Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Ted Huges Hawk Roosting Essay Example for Free

Ted Huges Hawk Roosting Essay Hughes uses animals in order to explore the nature of man. Discuss with reference to a poem from the anthology. Throughout the poems of Ted Hughes the theme of animals comes about. No more so in the poem hawk roosting. This poem explores the key aspects of human nature, both positive and negative. The theme is arrogance and the nasty side of nature. This is unlike his other poems such as work and play, which seems to show nature is better than human life. For example in the line â€Å"but the holiday people are laid out like wounded† of work and play. Hawk roosting has a negative perspective on nature because it uses such words as â€Å"death† and â€Å"kills and eat†. The poem is from the hawks perspective which allows the reader to empathises and relate to the hawk, for example it says â€Å"I sit top of the wood†. The use of the 1st person gives the reader the impression that the hawk may be arrogant, and in many ways possess the same qualities as a dictator e.g. â€Å"Earth’s face upward for my inspection† The use of the word my means he thinks he is above the world, in both ways. The hawk seems omnipotent and it shows arrogance. The hawk was a sign of Nazi Germany and with Ted Hughes born during world war 2, may be the reason he wants the hawk to be a item of arrogance and have the same traits as a dictator. The idea that if the reader were to replace the hawk, with a person, it would make little difference to the theme of the poem This shows that Ted is trying to say as in so many of his poems â€Å"harvest moon† â€Å"work and play† That both man and natures are closely inter-wound, and that animals and man alike can show the same mental and physical traits. The language used in the poem seems to show a lot of arrogance from bird to the rest of nature. It is set in the 1st person to show that the bird seems to be the only important thing in the woods, and everything else, including the world is benith him for example the line â€Å"

Monday, January 20, 2020

Calpine and Cisco Debate Over Coyote Valley :: Metcalf Energy Center Pollution Essays

Calpine and Cisco debate over Coyote Valley Throughout the years the technology industry has been growing with incredible speed expanding all over California. San Jose is known as the capital of Silicon Valley where major technology companies and start-ups call home. With fast spreading companies it is necessary to have enough power in San Jose to supply the increase in energy demand. Recently there was a plan proposed to the City of San Jose by Calpine Corporation to build a power plant in Coyote Valley. Nearby residents and several other organizations, including Mayor Ron Gonzales, are against this plan due to environmental hazards and safety precautions with schools and residents. It is possible the power plant can bring to San Jose several positive outcomes that will help develop the city into the center of the technology world. Although the power plant sounds like it would benefit San Jose by creating jobs and providing energy, the Metcalf Energy Center can cause severe consequences to the city in the future. The power plant is expected to bring more jobs to San Jose during the construction phase. â€Å"This project also promises to save customers in California up to $1.8 billion dollars by 2010† (Levey 1) . There certainly is a very high demand in power with the growing technology industry. The state of California fears that if the power plant is not built there will be a shortage of power in the state. â€Å"If the San Jose City Council decides not to rezone land for the project, the state could take the unprecedented step of overriding a community's opposition to a new power plant. California has faced persistent power shortages this year. And state analysts already have recommended approving the project† (Levey 1) . If Calpine get approval to begin constructing the power plant, San Jose will have several problems in the future. Ethical Issues Is it ethical to build a power plant that will pollute the air and possibly hurt the health of nearby residents? If the power plant is built in San Jose there are people who say that the environment would rapidly degrade the South Bay. City officials are questioning whether the 600-megawatt power plant will give off small amounts of pollutants. Calpine and Cisco Debate Over Coyote Valley :: Metcalf Energy Center Pollution Essays Calpine and Cisco debate over Coyote Valley Throughout the years the technology industry has been growing with incredible speed expanding all over California. San Jose is known as the capital of Silicon Valley where major technology companies and start-ups call home. With fast spreading companies it is necessary to have enough power in San Jose to supply the increase in energy demand. Recently there was a plan proposed to the City of San Jose by Calpine Corporation to build a power plant in Coyote Valley. Nearby residents and several other organizations, including Mayor Ron Gonzales, are against this plan due to environmental hazards and safety precautions with schools and residents. It is possible the power plant can bring to San Jose several positive outcomes that will help develop the city into the center of the technology world. Although the power plant sounds like it would benefit San Jose by creating jobs and providing energy, the Metcalf Energy Center can cause severe consequences to the city in the future. The