction of Masculinity According to Connell, there are four masculinities present in our society: hegemonic, complicit, marginalized, and subordinate. Hegemonic masculinity is the dominant form of masculinity in society. It is culturally valued as the most type of masculinity. Connell states that the qualities of hegemonic masculinity include heterosexuality, whiteness, physical strength, and suppression of emotions. When men do not fit the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity but they do not challenge it means they belong to the complicit masculinity category. These men often admire the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. Marginalized masculinity is when men cannot fit into the hegemonic†¦show more content†¦Bronies experience gender policing by family, friends, and the media. â€Å"Gender policing is the responses to the violation of gender rules aimed at promoting conformity (Wade 355).† In the film Bronies: The Extreme ly Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony, some Bronies could tell their stories about telling their friends and family and how other peers viewed them when they came out as a Brony. Lyle told his story about his Brony journey. One-day Lyle asked his mother what she would think if he liked the show My Little Pony, and she said she would be worried about him so he played it off as a joke. He felt his own mother would not accept the fact that he liked the show. He did not want his father to ever find out because he did not want his dad to think he was gay or a man-child. He did not want his parents to view him differently all because he liked a show aimed for younger girls. Alex was another guy from the video sharing his story. Alex lives in a place where a people believe that if a guy is not masculine that means they are homosexual. Alex was bullied at a gas station because he had pony decals on his car. The guy who bullied Alex about his car smashed his back window where the decals were at. Then the guy â€Å"playfully† pointed a gun at Alex and told him to stop with the gay girly shit. The media only criticizes Bronies by calling them weird, gay, creepy, pedophiles, disgusting, feminine, etc. Bronies faceShow MoreRelatedEssay about Masculinity786 Words   |  4 PagesMasculinity The definition of masculinity; Is the fact of being a man or having qualities considered typical of a man. I was stuck in that sentence that what is the qualities considered typical of a man. What is the quality of man, what is considered as a typical of a man? 1. Identities According to Victor, since the 1960s the challenges of feminism made men feel uneasy and confused about their power and identity. Women insisted that men had also to be more emotionally involved in relationshipRead More Feminism and Masculinity Essay820 Words   |  4 Pagescontemporary society, hegemonic masculinity is defined by physical strength and boldness, heterosexuality, economic independence, authority over women and other men, and an interest in sexual relationships. While most men do not embody all of these qualities, society supports hegemonic masculinity within all its institutions, including the educational institute, the religious institute and other institutes which form the ideological state apparatus. 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Though togetherRead MoreEssay about Masculinity in the Media1647 Words   |  7 Pages Masculinity in the Media Masculinity has changed and evolved since the beginning of human creation. Males have had to adhere to the social norms of their time to survive without undue persecution. In the beginning of the 19th century, there was a shift in the way men could attain manhood. It was no longer easy for a man to enter into manhood with straightforward expectations and rituals. The state of manhood became difficult to obtain because of its precarious nature. During the sameRead MoreMark Twain Masculinity Essay2068 Words   |  9 Pages19th century America was a time period in which the definition of masculinity grew through a man’s power and work. To be considered as â€Å"that man†, what was needed was power, wealth, and even the appearance of a man himself. It was often times violent in the battle for who was the â€Å"manlier man†, as it related to the real world of Twain’s 19th century. Masculinity was a way for these men to create dominance and get their w ay throughout duels and even bargaining. Twain’s view on 19th century AmericaRead More Hegemonic Masculinity in American Society Essay1497 Words   |  6 Pages Masculinity is described as possession of attributes considered typical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to competitiveness, toughness, and women subordination. Masculinity hegemonic is the enforcement of male dominion over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the time of agrarian and the industrial revolution in Europe when survival compelled men to leave their homesteads to work in industries

Themes of Love In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About...

