Quality Of Service At The Zappos Company

Quality Of Service At The Zappos Company The proceeding paper investigates Zappos.com (Zappos), originally an e-tailing shoe company, which later adopted further merchandise lines. The company was founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn with its headquarters currently based in Henderson, Nevada, USA. With a revenue of $840 million in 2007 and a 1500+ employee staff Zappos.com has grown to the largest online shoe store in the world. In July 2009 Amazon.com acquired Zappos.com for the reported amount of $1.2 billion. Currently, the CEO is Tony Hsieh. The company is known for its customer centric business model and its unique corporate culture. In this paper Zappos.com is analyzed via papers and published articles with which various problems addressed are answered. The intention of this paper is to analyze how Zappos.com has leveraged its HR practices to build strategic effectiveness in the past and how can it build its future competitive strength on it. First, Zappos.coms business model is analyzed, second the companies supportive HR practices, third the role of leadership on the development of HR practices, fourth the implications for HR practices caused by the takeover of Amazon.com are addressed and finally challenges and recommendations to support the future business functioning at Zappos.com are addressed. A framework is developed to which parts of the analysis can be linked in order to say to which extent findings influence committed HR practices, the corporate culture and the loyalty business model of Zappos.com. The purpose of this paper is just to analyze the company and to accumulate knowledge. Zappos Business Model A good initial business model starts off with an idea of a good customer value proposition. When in 1999, Nick Swinmurn, walked through a mall in San Francisco, looking for a pair of shoes in his size, his preferred color and style, his unsuccessful search proposed an opportunity to satisfy currently unmet customer needs. When starting to analyze what features have enabled Zappos to build its strong brand position as well as its impressive growth through the past few years (from 2003 to 2007 annual revenue increases 623.7 percent) its good customer value proposition is essentially only a small part in its effective business model. A comprehensive study of Zappos business model will be composed of 4 integral parts (Figure 1). Following the (1) customer value proposition (CVP), the structure of Zappos business model, consisting of (2) the profit formula and the importance of (3) key processes and (4) key resources will be linked to Michael Porters (1985) value chain model in order to enable a detailed analysis on how the e-retailer has become so successful. Figure 1 Business Model One evident potential customer value proposition of Zappos is the offering of an extensive online selection of mainly footwear and a few other extended product lines. Surprisingly this is not how the company defines itself. Calling itself a service company that just happens to sell shoes, handbags and related items (Morris, 2008) more value is placed on providing a high-touch customer service aimed at engendering a customer long-term relationship (OReiley, 2009). Zappos has been a customer centric company since its startup in 1999. The retailer focuses on providing highest service quality, leading to customer satisfaction and consequent customer retention, what essentially can be described as a loyalty business model (http://bx.businessweek.com/zapposcom/). Repeat customers represent 75% of any days gross sales and word of mouth advertising has brought growth to Zappos in overwhelming numbers (Morris, 2008). Zappos first of the ten core values puts the CVP in clear terms: Deliver [a] WOW [customer experience] through service (Zappos.com). How Zappos excels in delivering that CVP will be addressed in the subsequent analysis. Zappos CVP is supported by a profit formula, which establishes how the company wants to earn money. That formula is linked to the products value chain. The primary activities (key processes) have a direct impact on the formula while being supported by support activities (key resources), all driven by the customer value proposition with the objective to deliver value to the customer and be profitable. Nurturing a successful value creation and delivery, Zappos profit model is directly influenced by: Inbound logistics with its link to the supply chain of Zappos offered merchandise (wholesale prices, distribution etc.); Operations which correspond to the cost structure of Zappos vertically integrated warehouse and inventory operations in Kentucky; and Outbound logistics including free shipping both ways, surprise upgrades to overnight shipping (Whitehorn, 2009). Moving further through the primary activities of Zappos value chain, the subsequent function of marketing sales is declared to be comparatively tenuous as current CEO Tony Hsieh explains: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[we] put that money into the customer experience instead (Whitehorn, 2009). Key processes also include a firms metrics and measurements, which Zappos sets based on customer satisfaction indicators, rather than number of order taken (Morris, 2008). Service is a primary value chain activity that deserves some detailed inspection at this point. Being a significant contributor to the cost structure with items like 365-day return policy or a call center staff working 24/7, Service represents the most intense link between Zappos CVP and its profit model and most significantly enables the implementation of its loyalty business model. Service represents how Zappos creates value for its customers (CVP) and most importantly it defines how the company creates value for itself (profit formula); (Johnson, Christensen Kagermann, 2008). Identifying Service as the primary source of value and profit suggests the examination of how the support activities (key resources) are allocated to contribute to Zappos competitive strength. Not only the primary activities, but also Zappos support activities underpin deliver[ing] the Zappos experience to [its] customers (OReiley, 2009). Key resources like procurement channels, technology, equipment and people are illustrated in the value chain as support activities. While careful procurement activities ensure a certain standard of product quality to the customer, its technology, equipment and firm infrastructure are also aligned with Zappos delivery of great customer service (e.g. in-house developed information technology, fast storing and