power plant is expected to bring more jobs to San Jose during the construction phase. â€Å"This project also promises to save customers in California up to $1.8 billion dollars by 2010† (Levey 1) . There certainly is a very high demand in power with the growing technology industry. The state of California fears that if the power plant is not built there will be a shortage of power in the state. â€Å"If the San Jose City Council decides not to rezone land for the project, the state could take the unprecedented step of overriding a community's opposition to a new power plant. California has faced persistent power shortages this year. And state analysts already have recommended approving the project† (Levey 1) . If Calpine get approval to begin constructing the power plant, San Jose will have several problems in the future. Ethical Issues Is it ethical to build a power plant that will pollute the air and possibly hurt the health of nearby residents? If the power plant is built in San Jose there are people who say that the environment would rapidly degrade the South Bay. City officials are questioning whether the 600-megawatt power plant will give off small amounts of pollutants.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Billabong Analysis

Billabong International Limited is an Australian based clothing company that established its business in 1980’s and expanded internationally through its franchises and acquisitions. The business is engaged in the marketing, distribution, wholesaling and retailing of apparel, eyewear, accessories, wetsuits and hard goods in the boardsports sector under the Billabong, Element, Von Zipper, Honolua Surf, Kustom, Palmers Surf, Xcel, Tigerlily, Sector 9 and RVCA brands (Billabongbiz, 2013). The company is headquartered in Queensland, Australia with 6,000 employees and they operate across many countries such as Australia, North America, Europe, Japan and the rest of  the world.Billabong has emerged a number of sports and youth labels such as RVCA, and Surjection (Billabongbiz, 2013). They continue to expand their brand image by sponsoring promotional events and some of the athletes. The rival brands of Billabong are Quicksilver and Rip Curl as these companies are iconic surf brands . In order to perform Billabong International Limited effectively, the board of directors are structured into six non-executive directors, two executive directors and the chairman who are responsible for the shareholders of Billabong. However, due to recent recession, the new CEO, Launa Inman, has been appointed.2 – Financial AnalysisThe profitability performance of Billabong International Limited is not effective as it is -45.71% in Q2, 2013 (Google Finance, 2013). Similarly, net profit margin of the company is -50.72% which represents the profit after subtracting the indirect expenses. Overall profit performance is showing a negative sign and the firm have experienced shrinking sales and rising debts. However, with respect to gross profit margin, it shows a positive figure as it amounts to 50.21% in Q2, 2013.This shows that the profitability after accounting for the cost of goods sold is good and highly effective for the company, but the negative net profit implies that the indirect expenses of the company are significantly higher. The plans of the company are to focus on its core brands in the next four years, cut styles by 15% and achieve improvement in its supply chain for both the wholesale and retail operations2.1 Identification and evaluation of Billabong’s global strategyThe marketing mix helps a business to determine its sales and finally determine the success or failure of a business. For this reason, it is the most essential element of business when determining a marketing plan. Billabong International Limited makes broad use of the marketing mix in their marketing plan.Billabong International Limited has diversified their product range not only  related to surfing. Their positioning strategy is a high quality, high priced, fashionable product. Billabong gains customer satisfaction by offering quality products that is not vulnerable or ruined easily despite the harsh conditions of many of their products intended uses, such as swimme rs, skis and snowboards. Billabong has been successful in making brand images by appealing as an internationally known for professional surfing, and through its wave logo and sponsorship of international events.By doing this, it has not only gained international markets, however it has also become a prestige and status symbol for its target market. The product and positioning of Billabongs products is the most important element in its marketing mix as it ensures the long term survival of the company and continued high sales. By meeting customer demand, positioning itself as a well-known and trusted brand with a vast amount of prestige it has ensured that sales remain high.2.1.2 PromotionBillabong uses a strong promotion mix to highlight and reinforce its image and product. A combination of an interactive website, promotional magazines and flyers, personal in store selling and strong public relations through both sponsorship of sporting events and famous athlete using Billabong produ cts have generated a strong brand images amongst its industry. Billabongs sponsorship of international sporting events and sporting stars also helps to promote their brand not only in Australia but also on the international market as well.2.1.3 PriceBillabong uses a competition-based pricing method in which it sets its