In William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing love and how love works is a major theme in the play. When it comes to true love in the book i believe it is incidental or secondary to the main story in the book. My reasoning behind this idea is because none of the characters are searching for love, it is not their main priority but rather happens in result of another, bigger situation or conflict and that how true love or falling in love works in real life it just happens. In this story, it is clear that for true love to â€Å"just happen† the couple needs to have achieved a sense of understanding, trust and commitment. If two people were to fall in love they need to have some sort of connection and shared moments together. Lets call this a†¦show more content†¦It is first demonstrated when Claudio is easily convinced by Don Jon that Don Pedro has made Hero fall for him instead of Claudio, and with out investigating any further Claudio believes his friend has b etrayed him. His lack of faith is revealed again through Don Jon’s scheming when he notifies Claudio that Hero is having an affair with Borachio. Again, without questioning it he sees the fake sex scene in the window and at that point Hero’s sweet innocence is gone in Claudio’s eyes and because they have no emotional connection he has no reason to put faith in her. The shallowness of their relationship is also why the audience is drawn to Benedick and Beatrice’s storyline more than Claudio and Hero’s. To add to that Shakespeare has these two extremely different versions of love to mock the traditional conventions of courtly love. The wedding scene is where both relationships are heightened in the directions they were going Claudio and Hero’s is going down hill at this point when he falsely accuses Hero of cheating and Benedick confesses his love to Beatrice. In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare expresses when a relationship has trust commi tment is included as demonstrated between Benedick relationship with Beatrice. In result of having no trust according to the book Claudio and Hero’s romance is fragile. My Personal opinion is that at first glance the book seems like just another romanticShow MoreRelatedThe Themes of Appearance versus True Love in William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing541 Words   |  3 PagesThe Themes of Appearance versus True Love in William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing True love is a bond shared by few and dreamed of by everyone. The appearance of a relationship may not accurately depict the true reality of the situation. The bond between Claudio and Hero appears far stronger than that of Beatrice and Benedict, yet events of the play provide evidence for the converse. In Shakespeares comedy Much Ado About Nothing, the masked emotions of two couples are evoked throughRead MorePlot Development in Shakespeares Plays Essay505 Words   |  3 PagesShakespeares plays can be very much alike, but can also be very different when it comes to the plot. In many of his plays he has many of the main characters die in a tragic death at the end. In some of his plays he has them live and there is a romantic ending. In Romeo and Juliet there is a ending that has both of these scenarios. As said by Snider from J.T. Jones and Company, The Tragic and the Comic fade into each other by almost insensible gradations, and the greatest beauty of a poeticalRead MoreThe Influence of Commedia dell’arte on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare841 Words   |  4 PagesInfluence of Commedia dell’arte on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Commedia dell’arte had great influence of Shakespeare’s comedy â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†. This form of theatre shows many comparisons to the Shakespearian comedy. Commedia dell’arte created elements within a comedy that became standards across comedic literature. Love, deception, matters of out wittingRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Much Ado About Nothing909 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s play Much Ado about Nothing traverses the complex social, and emotional trials and triumphs of romantic relationships; Shakespeare’s perspective on the subject is both very similar to ours today, and different. Although filled with sexual innuendos, and humorous trickery and shenanigans, Much Ado about Nothing also dives into the complexities of social anxieties, defense mechanisms to cope with the social pressures, and the emotions involved. First, the characters in MuchRead MoreDeception And Deception In Hamlet1681 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout Shakespeare’s plays, deception is used to grant the characters the ability to attain social status and success. Deception comes from the root word â€Å"deceive,† which can be defined as, â€Å"to mislead by a false appearance or statement,† or â€Å"to mislead or falsely persuade others† (â€Å"Deceive†). When attempting to deceive another person, the characters must be able to understand the consequences one may face when manipulating another through deceit. Two plays that strongly showcase Shakespeare’s liesRead MoreBenedick And Beatrice In William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing1042 