En - French Preposition

The French preposition en is nearly always used directly in front of a noun with no article, or after certain verbs. Uses of en Before a Noun En can mean any of the following: Location il est en prison - he is in jailjhabite en banlieue - I live in the suburbs Time  (en vs dans) en aoà »t - in Augusten trois jours - in three daysen semaine - during the week To do something like or as Je te parle en ami - Im speaking to you as a friendIl agit en enfant - Hes acting like a kid Means voyager en train - to travel by trainrentrer en taxi - to return by taxi Condition or appearance à ªtre en bonne santà © - to be in good healthà ªtre en guerre - to be at warà ªtre en pyjama - to be in pajamas Transformation traduire en franà §ais - to translate into Frenchse dà ©guiser en... - to disguise oneself as...transformer une salle en bureau - to change a room into an office Material un pull en laine - wool sweaterune maison en brique - brick house Verbs with en The French preposition  en  is required after certain verbs when they are followed by a noun. agir  en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to act  like / asavoir  confiance  en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to trustcasser  en  (morceaux,  trois)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to break in(to) (pieces, two)se  changer  en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to change intoconvertir  (quelque  chose) en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to convert (something) intocouper en  (deux, cinq)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to cut in (two, five pieces)croire  en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to believe inse  dà ©guiser  en  Ã‚  Ã‚  to disguise oneself asà ©crire en  (franà §ais, ligne)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to write (in French,  on line)mesurer en  (mà ¨tres)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to measure in (meters)se  mettre  en colà ¨re  Ã‚  Ã‚  to get madse  mettre  en route  Ã‚  Ã‚  to set outpartir  en  (guerre)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to leave for (war)partir  en  (voiture)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to leave by/in (car)traduire en  (franà §ais)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to translate into (French)transformer  qqch  en  (qqch)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to change s.t. into (s.t.)se  vendre  en  (bouteilles)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to be sold in (bottles)voyag er en  (train, taxi)  Ã‚  Ã‚  to travel by (train, taxi)

The Hot August Night Inside The Echo Essay - 1914 Words

There is the smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and sweat in the air. It is about 10 PM on a hot August night inside the Echo in Los Angeles. People are packed inside the small music venue waiting as band roadies set up the stage with speakers, microphones, electric guitars, electric bass guitars, and a drum set. Groups of black-clothed or stud, patch, and chain laden people are scattered about; an eager, almost impatient energy dominates the venue’s atmosphere. There is a thumbs up exchange between venue crew members and the lights go off, leaving only bright and colorful stage lights shining on the empty stage. The audience erupts with cheers as four middle-aged men walk on stage. They get in their places and moments later, fast-paced, messy, distortion-heavy music blasts from the stage and speakers. The singer growls, â€Å"I wanna kick in the radio/ I wanna bomb the record store/ I say, destroy all music!† The audience goes wild and a large circle pit immediately forms i n the middle of the venue. Youths and adults alike are running around, slamming into, and aggressively pushing each other in the circle pit. Some people climb on stage and dive into the crowd. All negativity, stress, obligations, and personal afflictions of the people inside the Echo fly out its doors. The band performing was Los Angeles punk rock band the Weirdos. The audience consisted of punk fans. The punk music genre, subculture, and style is often times ignored, ridiculed, or portrayed as a fad that youngShow MoreRelated African Music of the Rastafari, the Rasta Community, the Dreads4350 Words   |  18 Pagescelebrated are the coronation of his Imperial majesty (November 2), his majesty’s ceremonial birthday (January 6), his visit to Jamaica (April 25, 1966), his majesty’s personal birthday (July 23, 1892), Emancipation from slavery (August 1), and Marcus Garvey’s birthday (August 17). This ritual of Rastafari, also known as a grounation, first took place in Jamaica in March of 1958. This was the first nationwide Rasta convention in the home of Rastafari. Grounation means the affirmation of life throughRead MorePersonal Narrative Letter Essay10525 Words   |  43 PagesWolliso better, and it is rumored that the woman who runs the one-room, one-desk, one- drawer post office has lived in the States and speaks impeccable English. The door to the post office is locked, but through the slats I can see that someone is inside and I can hear the English-language radio station broadcasting the news that Haile Gebre Selassie, the Olympic runner, has just been in a car accident in Addis. The hours are posted: 8-12 and 1:30-6. Since it is 9:30, I take the liberty to knockRead MoreThe Ballad of the Sad Cafe46714 Words   |  187 Pagesplaces in the world. The nearest train stop is Society City, and the Greyhound and White Bus Lines use the Forks Falls Road which is three miles away. The winters here are short and raw, the summers white with glare and fiery hot. If you walk along the main street on an August afternoon there is nothing whatsoever to do. The largest building, in the very center of the town, is boarded up completely and leans so far to the right that it seems bound to collapse at any minute. The house is very old.Read MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing9183 Words   |  37 Pagesmustache. 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Citrullus lanatus (Watermelon) By Abrefa Danquah Jones from Ghana - abrefad@yahoo.com - 1.1. Common Name Ibarra, Wild Watermelon A relative ofRead MoreEating Disorders and Free Essays8687 Words   |  35 Pagesyou study and criticize every last inch of your body as the words â€Å"fat, ugly, worthless† echo in your head. You then stagger to the bathroom, using the wall to hold you up. You don’t remember the last time you ate a â€Å"normal† meal. Stepping on the scale will determine your mood for the day. If it has decreased since yesterday, you have succeeded; if it has stayed the same, or worse, gone up, those voices inside your head become stronger, telling you how useless you are.... [tags: Health Eating DisordersRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pagesthe work and to see it through the Press during his furlough in English. On August 1st, 1917, the ship in which he was travelling with his wife was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland and the Archdeacon lost his life, and the MSS., together with his baggage, disappeared. Towards the end of August a fisherman found the bo x containing the MSS on the shore near Towyn, Wales, where it had been washed up. He found a letter inside with an address, to which he sent the MSS, and in this way they came into theRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pages1990s, drug-dealing in its most ugly sense had become part of the dance culture. Palumbo recalled: When I came into this business, with my bonuses and my nice City suits, I was completely naà ¯ve. Just a joke. I found that every Friday and Saturday night my door was taking  £30,000 and the security team was making  £40,000 on Ecstasy. It happens everywhere in the UK leisure business. There are all these fat bastards running chains of discos and bowling alleys, and none of them admits it. 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It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom. (Moorehead, n.d.) This book is built on the presumption that developing management