prices at a similar level to those of its competitors to ensure that their customers will not wish to buy the cheaper products. However, Billabong is awkwardly positioned between Rip Curl and Quicksilver. Especially wetsuits and women’s jeans are higher than Quicksilver’s. They rarely use below market value pricing to avoid creating a image of less prestigious products.Surf brands – Average price comparison(Source: EDITD, 2013)2.1.4 PlaceBillabong uses various methods to ensure that their product reaches the market place. With stores in more than 100 countries Billabong uses wholesalers to ensure that their products reach the retailers. Billabongs positioning also comes into effect with place as it must ensure that its product remains out of discount and department stores and remains only in specialty stores. Because of this Billabong has adopted an exclusive distribution network where the product is only available in specialty surf shops.2.2 – SWOT AnalysisA business can implement a SWOT analysis to decide which marketing strategy to apply.2.3 – Current Target MarketBillabong is a brand which offers various types of products designed to accommodate various lifestyles. Their extensive product ranges are for surfers, boarders, beach lovers, and the sensible fashion people. Even though it is difficult to identify comprehensive characteristics of this industry, the majority of consumers are males and females who are aged between 14 and 29. (Goldcoast, 2013)According to Australian Business Solution (2011), there are an increasing number of casual dress codes at Australian workplaces and social gatherings which has led to a high demand for affordable and modern look at workplaces. Billabong’s new casual-line is aiming to meet such demand and targeting office workers.Due to Billabong’s sports image, it has been entrenched in consumers’ mind especially among teenagers and youths. When these consumers grow older, they will be pleased to see Billabong to provide expanded casual-line offering to meet their new needs. The new product line is a modern, up-scale look but also inexpensive casual dress codes at workplaces. Therefore, it will better resonate with age group 25 to 39 years old who have built careers and gained stronger buying power.2.4 – Reasons for Billabong’s international expansionAustralia has small population compare to other regions that place significant restrictions on its total sales revenue and Billabong’s future objectives. Billabong’s expansion helped to boost their total sales revenue by over 70% in 2003-04. Increase in sales ha s also allowed the firm to lower its production cost by achieving economies of scale and lower risks. In 2003, Billabong adapted video conference technology in order to make the communication and exchange of ideas across the world for its overseas offices easier.Furthermore, by working in more than 100 countries obtained cushion impacts of the entry of a new competitor and economic cycle into any of their industries. Global expansion supported the extension product life cycle for numerous products and easier access to resources and technology.3. Identification and evaluation of the external environmentTo better understand Billabong’s global expansion strategy, both Porters Five Forces and a PESTEL analysis will be undertaken.3.1 – Porters Five Forces3.1.1 The CompetitionSince 1970s, there was a significant rising popularity of the beach and surfing, and then three major companies (Billabong, Quicksilver and Rip Curl) have become a symbolic of surfing. These brands mana ge to establish strong credibility within surfing subculture and it was also equally consumable by non-surfers who identified with the lifestyle. In the 1990s and 2000s, Billabong started to aggressively pursue international expansion by emerging sports and youth labels such as RVCA and Nixon watches to gain market share. However, in 2012, there was a significant loss of $287m. (Billabongbiz, 2013)3.1.2 New EntrantsThere is still room for a new entrant as the global demand for surfing apparel is expected to remain strong. For instance, Hollister – Abercrombie & Fitch started off with a local manufacture that successfully moved into surfing clothes and retailing. Moreover, smaller brands like Byron Bay label, Afends has dramatically grown in the last decades by selling its  products through independent and online stores. Afrends gained reputations among young surfers and skaters from Australia and California.3.1.3 Suppliers PowerAs Billabong has become an internationally wel l-known brand, they outsource its manufacturing by using small to mid-sized companies in order to keep economies of scale. Billabong uses Hong Kong as the central sourcing division to provide most of its products to Australia and New Zealand. These suppliers have no bargaining powers.3.1.4 Consumers PowerDue to the size of Australia population, consumers actually have not enough bargaining power. However, to the global extent, consumers are likely to find other tailors which would provide products that would be cheaper than existing ones.3.1.5 Product SubstitutesAccording to the Urban Market Research (UMR) survey, findings indicate that Nike (13%) has overtaken the lead from Billabong (10%) as the best choice for Australia’s youth. Other rival brands such as Quicksilver and Rip Curl have also expanded their popularity. Young females prefer ‘disposable fashion’ with affordable price such retailers like Cotton on and Supre. Country Road and Colorado would be other substitutes for