shipping system) (Masha, 2009). Nevertheless, the most essential and valuable key resource of Zappos customer service is its Human Resource Management (HRM). Strategic Human Resource Management, which is the HRMs role is supporting a certain business model and strategy (Wright et all., 2001) plays a crucial role in Zappos effectiveness in the past. How HRM as a key resource and support activity is employed by Zappos to foster its loyalty business model is the next level of analysis. Zappos Supportive HRM Practices Zappos customer centricity leads the company since its startup in 1999. This is embedded in its company culture. Zappos employees live, breathe and operate through ten core values. These particular values create a positive environment in which employees excel to the maximum of their abilities and still have the freedom to express and implement their own initiatives.The company culture creates an environment in which customers receive more than they expect. Nurturing this environment is done through committed human resource practices (article on ccomm hr practices. Zappos Human Resource Management plays a vital role in fostering the initial driver of the thriving environment: company culture. Committed HRM practices reach from recruiting the right employees to rewarding and helping to create an environment that allows for the company culture to continue and strive. HRM is strategically placed in Zappos (SHRM) and people related elements create the core competency of the firm (Wright et al.: Human resources and the resource based view of the firm (2001).) The people management practices are created around the core values and in this way make the most of the human, social and organizational capital. The environment in the company allows for easy creation, integration and transfer of ideas. All employees are constantly in a changing environment due to the type of products they sell and therefore they too become dynamic which leads to their core competency of providing excellent service (Wright et al.: Human resources and the resource based view of the firm (2001).) As a starting point the company only hires people who are both technically and culturally fit (A perfect organizational fit, Samantha Whitehorne.) This is such an important point that Zappos.com fires employees who although technically fit do not fit into their culture. A lot of time and money is invested in the recruitment process, the reason being that employees have a vital role in the success of the loyalty business model. Furthermore, every new employee, regardless of their position in the firm will go through a four week training period in which they learn about the company and how it functions. Normally this involves being part of the call centre to really understand what customers want and need. The underlining message throughout all human resource processes is that the company lives and breathes customer service and everyone is put into this way of thinking. Rewards too play a dominant role in establishing the company culture. They create a positive environment in which employees are encouraged to share ideas on all levels of the company; in addition employees are not afraid to take risks because they are encouraged to take these through the rewards. Rewards can be companywide, departmental and individually driven. A lot of time and money is put into the rewards, which vary from being very simple to big and elaborate. This however is seen as an investment because it improves employee satisfaction and motivation and increases the overall profits of the company. The different forms of celebrations create a positive and constructive environment without putting the employees in a stressful, competitive environment. Many of the rewards are created by the departments and individuals themselves. However Human Resources is still involved in the bigger picture. Ensuring that company goals and progress are shared amongst all employees, creating financing and merchandising rewards appropriate to the customer orientated business model and to ensure that employees feel free to try out new, innovative means of doing business and therefore being rewarded for results and not punished for mistakes. Both the resource based view and the transaction cost theory can be seen in how Zappos functions and remains competitive by heavily supporting there loyalty business model with human resource practices(Masters, JK. Miles, G.: Predicting the Use of External Labour Arrangements: A Test of the Transaction Cost Perspective (2002).) For example call centres are kept inhouse; it is a valuable asset which is frequently used by consumers and requires attentive and dedicated employees. There is continual development of the employee as the company is aware of dynamic capabilities. Every single individual is held accountable for the company culture, it is not only restricted to human resources or top management. Initiatives can be brought forward from any position in the company. The companys culture was established from day one but the human resources department along with all recruited employees is responsible to keep the inspiring, highly motivated, free spirited environment running with its main goal to provide the customer value proposition of exceptional service. With the emphasis of all individuals sustaining Zappos unique environment, an interesting question concerns the role of leadership and managerial influence at the e-retailer, which triggers the following discussion. Role of Leadership on Zappos HRM Zappos.com is one of the leading companies in its industry and since its startup it has seen an enormous amount of growth. From February 2010 on, Zappos.com is expected to grow 30% in the next 12 months. A challenge for Zappos.com is to be able to fulfill new positions that are the result of the growth of the company with skilled and suitable managers. This implicates that especially in this time of growth individual leaders have to be acquired which fit and understand Zappos.com unusual culture. The basis of this culture is founded by the initial owners and persons who joined the company from its early start. The characteristics and vision of the CEO and the manner he positions himself towards the employees still influences the committed HR practices and the corporate culture. Besides defining leadership as the guidance of individual managers and the characteristics of the CEO it can also be seen as the leading role of Zappos.com in its industry. Zappos.com has accounted on all thes e three levels of leadership throughout the company in the development of its HR