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing follows the story of the two famous pairs of young lovers; Claudio and Hero, and Benedick and Beatrice. Although mainly following the first pair throughout the text, the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is followed throughout the text with less attention from the reader, not noticing love forming between the two. Shakespeare sets his text in Messina, a town located on the island of Sicily in Italy. The play mainly takes place atRead MoreAn Understanding Evil in Shakespeare ´s Much Ado About Nothing753 Words   |  4 PagesAn Understanding Evil Several of William Shakespeare’s plays focus on the presence of a characters public appearance in the eyes of spectatorship and observation, and the problems that result from misunderstandings. Although it is dark at times, Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy that exemplifies this theme. As spectatorship is an action characters engage in, it becomes a challenge to keep up with the motives and truthful appearances of identities throughout the play. Due to Claudio’s abilityRead MoreEssay on The Themes of Noting and Deception in Much Ado About Nothing1251 Words   |  6 PagesThe Themes of Noting and Deception in Much Ado About Nothing Discuss the themes of noting and deception in Much Ado About Nothing The play Much Ado About Nothing was written by Williams Shakespeare in the late 1600s and over four centuries later it is still a significantly popular play and has widespread appeal. The play explores many themes including love, treachery, friendship, society and traditions. These five themes mentioned are still very muchRead MoreDeciet and Trickery in Shakespeare ´s Much Ado About Nothing Essay730 Words   |  3 Pages Deceit and trickery play a huge part in the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Deception is a key theme in the play, it also moves the plot along. Trickery and deception is used in the love stories of couples Hero and Claudio, and Benedick and Beatrice, with opposite results. This play demonstrates two different kinds of deceit: the kind whose only purpose is to cause trouble, and the kind that is used to form a good outcome. In the relationship of Hero and Claudio, deceptionRead More Much Ado About Nothing Essay898 Words   |  4 Pages William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing is a play involving by deception, disloyalty, trickery, eavesdropping, and hearsay. The play contains numerous examples of schemes that are used to manipulate the thoughts of other characters; it is the major theme that resonates throughout the play. Ironically, it is one of these themes that bring serenity to the chaos that encompasses most of the play. amp;#9;The first example of deception we see is with the characters of Beatrice and Benedick.

Opportunity Discovery and Entrepreneurial Action

Question: Discuss about the Opportunity Discovery and Entrepreneurial Action. Answer: Introduction Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is one of the successful Australian entrepreneurs. Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin started his career life as a weapons engineer. He first worked with the Royal Australian Navy as an engineer who worked in the weapon's department in Iraq. At the Royal Australian Navy, he worked for ten years before making a decision to quit the job to do business. As an entrepreneur, Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin has managed to grow fast and has become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world at present. Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin founded Venture Technology firm BlueChilli. Bluechilli connects various parties together to form a robust team to handle most of the greatest world challenges. The various parties connected by BlueChilli include investors, cooperate organizations and entrepreneurs among many others. When these parties come together, some will finance the projects, others will provide the necessary skills, while others will still make managerial skills, training among other forms of support. These joint efforts have significantly helped Bluechilli to be able to solve most of the problems of the world. The company operates in most parts of the world including Sydney, US start-up incubators, and Brisbane among many others. The company has also come up with a program that offers six-month training to those joining the team (Fristch 2014). This, therefore, will always ensure that the firm has a robust team to work on the problems. Through his entrepreneurial spirit and hard work, Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin was awarded as the winner of Ernst and Young Entrepreneur awards of the year in the category of 30 under-30. Sebastian Eckersley-Maslin also serves as a member of the board of Sydney Chapter of the Awesome Foundation where he represents the tech startups for Australia at State and Federal government. He is, therefore, a resourceful person on the board due to the experience and achievements that he has. Characteristics of Eckersley-Maslin as an Entrepreneur Successful business entrepreneurs have certain characteristics associated with them. Their attributes revolve around the opportunities, resources, and organization. These features are essential since they are the ones that help them establish and sustain their businesses. Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is no exception as an entrepreneur. He also possesses these entrepreneurial characteristics that have helped him to be successful and to achieve his entrepreneurial dreams (Carree 2010, pp. 557594). Firstly, entrepreneurs have the ability to recognize, evaluate and exploit an opportunity. Opportunity can be explained to be a situation of creatively to introduce a service, product or process to the market which can be sold at a higher price than the cost required to produce it. Opportunity recognition, evaluation, and exploitation are the core aspects of entrepreneurship (Audretsch 2007). Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin possesses this characteristic since he has also recognized and evaluated the business opportunity, and he has gone ahead to exploit this opportunity. It is also evident that an entrepreneur has a characteristic of attracting and combining resources. Entrepreneurs have the potential of getting the resources required to start and sustain a business. He can acquire various resources and can combine the resources altogether to succeed in the endeavor (Klein 2008, pp. 175-190). Looking at Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin, we find him too to possess this attribute. Mr. Maslin can creatively source the resources required to run the startup program in the Bluechilli Company and to sustain it too. He can bring together various companies which help to maintain his course. This is an important characteristic of every successful entrepreneur (Ollila et al. 2011). An entrepreneur can build and manage an organization. Every successful entrepreneur has got the ability to start, build and maintain or sustain the firm. With other skills they possess, they can start an organization, and they usually have strong managerial skills that help them to support the organizations they start. Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin as an entrepreneur also portrays ability to be having strong administrative skills (Asoni, A. and Tino S. 2012). He starts the Bluechilli Company and can manage it well, and it is observed to grow very fast over a short period. It is also evident that Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is a great risk taker. He can quit his job as a weapon manager in the Australian Navy only to embark on a business which is full of uncertainties. Starting the business is a risk because you cant be sure to predict whether you will make the profit or a loss. Every entrepreneur must be a risk taker. Starting and sustaining a business is a risk because it is full of uncertainties (Anderson Warren 2011, pp 589-609). In addition to this, entrepreneurs possess characteristics of the ability to fit opportunities in the business environment into the organizations, they can configure resources into the organizations and also, they are focused on combining opportunities with the existing resources (Okkonen 2010). This is an important characteristic of every entrepreneur since entrepreneurship revolves around these three items; resources, opportunities, and organization. Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is also able to manage and balance the three resources. This characteristic has enabled him to grow fast and succeed in business (Mueller 2014). Processes of opportunity recognition and idea development Ability to recognize an opportunity and the process of idea generation are crucial aspects of consideration in entrepreneurship. Every successful entrepreneur must have had an ability to see an opportunity. An opportunity can be viewed to be derived from three items; technology, competition, and market (Henrekson 2014, pp. 17601765). Opportunities mostly come from needs that have not been met by the current system, in some cases it may be new requirements that been raised, a times opportunities also come from fast-growing segments, and in other cases, opportunities arise from the new consumer groups (Okkonen 2012). All these sources bring about many opportunities for entrepreneurs. Sebastien also founded Bluechilli on such a basis. In the process of identifying the opportunity that is more profitable, some factors need to be considered. All these factors revolve around the market for the opportunity (Murnieks et al..2012). Firstly, one needs to choose a market that has not been exploited. The niche of the market chosen should accommodate the particular needs of the market, and the opportunity should also be open to new markets (Mueller 2012). Also, it is important to consider offering unique product or service. It is crucial to consider these factors since they will help the idea to grow fast due to reduced competition and increased market for the goods or services offered (Parker 2012, pp 377394). Business and its competitive Advantage Every business organization must analyze its competitive state to establish the benefits that it has over the other competitors. This important because it helps the business to capitalize on these advantages and therefore make more profit and also improve its sustainability. In the competitive