Customer and Ikea Free Essays

An overview IKEA, founded in Sweden in 1943, is the World’s largest home furnishings retail chain. It achieved international expansion in three major phases and now operates large warehouse showrooms in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. It also has smaller stores in some other countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Customer and Ikea or any similar topic only for you Order Now IKEA’s mission is to offer a wide variety, good design and good values for â€Å"young people of all ages†.The furnishings giant has remained determined to maintain a standardised product strategy — which still remains the core of the IKEA approach. By following the approach, IKEA maintains a predominantly universally accepted product range with local minor adaptations. IKEA’s mission is to offer a wide variety, good design, good value, for â€Å"young people of all ages†. The furnishings giant has remained determined to maintain a standardised product strategy. IKEA itself does not own manufacturing facilities. The manufacturers are subcontracted.And it only owns distribution and designs furniture. This allows IKEA to follow a cost leadership strategy through high volume production and standardised items. IKEA consumers expected to supply their time for assembling work after purchase, thus becoming a part of the IKEA concept becoming â€Å"prosumers†. 2. 1Case Question: What has allowed IKEA to be successful with a relatively standardised product and product line in a business with strong cultural influence? Did adaptations to this strategy in the North American market constitute a defeat to their approach?The key reason behind IKEA’s breakout success was because if its customer focused approach. The focus on customers’ needs has been achieved because they were not selling through dealers. This allowed them obtain feedback directly from customers. Moreover, IKEA does not deem itself as just a retailer. But rather, it operates as a central hub of a number of services. According to the case, the customers in the countries IKEA entered through international expansion were not tied to traditional furniture image. Rather, they preferred good value, simplicity and the idea of contributing by giving their time in assembling stage. IKEA’s strategy to provide a wide variety available at one place with the assurance that customers would find something suitable, nice and simple as well as practical and of good value drew huge amounts of customers. The perceived wide variety of designs and good quality were also appealing factors. The concept was easy to promote worldwide. A catalogue with layout with minor adjustments to meet regional differences was used.Combined effects from all these practices contributed to the making of IKEA’s â€Å"universally accepted† formula. IKEA in the USA While IKEA entered the US market in 1985, it was greeted with limited success. It later planned more expansion in 1987. Some compromises – namely with the Europe’s standardised product strategy – had to be adapted for the US. Other adaptations were also made in service delivery and processes to meet the customers’ expectations. Despite the alterations, IKEA’s streamlined and contemporary â€Å"Scandinavian† style also remained mostly unchanged.Economies of scale were still being achieved. The key characteristics that defined the IKEA concept were therefore preserved. Rather, initial hiccup in the US market taught the global furniture giant to be more flexible and adapt to the local tastes when needed. Therefore, it can be argued that minor adaptations do not amount to a defeat to IKEA’s original approach. 2. 2Case question: Which features of the â€Å"young people of all ages† are universal and can be exploited by a global/regional strategy?The characteristics of the â€Å"Young people of all ages† stand out as universal are the contemporary, modern and innovative designs targeted towards the customers who are â€Å"young† at heart; who are not tied to the traditional image of typical furniture designs, relative to their cultures. Exploiting these characteristics with a global/regional strategy is the core of IKEA Concept. Relative to their domestic markets the perceptions can be more or less easily matched with their expectations; hence, there can be some minor regional differences in how these globally shared features can be exploited.IKEA tries to find its customer base in consumers who perceive themselves as practical, modern or non-traditional or a mix of all those at the same time. Rather than being tied down to the traditional furniture image and designs relative to their culture, they are more inclined to prefer designs that are â€Å"good†, â€Å"modern† and â€Å"streamlined† — exactly what IKEA offers in its collections. In their minds, simplicity and practicality are likely to be of much greater importance than â€Å"traditional†. Willingness to contribute time/work in order to gain in achieving a better value is another feature shared universally for this type of customer.The whole experience of IKEA shopping includes viewing, evaluating, choosing, pick-up and self-delivery, self-assembly and finishing work, which also encompasses the other, associated choice of convenient facilities (i. e. kids playing area, Swedish restaurant etc). All that combined produces the experience perceived by this type of customers as more modern, creative and interesting than the â€Å"traditional† choice. 2. 3Case question: Is IKEA destined to succeed everywhere it cares to establish itself? IKEA’s probability of success in different settings would depend on how flexible this concept is in various different countries’ conditions.Entering the US market was a big lesson for the furniture giant. It had to compromise its universal standards to draw American customers. While the IKEA concept was only slightly modified without compromising the original formula, the organisations may have to be more flexible in other regions. Considering IKEA’s experience at the US market, it would be a reasonable to argue that taking this concept further and further globally would have limitations that could not be easily met everywhere. A good example of the case would be if a certain price for a bed is considered as a good† in the USA or in the UK market, the same product would have to be sold at a lower price in some other countries in order to match the similar customer expectat ions. Furthermore, more furniture can be locally produced thus increasing the flexibility of this aspect but this might appear as stretching the universally standardised assortment element of the IKEA concept. To preserve the original formula whilst maintaining the profitability as a measurement of success, it would be vital for IKEA to establish a critical mass of potential customers.It would not only be important for these customers to like the concept, but also to be able to afford it and perceive it as â€Å"good† value. Therefore, in most developed countries, the IKEA concept may succeed. However, to expect the same amount of success for countries with erratic economic situation, extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates, hyperinflation or with rigid importing quotas and restrictions. The problem would also apply to countries where the local people holds high values for traditional furniture designs that would be different from those of IKEA’s.All the above scenarios point towards the fact that the retail chain can have more chances of success if the IKEA concept is slightly modified at a regional level when required. However, this may potentially make them depart further from their original formula that marked its initial success. In conclusion, IKEA’s original formula can be preserved in most countries worldwide with or without minor modifications. However, it would be unreasonable to expect the same approach to be successful everywhere. Of course, crossing that line may be another way to achieve global success but may divert the organisation from the original concept. How to cite Customer and Ikea, Papers