practices. First, to attract individual leaders and to have a long-term relationship with them, different measurements are integrated into HR practices. Already in the recruitment phase the hiring is rather unconventional. Possible future employees are invited to events outside the office, for instance team building events and happy hours in order to hire them based on different events rather than one job interview. After acquiring an employee, regardless their position, an extensive 4 week customer training follows which contains various courses coordinated by the training, leadership and development department. Zappos.com recognizes leadership potential in every one of its employees, regardless their position. Employees are encouraged and taught to represent the companies culture in everything what they do and say and to be accountable for themselves, actually this one of the key fundamentals. To make sure a long term relationship is also expected from the employees side and that they are com mitted to the company and their work, 3000 dollar walk away money is offered to them after the training program. When looking at the framework (exhibit) acquiring individual leaders mostly influence committed HR practices, since recruitment has to make sure people are hired that fit into the culture. Second, the vision at the manner of working of Zappos.coms initial founders has a major influence on both the committed HR practices and the corporate culture. Todays CEO Tony Hsieh has agreed on an annual base salary of $36.000 in 2009 with which he signals a culture of motivation instead of extrinsic rewards. This stimulates employees to work from intrinsic motivation and HR practices concerning rewards might not be the most important asset for employees. How CEO Tony Hsieh influences the corporate culture of Zappos.com for instance is the way he wrote an open and honest letter to all the employees ensuring their perks would remain the same after Amazons takeover. The positioning of the companies leader towards the employees inspire the corporate culture because by showing honesty and transparency, an open corporate environment is stimulated. When looking at the framework one can say that the CEOs vision on the corporate culture influences HR practices committed. Third, to maintain the leading position of Zappos.com in a fast changing market due to technological and fashion market changes, more HR practices have been developed. Especially the core values are a tool to develop a culture and a mindset to maintain this position. Zappos.coms fourth core value is to be adventurous, creative and open-minded, which means risk taking does not have to be avoided. Herewith Zappos.com creates a mindset throughout the entire company. Zappos.com also recognizes the importance of creating a culture of continuous learning via their fifth core value pursue growth and learning in which is stated every employee should constantly challenge and stretch themselves. Due to the focus of Zappos.com on leadership on different levels and integrating this into different HR practices Zappos.com is able to acquire and keep appropriate employees which goal is to grow and learn every day. Also due to these acknowledgements and integrating them into the development of HR practices, Hay Group ranked Zappos.com number 16 at the Top 20 Best Companies For Leadership in 2009. Acquisition by Amazon.com Clash of Cultures? Amazon bought Zappos.com for 850 million dollars. Zappos.com is remaining a seperate entity within the company and has assured employees and the general public that their culture and workplace environment will not change (week in news). Although the companies are both customer centric, the approaches used towards satisfying customers differs significantly. Amazon strives for customer convenience, low prices and large vareity of goods for the customer to choose from. On the otherhand Zappos.com aims for customer loyalty by providing a unique experience with personal contact opportunities between customer and employee (A new lace on life, Tim O ´Reiley.) In addition Zappos.com was a privately owned company and Amazon a public limited company. The ownership structure creates differences in the way that the companies operate and more specifically how human resource practices are placed within each company. It is necessary to analyse the differences and identify to what extent these may lead to potential sources of conflict between the human resource practices. At Zappos.com human resource management can be classified as a strategic partner (chapter 2.) The use of committed human resource practices creates the companies core comptency. As previously mentioned it defines, maintains and help grow the corporate culture. The ten core values create an environment in which employees work to the best of their abilities to satisfy customers. Shortly said the business model is dependent on HR practices. At Amazon HRM is not as dominant, it can be seen as a business partner (Amazon, HR Spectrum eNews.) It is necessary in the sense that it provides the company with strong human capital and it provides assistance to other departments, however it does not define how the company runs the business. We can seperate the two further by looking at the different levels of integration that exist between HR practices and the strategy process of a comapny. Zappos.com has an integrative linkage , there is constant interaction throughout all phases of the strategy process. Communication flows freely from all levels of the business.Every employee has the ability to initiate actions or improve certain aspects of the business. Consistent with the business partner role, Amazon has a two-way linkage. It considers human resources issues during strategy formulation such as ensuring the recruitment of highly skilled employees that fit yith their company strategy. However it is a less dominant role than what HR plays in Zappos.com. (chapter 2 from the book.) From these differences it is apparent that their could be a clash between the two practices. They have different levels of authority, in Zappos.com employees are given the freedom to take risks which affect the entire company. Amazon appear to be more constrained in this.Amazon focuses on efficiency whearas Zappos puts alot of emphasis on giving employees the space to express their creativity in a productive environment. Although Tony Hsieh has promised no change in the company ´s structure it will definitly have to consider the differences and how Amazon could impact the HR practices. Zappos Future Challenges Although the strategic approach of managing