analysis, there is need to look at the competitors profile (Grilo 2008, pp. 11131145). It is necessary to establish if the competitor is satisfied with the current state, whether the competitor is vulnerable and such factors. Establishing the competitors' profile is important since it gives an understanding of what the competitor has at the moment and what the competitor is likely to do in future (Koellinger 2012, pp. 11431156). The competitor's future goals should be established and also know what drives the competitor. It is, therefore, important to know what the next steps that the opponent is likely to take in the process of seeking success (Faria 2014). It is also important to establish the competitors current strategy to be able to know what the competitor is doing or can do currently. Besides, it is crucial to establish the capabilities that the business has over others. This gives an understanding of the strengths which should be capitalized and the weaknesses that should be addressed for success (Lamballais 2012). Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin needs to establish all the competitors of Bluechilli Company. It is necessary to determine what the competitors are currently doing in the market. This will give information on what the company should do to cop up with the competition. It should determine the likely next steps that the competitors are mostly likely to take. Bluechilli has been growing fast in tech start-ups. It has many customers and people interested all over the world. There is need to invest further into this company to ensure it covers more parts of the world. This will continue sustaining the business and improve its sustainability. As a suggestion, Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin should also consider diversification in Bluechilli Company. It should invest more into many other available technological avenues. This will improve on its competitive advantage and improve on its sustainability. Conclusion In conclusion, the entrepreneurial spirit is important for the growth of any nation and the world in general. Entrepreneurs have characteristics in common that are business oriented. The process of idea generation and opportunity identification in entrepreneurship can be fruitful if well followed. It is also important to establish the competitive advantages that an opportunity has over others. Entrepreneurs should consider diversification for financial continuity. References Anderson, A. R., Warren, L. (2011). The entrepreneur as hero and jester: Enacting the entrepreneurial discourse. International Small Business Journal, pp 589-609. Asoni, A. and Tino S. (2012). "Taxation and the quality of entrepreneurship." Audretsch, D. B., Grilo, I., Thurik, A. R. In: Audretsch, D. B., Grilo, I., Thurik, A. R. (2007) The Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship Policy, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Carree M. A., Thurik A. R. , Audretsch, D. B., Acs, Z. J. (2010) pp. 557594 The impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research, pp. 557594 Faria, J. R. (2014) "Entrepreneurship and business cycles: Technological innovations and unemployment" International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. Fristch, M., Kritikos, A., Pijnenburg, K. (2014) "Business cycles, unemployment and entrepreneurial entryEvidence from Germany" International Entrepreneurship and Management Grilo I., Thurik A. R. (2008) Determinants of entrepreneurial engagement levels in Europe and the US Industrial and Corporate Change, pp. 11131145 Henrekson, M., Sanadaji, T. (2014) "Small business activity does not measure entrepreneurship" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, pp. 17601765. Klein, P.G. (2008) Opportunity discovery, entrepreneurial action, and economic organization. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2(14), pp. 175-190. Koellinger, P. D., Thurik, A. R. (2012) "Entrepreneurship and the business cycle" Review of Economics and Statistics, pp. 11431156. Lamballais Tessensohn, T., Thurik, A. R., Braunerhjelm, P. (2012) "The relation between different kinds of nascent entrepreneurship and the business cycle" In Braunerhjelm, P. Entrepreneurship, Norms and the Business Cycle, rebro, Sweden: Swedish Entrepreneurship Mueller, S. (2012). The mature learner: understanding entrepreneurial learning processes of university students from a social constructivist perspective. Mueller, S., Anderson, A. R. (2014). Understanding the entrepreneurial learning process and its impact on students' personal development: A European perspective. The International Journal of Management Education, pp 500-511. Murnieks, Y., Mosakowski, E., Cardon, S. (2012). Pathways of passion: Identity centrality, passion, and behavior among entrepreneurs. Okkonen, L., and Suhonen, N. (2010) Business models of hearing entrepreneurship in Finland. Energy Policy, pp.3443-3452. Ollila, S. and K. Williams-Middleton (2011). "The venture creation approach: integrating entrepreneurial education and incubation at the University." International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, pp 161-178. Parker, S. C. (2012) "Theories of entrepreneurship, innovation and the business cycle" Journal of Economic Surveys, pp 377394.