Social Security Benefits

Question: Write an essay on Social Security. Answer: The above article is succinct and to the point. It makes use of simple language for readers to understand. Additionally, it provides a detailed overview of the benefits of social security. For instance, the article points out that social security helps physically challenged workers, older Americans, and families in which the parent or the spouse has succumbed to death (Social Security Administration, 2016). Besides, the article explains in detail how the social security system operates. The social security system works in such a way that when individuals are working, they are mandated to pay taxes into the system so that the money can be used to benefit various people in the society. Such people include retired individuals, physically challenged people, individuals who depend on the beneficiaries and survivors of employees who have succumbed to death (Social Security Administration, 2016). The good thing with social security is that any person is eligible as long as he/she is working and capable of paying taxes into the system. Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicare at a Glance The above article provides a detailed analysis of Medicare so that readers can comprehend how it works and its structures formation. The article starts by defining Medicare so that readers can understand the content of the paper. For instance, as a federal health insurance program, Medicare was established in 1965 to help individuals aged 65 and above, irrespective of their medical history or income (Fact Sheet, 2014). Apart from the definition, the article also provides the structure of the Medicare program including Part A, B, C, D and the group of people and services it covers. Part A of the Medicare program comprises of hospice care, home health visits and skilled nursing facility stays. Part B of the Medicare covers home health visits, preventive services, outpatient services, and physician services. However, those who are entitled to these benefits are subjected to cost sharing and to deductibles (Fact Sheet, 2014). Part C, on the other hand, provides individuals with an opport unity to register for a private health plan including Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Once individuals are registered with these private health plans, they are automatically entitled to benefits that Medicare covers in Part A and Part B including Part D benefits. Some of the benefits that Part D offers patients with include outpatient prescription drugs, including Medicare Advantage drug plans and stand-alone prescription drug plans (Kolber, 2009). However, enrollment in this program is voluntary whereby individuals are mandated to pay monthly fees and for prescriptions, cost sharing is encouraged. The program also provides beneficiaries, to be precise those with modest assets and low incomes, with financial assistance. Despite the benefits that Medicare provides to its enrollees, it faces various challenges. Some of these challenges include increasing out-of-pocket costs, increased spending resulting in other programs being affected such as education, defense, environmental protection, and health and safety (PBS, 2010). Regardless of the challenges, Medicare needs to be improved and strengthened because it is enhancing the quality of care provided to patients. Through the Affordable Care Act, a majority of Americans can access quality and affordable care. References Fact Sheet. (2014). Medicare at a Glance. Retrieved from, https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/1066-17-medicare-at-a-glance.pdf Kolber, M.S. (2009). Opacity and Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Medicare Coverage Decisions: Health Policy Encounters Administrative Law. Food Drug Law Journal, 64(3):515-530. PBS. (2010). Challenges Facing Medicare. Retrieved from, https://www-tc.pbs.org/now/classroom/challenges.pdf Social Security Administration. (2016). Social Security Understanding the Benefits. Retrieved from, https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10024.pdf