human resources has been distinguished as a driving force of Zappos severe competitive position, the planned acquisition by e-retailer giant, Amazon, put forward some potential challenges. The reviewed threat of HRM clash, is only one of the possible challenges in the future business functioning of Zappos. Directional Strategies are strategic typologies for classifying the ways different organizations seek to compete within an industry (Noa, 2008, p.86). With the approved acquisition by Amazon, Zappos continues to strive for growth and decides to pursue an external growth strategy, strengthen its market position through entering new businesses (other merchandise) (Noa, 2008, p.87). While growing, Zappos need to sustain its valuable corporate culture by managing the trade-off between changing human resource knowledge, skills and behavior needs and the upkeep of its successful organizational environment. Zappos will need to constantly educate and motivate its employees to engage inself-directed learning to cope with the new challenges when growing with the company (Noa, 2008, p.295). Growth it not the only challenge encountered in Zappos future business functioning. There is a necessity of appropriate recruitment, training, development and promotion to meet the changing HRM needs in an increasingly dynamic environment. What can be defined as challenge of sustainability describes the current economic changes, changes in demographics and expectations of the workforce, the growing importance of corporate citizenship and legal and ethical issues, has a key influence on the management of HR. Special regard has to be given to manage HR changing needs in companies as Zappos, in which it represents the main source of competitive advantage. Other challenges include the global and technological challenge, which include the HR impact from expanding into international markets and the importance of sophisticated technology in the workplace. Zappos growth strategy has already reaches out into another North American country: Canada (zappos.com). Simply reconstructing similar values and HR practices will not easily reproduce the same valuable organizational environment that exists in the retailers home-country operations. Understanding cultural differences, diverse backgrounds and attitudes is needed to establish a HRM that truly enables international success. Technological challenges emerge when employing technological innovation to leverage knowledge creation and sharing through the firm, which Zappos need to support by adequate and committed HR recruitment, training and motivational rewards. Conclusion The examination of Zappos past effectiveness and successful implementation of the loyality business model has been linked to an ambitious customer value proposition of best service, a strong profit formula and a strategic alignment of key processes as well as key resources. Most emphasis has been given to one specific key resource, namely the committed human resource practices, which serve as a support activity and a strategic element in Zappos loyalty business model and yield final competitive strength. While defining Zappos people, environment and culture as a primary source of competitive advantage, the significant role of leadership in the development of HR practices has been indicated. Concluding on how Zappos has build up a successful business model based on excellent customer service, loyalty and retention and how it continuous to operate effectively, the prior analysis has comprehensively identified one major contribution: strategic human resource management. The aligning of human resources practices and activities to the strategic objectives of high customer service quality, demand a development of committed HR practices, which generate a unique corporate culture and environment and ultimately enable Zappos remarkable competitive strength.

FGF Signaling and Early Lung Development Essay -- Biology, Lung

Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions mediate organogenesis, which results from the activation of complex gene networks. Early respiratory development arises from the foregut endoderm and gives rise to tracheal and lung progenitor cells. Recent studies have linked fibroblast growth factor, Wnt, and other signaling pathways to the initial stages of lung development. Cells respond to signaling proteins mainly though transcription factors that ultimately determine cell fate and pattern formation. Gain and loss-of-function studies have facilitated the identification and functionality of molecular components as part of development. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling plays an important role in the regulatory network present in embryonic pulmonary development. FGF controls cell proliferation, differentiation and pattern formation; however, the interaction of FGF with other signaling pathways is still questioned by researchers. FGF-7 and FGF-10 are important for patterning and growth of the lung bud and are differentially regulated by FGF-1 and FGF-2. Research has shown FGF is an important factor in respiratory development as it regulates the expression of other signaling pathways. Said molecular events involving FGF signaling drive key phases of pulmonary development and thus the understanding of these key segmental mechanisms gives way to new knowledge of pathogenesis involving congenital anomalies, helping to develop innovative therapies to treat disease. Unless specifically mentioned, anything regarding expression patterns and developmental effects of morphogens, transcription and growth factors, or any other developmental factors effecting lung development are referenced from the murine lung. Accordingly, functional relevance... ...change, an extremely complicated process. The lung is an organ that contains a vast system of airways carefully constructed to achieve maximal surface area in a confined space. This helps to form an environment suitable for the bronchial and pulmonary vascular systems. These airways that grow out into the body, like a tree towards the sky, require careful guidance from many developmental factors such as transcriptional regulators, growth factors, morphogens and extra cellular matrix molecules. When mutations in the genes that control these factors occur, aberrations during lung development can arise and may lead to severe morbidity or mortality at birth due to respiratory failure. The FGF signaling pathway is one such signaling mechanism that is critical to proper lung formation, guiding branching morphogenesis and cellular proliferation of the developing lung.