Billabong, but it has different quality and style compare to Billabong.3.2 – Industry Analysis3.3 – PESTEL Analysis3.3.1 – Political factorsBenefit from the worldwide trade barriers which allowed exportation procedures much easier for Billabong International Limited to other regions. The rate of import duty decreased from 17.5% in 2005 to 10% in 2010 as the Australian governments maintained tariff barriers for protecting the domestic clothing and manufacturing industry. (Wellers, S., 2007) The announcement of bilateral trade agreements by World Trade Orgainisation  (WTO) has affected Billabong International Limited. Since 2005, all Australian businesses required to produce their financial reports to International Financial Reporting Standards. Hence, it makes easier for Australian accounting standards into global practices and cost of implementation was significant.3.3.2 – Economic factorsThe growing popularity of surfing and skateboardi ng has been impacted by improvement in standard of living and the consumer spending power. As Billabong International’s products are distributed in more than 100 countries and the majority of the revenue is generated by other regions, the firm is continually influenced by fluctuations in currency. Every each year, value of earnings has shown loss when it was reported in Australian dollars. From the global point of view, Billabong’s global expansion was encouraged by its high incomes from Asia and South America that enabled to create new markets.3.3.3 – Social factorsBillabong’s brand awareness has been influenced by the growing popularity of surfing and skateboarding among the broader community. Identifying customer tastes were depends on various types of traditions and cultures. For instance, U.S preferred bright colours products while Australia preferred faded and weather beaten colours. Complications in writing contracts with different languages have e ncouraged the firm’s ability to operate in global markets. – errors on contracts could lead to future conflicts. Difference in oragnisational culture and practices on different regions are their major concerns. For instance, Australia has relaxed working environment while U.S and Japan are more intense. Further, European countries are imposed on limiting working hours by governments.3.3.4 – Technological factorsCable television and internet has attracted millions of new customers in surfing and skateboarding which helped Billabong’s products market towards a wider customer base. E-commerce has simplified the logistical and oragnisational difficulties when operating a global business.3.3.5 – Environmental factorsConsumers pay more attention on environmentally friendly products – source of materials, where materials are sourced, and whether production processes have negative impacts on the environment.3.3.6 – Legal factorBillabong ensur es to protect intellectual property rights issues such as brand logo, names and trademarks from unauthorised piracy.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Essay about Reagan and Gorbachev - 806 Words

Reagan and Gorbachev During his first term, Reagan denounced the pre-Gorbachev Soviet Union as an evil empire. The Cold War took place between the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from the mid 1940’s to the early 1990s. It was a â€Å"cold war† in the sense that there was never any military engagement between the US and the USSR, but during the Cold War both superpowers invested in many different weapons. The Cold War finally started to wind down in the late 1980’s due to Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev’s cooperation. In 1971, Mikhail Gorbachev had been chosen to the Key Panel, which was comprised of chosen international team members that produced selections for that Party as well as have been in†¦show more content†¦To the immense big amaze of each gent’s agents, the 2 agreed in theory in order to be able for you to help getting rid of INF methods through Europe and to equivalent worldwide restrictions associated with A hundred INF rocket payloads. Additionally they essentially arranged in principle to eliminate just about almost most nuclear weapons at 10 years (by 1996), rather than through the 2000 such as Gorbachevs original summarize. Ongoing believe in problems, specifically over relation and Presidents Strategic Security Effort (SDI), resulted in the actual peak is frequently thought to be a failure because of not less than making a concrete floor contract instantly, or for leading to a staged removal of nuclear guns. Ultimately, nevertheless, this could climax in the signi ng from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987, following Gorbachev acquired suggested this particular removal in 22 This summer 1987. Ronald Reagan recognized the modification toward the actual Soviet management having Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as now uses diplomacy, having a view in order to be able for you to help motivate the particular Soviet leader to go after significant arms contracts. Reagans personal objective was to attain a global free from atomic power weapons, that he or this individual regarded as completely unreasonable, completely inhumane, great for just eliminating, possibly destructive associatedShow MoreRelatedThe Defining Era Of Summits : Reagan And Gorbachev1547 Words   |  7 PagesThe Defining Era of Summits: Reagan Gorbachev No era of Summitry was as eventful as that of Reagan and Gorbachev’s. 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