Ping-Pong Ball Bounces Essay Example

Ping-Pong Ball Bounces Paper This section is mainly based on putting my planning into action, hence all of the practical work and not a lot of written work. The averages in the table are recorded to the nearest cm. Observations My results table shows that as the height of the drop increases, so does the average bounce. This is illustrated in the table whereby at 50cm the average bounce height is 36. 6cm, and then at 120cm the average bounce height is 75. 2cm. If I take away the height of drop from the height of bounce I can see that for each height the energy lost in sound and heat is fairly similar each time the ball is dropped. Height of Drop (cm) Potential Energy. (J) Kinetic Energy (J) 50 1200 1200 60 1440 1440 70 1680 1680 80 1920 1920 90 2160 2160 100 2400 2400 110 2640 2640 120 2880 2880 I can see from my table on potential and kinetic energy that as the height increases the potential energy increases and as this increases so does the kinetic energy as more energy is been converted. Analysis My graph has a straight line of best fit, which suggests that my results are proportional. This means that whatever happens to one factor, it does the same to the other. In my experiment, as I increased the height of the drop, the height of the bounce increased as well; therefore my prediction was correct. This trend occurred, because the higher the ball was dropped the more potential energy it had. When the ball was dropped the potential energy was converted into kinetic energy and since energy can neither be created or destroyed, only converted it will move at a faster speed; therefore when the ball hit the bench some of the energy was transformed into sound and heat. The energy left after impact and the fact that the upward force is dominating the downward force causes the ball to be forced back up into the air. The more kinetic energy at the bottom, the more can be converted back into potential energy, therefore the ball bounces higher. We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are no obvious anomalous results and there is strong positive correlation between the height of the drop and the height of the bounce, as the points are fairly close to the line of best fit. Evaluation My experiment went reasonably well and efficiently, due to the plan that I had drawn up beforehand. I received fairly reliable results from which I drew a firm conclusion. I would not alter the amount of results next time as I managed to gain a maximum outcome in the time selected. I think that the experiment was fair to some extent, because I controlled all other identified variables and only varied the height. However there were some problems that occurred, which fortunately did not affect the results dramatically; therefore there were no anomalies. I can see from my plan that I conducted a fair test, whereby I used a ruler as a marker each time to help in gaining more reliable results, I repeated the experiment three times and took five readings for each height, I kept the angle of the ruler constant each time, I used the same equipment each time, I kept the mass and the temperature constant each time and I dropped the ball on the same surface each time. The problems that occurred when doing this experiment were those, the ball didnt bounce in a straight line some of the time; therefore it was difficult to receive good readings. This was most likely to have been caused by the wooden bench being uneven and I could restrict this from occurring next time by using a spirit level. The results could have also been affected slightly, because there could have been a crack on the section of the bench where the ball was dropped. I could varnish the bench next time so that there arent going to be any cracks that are liable to affect the results next time. The ruler that I used as a marker was not as efficient as using a light beam or a video camera, because by using a light beam I would have been able to read off the readings more accurately and with a video camera I could record the experiment and then use pause to freeze the picture and then read off the values. I could extend my investigation further by doing the experiment again, under exactly the same conditions, but this time I would investigate how a different mass of ping-pong ball affects how high it bounces. Even though I havent varied the mass in this present experiment, by doing this extended investigation I can determine how mass may be another major factor, which might affect how high a ping-pong ball bounces. Accordingly I can progress further in this area of physics and this will help me in my understanding of this subject.

Free Essays on Ted Turner Biography

Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 19, 1938. When Turner was nine years old he and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. Turner then attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1948 to 1956. He then went on to receive a degree from Brown University, where he was vice president of the Debating Union and commodore of the Yacht Club. It was here that Turner began exercising his substantial negotiating skills that helped him become the media mogul he is today. Just recently in 1999, he was elected to Brown University's board of directors. Ted’s career in media originated with his father Edward Turner whom developed a successful billboard company known as Turner Advertising Companies. Although prosperous, Edward Turner was ultimately a depressed advertising executive. Unfortunately his depression led to his suicide in 1963 leaving Ted at age 24 the new COO of Turner Advertising Companies. As the new COO of Turner Advertising Companies, Ted first renegotiates a deal his father was about to decline prior to his death in order to expand the company. As a result of Turner’s aggressive expansion techniques, Turner Advertising Companies becomes the number one billboard company in the south and fifth in the country within five years as COO. However, growth in this segment was not enough for Ted as ideas to expand the company in to other areas of the media soon followed. In 1968, Ted acquired a small radio station in Chattanooga seeing it as an opportunity for a billboard on the airwaves. He then continued to purchase more billboards that advertised his station resulting in more tuners tuning in to listen. Enjoying the synergy of his new advertising mediums Turner went on to purchase another radio station and learn a very crucial lesson in business. Ted for the first time hesitated and thought about his acquisition of the new radio station resulting in the loss of the sale to someone else. Realizing ... Free Essays on Ted Turner Biography Free Essays on Ted Turner Biography Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 19, 1938. When Turner was nine years old he and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. Turner then attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1948 to 1956. He then went on to receive a degree from Brown University, where he was vice president of the Debating Union and commodore of the Yacht Club. It was here that Turner began exercising his substantial negotiating skills that helped him become the media mogul he is today. Just recently in 1999, he was elected to Brown University's board of directors. Ted’s career in media originated with his father Edward Turner whom developed a successful billboard company known as Turner Advertising Companies. Although prosperous, Edward Turner was ultimately a depressed advertising executive. Unfortunately his depression led to his suicide in 1963 leaving Ted at age 24 the new COO of Turner Advertising Companies. As the new COO of Turner Advertising Companies, Ted first renegotiates a deal his father was about to decline prior to his death in order to expand the company. As a result of Turner’s aggressive expansion techniques, Turner Advertising Companies becomes the number one billboard company in the south and fifth in the country within five years as COO. However, growth in this segment was not enough for Ted as ideas to expand the company in to other areas of the media soon followed. In 1968, Ted acquired a small radio station in Chattanooga seeing it as an opportunity for a billboard on the airwaves. He then continued to purchase more billboards that advertised his station resulting in more tuners tuning in to listen. Enjoying the synergy of his new advertising mediums Turner went on to purchase another radio station and learn a very crucial lesson in business. Ted for the first time hesitated and thought about his acquisition of the new radio station resulting in the loss of the sale to someone else. Realizing ...

Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years Essay

Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years - Essay Example hem, however the wealthy Europeans used Pewter plates which were high in lead content , the tomato due to its high acidity would leach the lead from the plate resulting to the numerous lead poisoning deaths.In Europe it was classified as â€Å"deadly nightshade † that contained toxins called tropane alkanoids as put by Adrew f Smith. Pietro Andrae referred to it as the golden apple and a nightshade . As the tomato popularity increased ,there was a period in time in which the plantations were infested the green tomato worm, with a length of three to four inches and a horn sticking out of it back.a man named Dr.Fuller claimed the worm was a poisonous rattlesnake that was very reactant to the skin , claiming that contact with the worm would lead to eventual death, however an entomologist Benjamin Walsh cleared all possible misconceptions highlighting that the worm was just but a mere worm that fed on tomato leaves. . The article educates and seeks to emancipate the readers on the stages the fruit underwent before it peaked its popularity. The essay also enables the reader to familiarize themselves with the historical progressions of the tomato fruit , from where it was initially planted to all the rising negativities that faced its production. The fruits history comes from way back when it was deemed poisonous . The purpose of this article is to educate the reader and enable us to demystify ourselves. The target audience in this case is the prospective tomato consumer. It goes on to educate the consumer and future consumers that the fruit was faced by numerous misconceptions. The author educates the target which is the consumer on the fruit, clearing out all the disapproving theories and sublimed misconceptions. The persona of the writer is informative. She states and issues facts making various quotations like what the Italian herbalist Pietro Andrae, reffered to it as soddom apple. She goes on to give quotations even on the issue of worms where Dr. Fuller claimed

Strategic Alliance between two companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Strategic Alliance between two companies - Essay Example Consequently, the company sets up a strategic alliance with the latter that already has an established distribution network in the desired country of trade. This is a beneficial arrangement for both as the former company is able to expand its distribution network and the latter can improvise its existing product lines (Papageorgiou, Rotstein and Shah, 2001). The benefits that a company derives from a strategic alliance are the ability to hedge against uncertain and unprofitable situations, tap the potential of a new market, increase the knowledge base and obtain access to exclusive and critical information, which in turn strengthens its competitive position in the international market. A company is able to minimise on the transaction and distribution costs by way of engaging in strategic alliance. A strategic alliance also enables a company to be prompt and effective in pursuing an opportunity and to obtain resources that are absent. A company stabilises its resource base by leveragi ng the knowledge and resource base of the other. As a result, the company is able to gain easier access in the new markets and face lesser barriers to entry during an expansion plan. Strategic alliances, however, has to be formed in a very careful manner as these often fall through owing to mistrust between the two partners, especially when a large amount of competitive or exclusive information is involved. The benefits that a company derives from a strategic alliance are the ability to hedge against uncertain and unprofitable situations.

Consumer behaviour, learning and purchase decisions Essay

Consumer behaviour, learning and purchase decisions - Essay Example The basis of learning as it pertains to marketing is drive and motivation. Drive is â€Å"any strong stimulus that impels action†¦relying on a cue in the environment to determine the nature of the consumer’s response to a drive† (Boone & Kurtz, 2007, p.173). Learning and the relevancy of environment are large predictors of motivation once a marketer understands the dynamics of their target market, usually psychographic profiles. There is a concept in psychology related to memory and learning known as the social learning theory. Under this concept, individuals have a tendency to model the behaviours of others when they witness reward for these actions (Neubert, Carlson, Kacmar, Roberts & Chonko, 2009). This type of learning only occurs when the individual being observed is both credible and attractive (Neubert et al). Understanding this concept, marketers will develop a marketing strategy utilizing reputable celebrities or individual actors with similar lifestyle preferences as a means to motivate response or model behaviours under social learning theory. Certain psychographic lifestyle groups will gravitate more to modelling behaviours when the actor or celebrity endorser is credible and attractive, thus making an imprint on memory about the substance of product or the relevancy of the campaign. â€Å"In personal and non-personal communication, the message’s impact on the target audience is affected by how the audience views the communicator† (Kotler, 2009, p.559). ... tyle groups will gravitate more to modelling behaviours when the actor or celebrity endorser is credible and attractive, thus making an imprint on memory about the substance of product or the relevancy of the campaign. â€Å"In personal and non-personal communication, the message’s impact on the target audience is affected by how the audience views the communicator† (Kotler, 2009, p.559). Kotler (2009) again identifies that messages have more persuasive value when stemming from a highly credible source of information. For certain market groups, once these values have been identified, learning about a brand occurs by the credibility and motivational value of the advertising concept or the messages being delivered in an integrated marketing campaign. Under Kolb’s experiential learning theory, adults also learn through reflective observation, a system where an individual learns from experiences and â€Å"articulating why and how they occurred whilst reflecting and critically examining their experience from all perspectives† (Akella, 2010, p.103). In this type of learning, a consumer scans the environment and considers the impact of their own needs in relation to the environment and then develops new strategies in the future based on experience. For marketers, this is important in relation to post-purchase evaluation and the systems in place for handling the by-product of this type of learning. For example, a marketer might develop a world-class customer complaint system or survey system so that consumers have a positive experience once the product has been purchased. It was previously discussed about motivational linkages to learning. Under Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, an individual is motivated by establishment of a sense of social affiliation. â€Å"Individuals