Identifying Heroes: The Godfather and Pulp Fiction Essay -- essays res

Identifying Heroes: The Godfather and Pulp Fiction The form of Classical Hollywood films is, first and foremost, invisible. In a Classical Hollywood film, the narrative is foremost, and style serves the narrative. Camera angles, lighting and editing patterns such as the shot/reverse-shot pattern aim to give us the best possible perspective on the unfolding events(1). These events are arranged in a strongly causality-oriented linear narrative, with one event causing the next. This narrative is arranged around a central, active protagonist, whose decisions and actions are the key to the pattern of cause and effect that drives the story(2). This pattern seems so logical, so natural, that the audience of the classical Hollywood film is supposed to feel that they are receiving the material without the mediating intervention of the filmmaker. The link between heroes and the spectator under this model is therefore one of relatively unproblematic identification. Even films that featured anti-social heroes, such as the thirties gangster genre , modified the pattern only through imposing the strongly moral, tragic sequence of rise and fall; the audience's identification remained firmly with the central protagonist(3). Such a situation, under these assumptions, puts the audience in an apparently perverse situation, and it is therefore hardly surprising that the infamous Hays code of the thirties moved to ensure that "the sympathy of the audience shall never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin(4)." The assumption of audience identity with the hero was never unproblematic, and of course the classical Hollywood model of filmmaking partially outlined above never existed entirely without challenge. Nevertheless, it is clear that up to the fifties the classical Hollywood model was relatively applicable and that challenges to it were largely ineffective. However, beyond the fifties, the model became increasingly irrelevant. The reasons for the downfall of the classical paradigm are complex, and related to economic changes within the industry (the forced dismantling of the vertically integrated studio system that placed production, distribution and exhibition roles under the one organisation) as well as wider cultural shifts that occurred during the sixties (the widespread social upheaval and increasing prominence of counter-cultural challenges ... ...he coffee shop scene around the body of the film isolates one couple at the exact moment they make the wrong choice. The cleverness of Tarantino's approach is in isolating the artificiality of his heroes' persona, and using that as an approach with which to undermine the audience's admiration of that hero. Just as Coppola's attempts to alienate the viewer from Michael Corleone were only partially successful, so Tarantino's approach is flawed: Tarantino was accused of glorifying his criminal heroes, and audiences do still see Vincent Vega as a modern day Fonze, the embodiment of coolness. A subtext is still, after all, a subtext, and not everybody can be in the ironic audience. Perhaps, though, the real reason that both Coppola and Tarantino still have problems in avoiding the audience identification with their heroes is the astonishing persuasiveness of classical Hollywood forms. The learned patterns of classical Hollywood narratives and the associated identification with a strong central protagonist are likely to take over if given even the slightest chance. This is the price Coppola and Tarantino must pay if they wish to harness this form of filmmaking for commercial advantage.