Information Systems and Operations Management Essay Example

Information Systems and Operations Management Essay Please read the article: Zara: Fast fashion from savvy systems available for free at http://www. flatworldknowledge. com/pub/gallaugher/41128#pdf-7 This article makes up Chapter 1 of the free, open access book titled, Information Systems: A Managers Guide to Harnessing Technology, by John Gallaugher. Please ensure that you read the entire Chapter 1 of the book consisting of 3 parts (Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Don’t Guess, Gather Data; and Part 3 Moving Forward). Now answer the questions below: Question 1: The Zara case shows how information systems can impact every single management discipline. Which management disciplines were mentioned in this case and how does technology impact each? (50% of the total mark) The case study mentioned management disciplines including information gathering, processing, storing, distributing and use of information. Gather market information One of the successful factors in Zara is they know the market trends. Zara deploys the latest information technology tools to facilitate the information exchange and collect market data through both formal and informal channels – the PDA and POS systems. The Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) system Zara’s store managers were given personal digital assistants (PDAs) so they could gather customer input outside an office setting. The staff in Zara would regularly gather information from customers, such as the trend of fashion customers preferred and feedbacks of garment that they would like to see more in the shop. The range of information collected included colours, length and even small detail of the clothes were collected from customers through front line shop staff. We will write a custom essay sample on Information Systems and Operations Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Information Systems and Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Information Systems and Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Besides getting information directly from customers, they staff have another channel to gather customers’ preferences. The staff will investigate the unsold items that customers tried on but didn’t buy, to find out their preferences in cloth, color, or styles offered among the products in stock. The Point-of-sale (POS) system Besides the informal channel to gather customers needs (through conversations), the head office will collect information through a formal channel, the store’s point-of-sale (POS) system. This system is a transaction process that captures customer purchase information, in order to show how garments rank by sales. Since the POS system is linked with the PDA system, in less than an hour, managers can send updates that combine the hard data captured at the cash register with insights on what customers would like to see. Information on customer needs and trend information collected daily are fed into a database at head office regularly. The PDAs support the connection between the retail stores and head office. Each store managers are assigned with market specialists, they will communicate regularly through PDAs to transmit all kinds of information to head office. [1] Zara store management and staff use PDAs and POS systems to gather and analyze customer preference data to plan future designs based on feedback, rather than prediction. Data driven product development The data collected from PDA as well as POS system formed a valuable marketing database and provided data allows the design teams to plan styles and issue re-buy orders based on feedback rather than hunches and guesswork. The goal is to improve the frequency and quality of decisions made by the design and planning teams. The designers from â€Å"The Cube† follow evidence of customer demand. When they deign new garments or decide which kind of fabric, cut and price points to be used or modify existing designs, they will base on information from PDAs and POS rather than create trends by pushing new lines via advertisements or catwalk fashion shows. Vertically integrated value chain Inditex is a vertically integrated group, it owns several layers in its value chain. The distribution center in La Coruna equipped with up-to-date equipment for fabric dyeing and processing, cutting and garment finishing. The vertically integrated ability allows the group to response faster against the latest fashion trend including provide the appropriate for new lines. Zara’s IT expenditures are low by fashion industry standards. The spectacular benefits reaped by Zara from the deployment of technology have resulted from targeting technology investment at the points in the value chain where it has the greatest impact, and not from the sheer magnitude of the investment. This is in stark contrast to Prada’s experience with in-store technology deployment. Inventory control Zara uses Toyota-designed logistics system and overnight parcel services to manipulate items stocked in the five-million-square-foot distribution center in La Coruna, or a similar facility in Zaragoza in the northeast of Spain. About two and a half million items were handled every week and none of them stayed in the warehouses more than 3 days. Before sending to each store, clothes are ironed in advance and packed on hangers, with security and price tags fixed beforehand. This system helps staff in Zara utilize their time efficiently with the inventory during busy periods. Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT) The JIT approach to manufacturing involves timing the delivery of resources so that they arrive just when needed. Inventory optimization models help the firm determine how many of which items in which sizes should be delivered to each specific store during twice-weekly shipments, ensuring that each store is stocked with just what it needs. Trucks serve destinations that can be reached overnight, while chartered cargo flights serve farther destinations within forty-eight hours. And the firm can coordinate outbound shipment of all Inditex brands with return legs loaded with raw materials and half-finished clothes items from locations out-side of Spain thanks to the revised shipping models through Air France–KLM Cargo and Emirates Air. Zara’s products are manufactured for a limited production run. This approach encourages customers to buy right away and at full price. The constant parade of new, limited-run items also encourages customers to visit often. Staff allocation Headquarter of Zara uses software to arrange staff’s roster. The manpower is allocated based on each store’s forecasted sales volume, with locations staffing up at peak times such as lunch or early evening. The firm claims these more flexible schedules have shaved staff work hours by 2 percent. This constant refinement of operations throughout the firm’s value chain has helped reverse a prior trend of costs rising faster than sales. Zara’s combination of vertical integration and technology-orchestrated supplier coordination, just-in-time manufacturing, and logistics allows it to go from design to shelf in days instead of months. [pic] Question 2: Do you think information systems are a strategic liability for Zara? Give reasons. (50% of the total mark) Porter’s five forces analysis To understand the business condition of fashion industry, we need to use Porter’s five forces model. It is shown how the market behaved at the very beginning of the company according to the Porter’s 5 forces analysis. Bargaining Power of Suppliers This is how much pressure suppliers can place on a business. If one supplier has a large enough impact to affect a company’s margins and volumes, then they hold substantial power. †¢ There are many suppliers for raw material †¢ There are many substitutes †¢ Presence of substitute inputs †¢ The nature of the products allow to storage them long time, unless the trends conditions. Bargaining Power of customers This is how much pressure customers can place on a business. †¢ Switching to another (competitive) product is simple The product is not extremely important to the buyer; they can do without it for a period of time. †¢ Customers are price sensitive †¢ Buyer do not have switching costs †¢ Many availabilities of existing substitute products †¢ Buyer is price and style sensitive †¢ Low purchase volume per customer. †¢ Highly dynamic, customers preference changes frequently in short time Competi tive rivalry within an industry This describes the intensity of competition between existing firms in an industry. Garment industry is highly competitive generally earn low returns. For many industries, this is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing, etc. †¢ It is a mature industry with very little growth. Companies can only grow by stealing customers away from competitors. †¢ It has a lot competitors in the industry about the same size †¢ Little differentiation between competitors’ products and services. Key competitors include Gap,, Benetton, H, Forever 21 , etc. Pfeifer, (2008); Rohwedder and Johnson, (2008) H has increased the frequency of new items in stores, Forever 21 and Uniqlo get new looks within 6 weeks and Benetton, a firm that previously closed some 90 percent of US stores, now replenishes stores as fast as once a week †¢ The barriers to get out of the industry are low in distribution and high in manufacture †¢ Since the chances of clothes getting damaged before sold is very little, the storage costs would be low †¢ High manufacture costs because of high raw material cost and manpower cost Threat of new Entrants No distribution barriers to entrance because it only consists on low costs of renting a shop, no administrative restrictions, low initial capital to start †¢ Reduced reaction possibilities in front of new entrants †¢ In production, there are barriers for the existence of economies of scale. †¢ The start up capital needed is high †¢ Need time to build up relationship with supply chain and s uppliers Threat of substitute products What is the likelihood that someone will switch to a competitive product or service? If the cost of switching is low, then this poses to be a serious threat. Buyer can easily found substitute †¢ Relative price performance of substitutes †¢ Buyer switching costs is low †¢ Perceived level of product differentiation †¢ Fad and fashion †¢ Technology change and product innovation The main issue is the similarity of substitutes. For example, if the price of coffee rises substantially, a coffee drinker is likely to switch over to a beverage like tea because the products are so similar. If substitutes are similar, then it can be viewed in the same light as a new entrant. Zara’s success factors The success factors/ competitive advantages include always producing the style that customers are looking for, short production time from design stage and limited quantities. Information system plays strategic liability in the following: Collecting Market Data customer’s needs Product development JIT production Considering the information technology investment helping Zara to maintain it’s competitive advantages, it is strategic liability for the firm. [1] Zaras Secret for Fast Fashion, Kasra Ferdows, Michael A. Lewis and Jose A. D. Machuca (http://hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/4652. html)