US Stock Market and GDP Analysis

US Stock Market and GDP Analysis Stock Prices Definition Stock (or share) which is sometimes known as equity is a claim to partial ownership or holdings of a firm. Initially, the original owners of a firm sell their shares or stock to gain additional funds to finance the firm expansion which can be said as the owners sell part of the ownership of the firm to the stockholders. This is known as the Initial Public Offering (IPO). After the IPO, the stocks can be sold and resold by the stockholders in the stock market with the aim of gaining profitable returns through the price differences of the stock. Stock prices are determined through trading on a stock exchange such as NASDAQ, SP 500 and DJIA. Generally, stock prices reflect investor expectations for future corporate earnings and thus reflect for future economic growth. The Origin of the Stock Market The stock market originated in Europe prior the industrial revolution in the 1700s. Many traders in the market wished to make investment in huge businesses but this could not be affordable with a single trader. Thus, they gathered their funds together to invest in a new business as partners (Grazian, 2008). This is similar to the practice of shares nowadays and has inspired the origin of the stock market. In the beginning, the stock market trading started on an informal note. The traders met at coffeehouse which was used as a market place in the 1700s. The first exchange was created in Philadelphia during 1800 and in New York during 1817 and finally the trading rules were formed (Grazian, 2008). In the United States, the first stock exchange took place in Philadelphia over 220 years ago which was known as the â€Å"Board of Brokers† and the Board met at the coffeehouse. The Board of Brokers was later changed into the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in 1875 and it is now included in NASDAQ as NASDAQ OMX PHLX. The market became more structured without manipulative auctions and a fair commission structure was formed. The group of stock brokers was reorganized and known as the â€Å"New York Stock and Exchange Board† in 1817 (Terrell, 2006). In 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (or the Dow) created by Charles Dow and one of his business associate, Edward Jones was first calculated. Along with other stock market index, such as NASDAQ and SP 500, the Dow is one of the most closely indicator to track the stock market activity. Besides the Dow, SP Dow Jones Indices also determined the SP 500 in 1957 (Standard and Poor’s, 2009). The SP 500 is more preferable than other stock market indices as it is determined through a more diverse constituency and weighting methodology with 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping. It is recognized as the best representation of the U.S. stock market and also classified as a leading indicator for the U.S. economy. Thus, the stock indices from the SP 500 were used as the data in this study. c. Stock Prices As an Economic Indicator Economic indicators give us a better idea of where the economy is headed. There are two types of economic indicators, which are the leading indicators and the lagging indicators. Leading indicators often change before the economic adjustment and thus can be used to predict the future economy whereas the lagging indicators reflect the economy’s past performance and only identifiable after the economic adjustment. Stock market is a leading indicator. Most people will first look at the stock market performance first when talk about the economic trends although it is not the most important indicator. This is because stock prices mainly depends on the expected earnings of the domestic firms, thus it can indicate the economy trend if the estimated earnings are accurate. A strong market usually followed with economy expansion while a down market always leads to economic downturn. However, it is undeniable that here are inherent flaws for stock prices to act as a leading indicator for the future economy performance. Firstly, the estimated earnings can be inaccurate. Secondly, the vulnerability of stock market which is probably adjusted or manipulated. For example, the government can manipulate the market to keep it high via various strategies to avoid public from panicking of economic crisis and the traders and corporations can manipulate the market via high-volume trades or other strategies. Thus, the true underlying strength or value of stock prices may become unobvious due to its vulnerability to be manipulated. Thirdly, the stock market is also susceptible to the creation of bubbles (Binswanger, 2004), which may convey false information about the economy’s direction. Economic Activity Definition The goal of economic activity is to produce goods and services in order to fulfill the needs and wants as well as to improve the social welfare. Economic activities are related to production, distribution, exchange and consumption of goods and services at all level in the society. Furthermore, economic activities can be defined as human activities which are performed in exchange for money or money’s worth, in other words, economics activities are those efforts performed by human to earn income, money, wealth and to maximize their satisfaction of wants with scarce means. The primary aim of the economic activity is to produce goods and services with an objective to make them available to the consumers. Thus, gross domestic product (or GDP) is one of the common ways to assess the economic activity. In this study, the economic activity is also represented by the indicator of GDP. The Origin and History of GDP The idea of gross domestic product (GDP) arose during the period post-carnage of the Great Depression and World War II in 1930s. GDP which was described as the ultimate measure of a country’s overall welfare, a window into an economy’s soul and the statistic to end all statistics was used widely and globally and become the defining economic indicator in the last century (Dickinson, 2011). Simon Kuznets, an economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research introduced a formula to determine GDP to the U.S. Congress in 1937.The original formulation of GDP was essential as it included all economic production in a nation. However, Kuznets’ formula was not being widespread utilized until the Bretton Woods conference created World Bank in 1944. After that, GDP was used widely as a tool to determine the nation’s economic condition. Although there are few economists questioned on the accuracy of GDP in measuring overall economic welfare, the GDP is still widely used now (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2008). GDP is also described as one of the great invention in the 20th century because without this invention, economists, researcher and policymakers could not have played their role effectively with the unorganized data. GDP As an Economic Indicator Unlike the stock prices which serve as leading indicator, GDP serves as lagging indicator which changes after the economy adjustment. Although lagging indicators do not show the direction of economic trend, they reflect how the changes in economy over time. GDP is a tool that typically recognized by economists to measure the economic welfare. Increase in GDP indicates that the economy is strong while decrease in GDP indicates that the economy is weak. As stated previously, GDP is not a flawless indicator, many economists questioned on its accuracy especially in the financial market as some strategies such as quantitative easing and excessive government spending could have been carried out by the government to boost up the GDP of a nation. Despite of the flaw, as a lagging indicator, GDP is still a good determinant to measure the economic condition of a nation. Theories on Predictive Power of the Stock Price for the Future Economic Activity There are two theories in the theoretical literature on the forecasting ability of the stock prices for the future economic activities. The first theory explains the forward looking behavior of the stock market while the second theory discusses the causal effects of the stock prices on the economic activity (Croux Reusens, 2013). Forward Looking Behavior of the Stock Market Based on the idea that the stock price is the present value of future dividends (Fama, 1990), the theory of forward looking behavior of the stock market arose. The purpose for the stockholders to own stock is to earn from the interest difference when the stock is resold or to earn the dividends from the corporation. The increasing stock prices reflect the higher expectation of stockholders to earn more dividends. As the dividend is a payment made by a corporation to its stockholders out of its profit, the increase in expectation of stockholders towards future dividends gained indicates that there will be a rise in the corporation’s profit. Furthermore, the corporation’s profit is known to be positively correlated with the GDP of a nation, thus the rise in corporation will bring increment to the nation’s GDP. Therefore, a rise in the current expectation towards the nation’s future economic activity will definitely result in increase in the stock price. However, several researchers have argued that the vulnerable property of stock market to be manipulated may affect its predictive power towards the future economic