MIS PROJECT :: essays research papers

CONFIDENTIAL MIchigan Supply Inc. Information Systems Initial Plan for Year 2005-20008 CONTEXT MIchigan Supply Inc. (MIS Inc.) is a privately-held automotive parts supplier of a variety of products such as electronics, solenoids, wiring and fuel components. The company is currently located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. INITIAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS MIS is currently separated into 5 departments: Manufacturing and Production with engineers, machine workers and production managers; Finance and Accounting with accounts; Human Resources with human resources staff; Sales and Marketing with salespeople, sales managers, customer service representatives; and Upper Management with secretaries and executives. Required systems and job Functions Each department has its required systems and different job functions which as listed below: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Manufacturing and Production information systems  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Machine control system to control the actions of machines and equipment  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Production planning system to decide when and how many products should be produced  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Facilities location system to decide where to locate new production facilities  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graphic system for engineers to design or improve products o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finance and Accounting information systems  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accounts receivable system to track money owed the firm  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Budgeting system to prepare short-term budgets  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Profit planning system to plan long-term profits o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human Resources information systems  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Training and development system to track employee training, skills, and performance appraisals  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compensation analysis system to monitors the range and distribution of employee wages, salaries, and benefits  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human resources planning system to plan the long-term labor force needs of the organization o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sales and Marketing information systems  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Order processing system to enter, process, and track orders  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pricing analysis system to determine prices for products and services  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sales trend forecasting system to prepare 5-year sales forecasts o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upper Management information systems  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Executive support systems to address non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight; and to filter, compress, track display critical data of greatest importance to executives. Equipment and configuration Currently MIS has 12 machine workers so we need at least 35 workstations. Initially there should be a black and white printer for each of 5 departments and color printers available for engineers, executives and salespeople. Required server services include email, file storage, printing, backup functionality and battery backup system. In addition to the 4 laptops executives currently have, 5 more should be purchased for salespeople for mobility. Equipment to be purchased should be the latest models which are capable of providing the 3 years of services and growth. Fig. 1 shows the company infrastructure configuration. We expect to have 50k to spend on 35 workstations ordered from Dell, 10k on 8 printers from Hewlett-Packard, 200k on server equipment, which should cover the costs of battery backup network switches, servers, tape storage device, serve/workstation software licensing, and 10k on 5 Toshiba laptops for salespeople.

How the Nile Form Ancient Egypt

Throughout history, humans have interacted with their environments to meet their needs and to satisfy their wants. Water has always played an important role in a civilization’s ability to develop and thrive. People settled in the Nile River Valley to take advantage of the resources the water and land provided. The Nile River was an integral part in the development and growth of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and it was the foundation for Egyptian innovations and religion.Ancient Egyptians interacted with the Nile River through their gods and in addition to using the river as a means for travel and trade, the Egyptians used its gifts, or resources for farming, inventions and religious ceremonies. The Nile River was the key factor in the growth and development of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians relied on the Nile River for many resources and used it as a means for travel and trade. (Doc. C) The Egyptians used the papyrus that grew along the river to make pap er, which scribes used to record daily activities.This helped to develop their civilization because they could use hieroglyphics to keep written records and document important economic, government or social events for the officials and pharaoh. Most Egyptians lived near the Nile. They mostly lived at the Nile Delta. The Nile Delta had the most vegetation so farmers/peasants live there to work in farms. (Doc. A) It was where they could actually get there crops growing. The most important resources the Nile River provided the ancient Egyptians were water and silt.Annual floods provided rich silt for which the Egyptians used to cultivate their crops. They learned that they could plant barley seeds in the same spot every year, and it would grow again if there was enough water. (Doc. D ) Having a surplus of food led to specialization in ancient Egypt. The division of labor was critical to the development of the ancient Egyptian civilization because it provided the Egyptians with time to master their crafts and then trade. Egyptians used sailboats to travel up and down the Nile River to barter for goods and share ideas.  (Doc. C)The local trade routes and longer expeditions that Egyptians often went on created interdependence between themselves and neighboring communities. The development and growth of the ancient Egyptian civilization was the direct result of the Nile River; its most precious resource. The Nile River was a source of innovation and religion for the ancient Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians used other inventions to help them manage and use the Nile’s gifts. They created a calendar which helped them predict the floods. (Doc.  B)Being able to predict floods helped the Egyptians prepare for and manage the annual surge of water. Ancient Egyptians were innovators in math, science, medicine and architecture. It was their belief, however, that their gods were directly responsible for everything they had and did. The Egyptians invented the shad oof, but they believed that their god-king Osiris taught them how to lead the waters to the barley. (Doc. D) The Egyptians believed that Osiris was the one who had given them the fields and the knowledge of planting seeds. (Doc.  D)Finally, the ancient Egyptians strongly believed in life after death or the afterlife. The Nile River played an important role in the transportation of mummified Egyptian pharaohs or kings. Since they were buried on the west side of the Nile River, a funeral barge was used to transport Egyptian royalty to their tombs. (Doc. C) Ancient Egyptians used the Nile River as a source for their religion and inventions which helped them to develop, grow and thrive as a civilization. When the Nile rises, the land is in exultation. (Doc. E) Without the Nile River there would not be life in Egypt.Ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile River greatly, and their interaction with the river was evident in all aspects of their lives. The Nile River was directly responsibl e for the growth and development of ancient Egypt. Without the river, the Egyptians would not have been able to farm and provide a constant food supply. The surplus of food made it possible for the Egyptians to make advancements in math, science and technology, and it provided them with the time and resources to barter. This helped them to develop and grow as a civilization. The Nile River was also directly connected to the Egyptians’ innovations and religion.The shadoof, nilometer and calendar are great examples of inventions the Egyptians developed to maximize their use of the Nile River which helped in their development. Finally, the ancient Egyptians believed that everything they had, including the Nile River, was connected to their gods. Therefore, the Nile River played an important role in religious ceremonies in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians’ interaction with the Nile River helped them to meet their needs and satisfy their wants, and it was directly respo nsible for their growth and development as a civilization.

For Environmental Balance, Pick Up a Rifle Essay

In the article â€Å"For Environmental Balance, Pick up a Rifle† by Nicholas Kristof, the author informs the reader about the importance of hunting, arguing that hunting needs to be brought back in the United States to control the deer population. He talks about the negative impact deer have caused in death of people by car accidents and with the destruction of the ecosystem with their overpopulation. The majority of deer have had a profoundly unnatural effect in certain parts of New York and New Jersey. Kristof notes that these days many people view hunting as a cruel and brutal and are opting for other methods for deer control due to their sympathy for deer. He states that it is a waste of time and money for liberals and conservatives to be using birth control and condoms; to prevent pregnancy to the deer. With the decline in hunting practices in North America, further environmental imbalance continues, which makes hunting an ecological necessity. If hunting were to increase in the coming years, individuals would be able to participate in the outdoors and enjoy nature. However, Kristof is an unreliable source in the knowledge of animal control and uses ineffective persuasion on this controversial topic. When it comes to experts on animal control, environmentalists spend an excruciating amount of time examining animals that have had a habitat interference with the ecosystem. Nicholas Kristof is not a reliable source of information; he has based his article off of an outsider’s point of view. While a column piece points out issues associated within our society, Kristof has yet to have the appropriate background and information to support his claim. Growing up on a farm in Oregon, studying law, and working as a columnist in The New York Times, gives some insight as to why Kristof wrote the article in the first place. This is because his audience includes a wide range of people; from highly educated to hardly any education. He is  writing in a city where hunting is a foreign concept, which leads Kristof to writing a commentary piece that relates to other topics individuals know about rather than the information of the deer in general. For example, he states â€Å"It’s s till true that in a typical year, an American is less likely to be killed by Osama bin Laden than by Bambi† giving the reader irrelevant material that has nothing to do with the topic of deer control. The author often states statistics that are in his favor, so his point is substantiated. In an article, â€Å"Journal of Wildlife Management† by Clinton Faas talks about how people generalize all deer as something harmful without considering the different types of deer. Not many people know about the axis and white-tailed deer that have had a negative impact throughout the environment. While in the article Kristof’s states that â€Å"The New Jersey Audubon Society this year advocated deer hunting as an ecological necessity.† (Kristof, 13) Yet while researching the Audubon Society it states that the white-tail deer made resources scarce in the ecosystem and it shows no sign of resorting to the concept of hunting. Nicholas Kristof takes the word deer throughout his article and made an assumption that all deer are harmful to society. The idea that hunting deer should be encouraged for the benefit of society and that it connects people with nature is remarkably repugnant in Nicholas Kristof’s â€Å"For the Environmental Balance, Pick up a Rifle.à ¢â‚¬  Many animal activists, such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) would agree that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, experimentation, or entertainment. The reason that it is important to treat other living things with dignity and respect is because they have the capacity to suffer as people do. We are told that it is wrong to hurt other people, physically and mentally. Although in the article Kristof becomes indulged in the fact that animals are the problem in society and should be put down for it. For instance he quotes â€Å"So it’s time to reestablish a balance in the natural world, by accepting the idea that hunting is as natural as bird watching.† (Kristof, 18) Yet the majority of the environments issues are caused by human actions. For example, misguided construction, irrigation and mining can deface the natural landscape and disrupt important ecological processes. Aggressive fishing and hunting can deplete entire stocks of species. Human migration can introduce alien competitors to native food chains. While reading Nicholas Kristof’s article,  I analyzed and exposed the unreliable information he provide d. He stated statics that were vague and unspecific, misguiding the reader with irrelevant facts on other topics, and did not have the appropriate background to be considered an expert on the problem of animal control. Overall, hunting is not the way to control the deer population nor has the author convinced his reader.