activity. Stock prices may deviate from their fundamental value due to the speculative bubbles (Binswanger, 2004). Speculative bubbles is a situation in which the securities’ pieces such as stock prices rise far above their actual value as a result of irrational exuberance rather than the basic underlying fundamentals of the market. This can attract investors or stock traders to invest in order to take advantage of the profits. After some time, the bubbles will eventually burst and causes the stock prices will drop below their market value before they reach the equilibrium again. Thus, from this phenomenon, stock prices may deviate from the fundamental value sometime and hence its predictive power will be reduced. Apart from that, the globalization of the investment market also may reduce the predictive power of sto ck prices towards the nation’s GDP (Mao Wu, 2007). This means that is foreign investment in the domestic activity which brings about increase in stock price, however, since it is the foreign investment, it may not bring direct impact on the nation’s GDP. Causal Effects of the Stock Prices on the Economic Activity The causal effects of stock prices on the economic activity can be seen through the activity of consumption and investment. The connection between the stock prices and consumption can be explained by the wealth effect (Modigliani, 1971). The wealth effect refers to the increase in spending which due to the increase in perceived wealth. The rise in stock prices will bring about an increase in the income and wealth of the stockholders, they may increase their consumption as a result from having higher purchasing power. Since consumption is positively correlated with the GDP, the increase in consumption as a result from the rise in stock prices will affect the nation’s GDP. However, Pearce (1983) argued that the wealth effect depends on the distribution of stock holders in the nation. For example, most of the stockholders in the United States are comprised of small groups of rich people who have lower propensity to spend out of wealth. Besides, the causal effect of stock prices on the economic activity can also be seen through the activity of investment which its impact is on the cost of capital. The cost of capital is the fund for a firm to finance its business. The sources for capital can be varied from company to company such as equity financing and debt financing. Generally, the cost of capital is the weighted sum of the cost of equity and the cost of debt. With the increase in the stock price, the effective cost of equity will be reduced as a result from overvaluation of the stock price (Fischer Merton, 1984). Besides, cost of debt also will be lowered due to high stock prices as it could give some positive signals towards the lenders and thus raise the creditworthiness of the firms which would result in better loan condition (Morck et al., 1990). The Economy of the United States There is lots of news recently about the rapid growth rate of China absolutely furious pace for over the last decade and may overtake the United States to be the largest economy in the world. Nevertheless, the United States still keep the place of the largest economy in the world by far in the year of 2013. The United States has been keeping the place of the world’s largest economy for at least a century. With one third of the world’s millionaires and 40% of the world’s billionaires stay in the nation, the United States become the wealthiest nation in the world. The diversify economy and open market in the United States helps the economy to stay strong. The United States is also considered the largest manufacturer and the most influential financial markets in the world. Stock Prices in the United States The United States is considered to have the most influential and largest financial markets in the world. Almost every large company in the US is traded on a Stock Exchange. This study employed SP 500 as the stock market indices to be analyzed as it is the best representation of the U.S. stock market with 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping through a more diverse constituency and weighting. Figure 1.1 Time plot for quarterly average of daily SP 500 stock price index in the United States (Source: Economic Research, 2013) Figure 1.1 shows the moving trend of stock prices in the period from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. From the figure, the stock prices in the United States generally showed a fluctuating rising trend with a record of expansion from 1974 to 2000 with gradual increasing rate at the beginning and higher pace increasing rate later from 1993 to 2000. There were significant market downturns in 2002 and 2008. The stock prices reached the peak in the second quarter of 2000 and started to drop afterwards until the minimum point in the first quarter of 2003. This market downturn has been known as the market crash of 2000. The causes for this crash are believed to be the corporation corruption, overvalued stocks and the emergence of day-traders or momentum investors. Several strategies has been listed out by the government to overcome the crash, for example accounting reforms to have better disclosure of corporate balance sheet form and new rules are set for the day-traders to apply more restriction. Besides the market downturn of 2000, there was a market downturn in 2008 as well. From the figure, the stock price index continued to rise after the market crash in 2000 and reached at maximum point in the second quarter of 2007 but falls gradually afterward till the minimum point in the first quarter of 2009. This period was ranked among the most horrified financial market history in the United States. This market crash is believed to be caused by the corporate corruption and the mortgage crisis. The stock price indices continue to climb after the market crash of 2008. GDP of the United States The United States has been the largest economy in the world in term of GDP level for at least a century. Figure 1.2 Time plot for quarterly GDP in the United States (Source: OECD. StatExtracts, 2013) The figure 1.2 shows the time plot of GDP of the United States from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. Generally, the GDP level in the United States showed a gradual increasing trend across the period. From the figure, there are slight decreases in the GDP level are shown in 1982 and 1991 as a result of economic crisis. In addition, a more significant fall of GDP level was shown in the third quarter of 2008 after a gradual increasing trend. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) declared that there was an economic recession since 2007. This economic fall is believed to be the result of mortgage crisis during that period. Relationship between Stock Prices and GDP of the United States The United States is famous to be the largest economy and the most influential financial market in the world. The tradition connection of stock prices and GDP of the United States has always be the topic of interest to be study among the researchers. Figure 1.3 Time plot for quarterly GDP and quarterly average of daily Stock Price in the United States (Source: Economic Research, 2013 and OECD. StatExtracts, 2013) Figure 1.3 shows the relationship between stock prices and GDP in the time plot from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. In the tradition connection of the stock price and GDP, stock price is believed to contain the predictive power towards the GDP. From Figure 1.3, the stock prices generally moving in the same direction with GDP. However, the market crash in 2000 brought about economic expansion instead of the economic recession. This phenomenon goes against with the tradition relationship between stock price and GDP. However, the market crash of 2008 has successfully predicted the economic recession in 2008. Therefore, the contradict phenomena have again caught the attention of several parties to further study in the predictive power of stock price towards the GDP. Objective Although the theories and the tradition relationship state that the stock prices contain the predictive power towards the future economic activity, there are several theoretical and empirical researchers have contradicted opinions. Moreover, the historical data of stock prices and GDP of the United States also show a general similar moving direction of the stock prices and GDP but the market crashes in 1987 and 2000 resulted in economic expansion instead of economic recession. This issue has again prompted the further research in the tradition relationship of the stock prices and the economic activity. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the predictive power of stock price on the future economic activity, i.e. future GDP in the United States. Scope of Study This study focuses on the United States which the quarterly data is obtained with the sampling period from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. The national stock price index of the United States, SP 500 is chosen. The quarterly average of the daily index is calculated because it is believed to be more representative for the entire quarter than the value at the end of quarter. Besides, quarterly nominal GDP is chosen as the representative for the economic activity. Both data is expressed in the domestic currency with CPI base year of 1982.

History and Memory Essay example -- essays papers

History and Memory ‘Is there such a thing as â€Å"history† which is more objective than memory?’ For many years now there has been a strong debate, as regarding wether or not there is such a thing as ‘history’ that is more objective than memory. Due to memories completely subjective nature, history although also being somewhat subjective, it is a great deal more objective than memory. To discuss such a statement first one must define the terms ‘history’, ‘objective’ and ‘memory’. The Macquarie Dictionary defines the term ‘memory’ as:â€Å" the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving impressions, or of recalling or recognising previous experiences. A mental impression retained; a recollection.† For the purpose of this essay assume history to be; the knowledge of what happened, the record or expression of what occurred.† The term â€Å"objective† refers to being free from personal feelings or prejudice, unbiased. The idea of objectivity involves a belief in ‘the realit y of the past, and [to] the truth as correspondence to that reality.’ In the light of such definitions memory is entirely subjective, with no elements of objective truth. Laurel Holliday’s book entitled Children’s Wartime Diaries illustrates how memory is composed of and subjective to ones current emotions and circumstances. Caroline Baum in her article The Children’s Ark and Mark Baker in his novel The Fiftieth Gate both use history and memory to reconstruct their parents past. Throughout their journey of discovering their parents’ history both authors discern the subjective elements of memory and discern memories subjective characteristics. Such characteristics as personal recall, bias feelings, fragmentation, gaps, forgetfulness and emotions involved... ...  · http://remember.org/forgotten/index.html  · Burke. P. New Perspectives On Historical Writing, Polity Press, 1991  · http://remember.org/educate/mtimeline.html  · Irving. D. â€Å"Did Six Million Really Die?† http://www.lebensraum.org/english/dsmrd/  · Collingwood, The Limits Of Historical Knowledge, Ashgate, 1984  · Bennet, J. Exploring The Holocaust, Bay Books Pty Ltd, 1981  · Windshuttle, K. The Killing Of History, Macleay, 1994  · Hamilition, P. ‘The Knife Edge: debates about memory and history’, Memory and History in the 20th Century Australia, Yale University Press, 1979.  · Sydney Jewish Museum, 148 Darlinghurst Rd Darlinghurst, (ph) 93607999  · Baum.C, ‘The Children’s Ark’, Good Weekend, November 25, 2000  · Halsey, D. and Johnston, B. Collier’s Encyclopedia (vol 12), P.F.Collier Inc, 1988.