History of Cinema Essay

From the very beginning its existence the cinema has created works of art worthy to stand comparison with the masterpieces of painting, music, literature, and theatre. Even more than that, the cinema is irremovably embedded in the whole history of the twentieth century. It has not only shaped but also reflected the reality of the times. The cinema gave also form to the aspirations and dreams of people all over the world. This work will focus on the main historical factors and the conditions surrounding the history of film-making. However, it is also the case that it is simply impossible, in a work of this size, to do justice to all the many individuals, technologies and processes that have played noteworthy roles in the history of cinema. The history is not only interesting in its own right; it can also illuminate with particular clarity how the cinema works as a whole. This work consists of four main parts: the Early times, the Silent Cinema, the Sound Cinema, and the Modern Cinema from 1960 to the modern times. In each part the paper looks at history of the cinema in general. As far as possible this paper will cover each development from a broad international perspective. The Early Cinema From the beginning the cinema developed quickly. What in 1890 had been just a dream had by 1913 grown into a whole industry. First films were just moving snapshots. They were only one minute in length and nearly all consisted of just one shot. By 1905, the films were usually five to ten minutes in length and included changes of site and camera position to create a story or show a theme. Later, in the early 1910s, when the first ‘feature-length’ films appeared, there little by little emerged new techniques for handling complex stories. At this time the process of creating of films had itself grown into a large-scale business. Specialist offices had emerged, exceptionally intended to the making of films. During the 1910s the heart of supply became Los Angeles – Hollywood. The early cinema of from the mid- 1890s to the mid-1910s is often called ‘pre-Hollywood’ cinema. The cinema of this period has also been called pre-classical. Actually the styles of filmmaking common in the early years have never been completely shifted by Hollywood or classical modes, even in America. Many films continued to be pre- or at any rate non-Hollywood in their style for a long time. But it is right to say that much of the cinema development in the years from 1906 or 1907 can be considered as laying the ground for what later became the Hollywood industry. Silent Cinema On the contrary to popular belief, the history of animation did not begin with Walt Disney’s sound film Steamboat Willie in 1928. Before that film there was a popular tradition, a film industry, and a vast number of films – considering nearly 100 of Disney’s (Hayward 234). The general history of the animated film begins with the use of transient trick effects in films around the turn of the century. As several genres emerged (Westerns, chase films, etc. ). During 1906-10, there appeared at the same time films made all or mostly by the animation technique. Since most films were a single reel. There was little programmatic difference between the animated films and others. But the multi-reel film trend developed after around 1912. Animated films retained their one-reel-or-less length. Until the First World War, animation was a completely international phenomenon. However, after about 1915 the producers in the United States began to control the world market. In a quarter of a century, the silent cinema created a tradition of film comedy. The cinema arrived at the end of a century that had witnessed a rich development of popular comedy. Later, the new proletarian audiences of the great cities of Europe and America found their own theatre in music hall, variety, and musical comedy. With these popular audiences, comedy became constant demand. When life was bad, laughter was a comfort; when it was good, they wanted to enjoy themselves just the same. Famous comedy mime troupes of the music halls, like the Martinettis, the Ravels, the Hanlon- Lees, and Fred Karno’s Speechless Comedians, can be seen as direct predecessors of one-reel slapstick films. Karno, in fact, was to train two of the greatest film comedians, Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel (Hayward 56- 58). The term ‘documentary’ did not become popular use until the late 1920s and 1930s. In the beginning it was applied to various kinds of ‘creative’ non-fiction screen practice in the post-First World War, classical cinema era. Originating films in the category have typically comprised Robert Flah erty ‘s Nanook of the North ( 1922), various Soviet films of the 1920s such as Dziga Vertov’s The Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom, 1929), Walter Ruttmann’s 11Berlin: Symphony of a City (Berlin: die Sinfonie der GroBstadt, 1927), and John Grierson’s Drifters ( 1929) (Cook 89). Early documentarians used the magic lantern to create complex and often sophisticated programs out of a succession of projected photographic images. The images were accompanied by a live narration, with an occasional use of music and sound effects. By the turn of the century, films were gradually replacing slides. This in turn gave rise to the new terminology. The documentary tradition preceded film and has continued into the era of television and video. In this way it was redefined in the light of technological innovations, as well as in the context of shifting social and cultural forces. British films of the period were often quite sophisticated, particularly in the comic and actuality fields. Narrative editing, too, was often innovative. Sound Cinema The development from silent to sound cinema marks a period of revolution in the history of cinema. The revolution 4can be easily dated from 6 October 1927, with the New York premiere of Warner Bros. ‘ The Jazz Singer in which Al Jolson pronounces the immortal line ‘You ain’t heard nothin’ yet’ with more or less perfect synchronization between his lips in the film and his voice recorded in parallel on a disc (Hjort 90). Filmmakers began to use innovative sound technology that produced panic in cinema industry. In the same time it encouraged experiments and hopes too. While it decreased popularity of Hollywood’s films for several years, it stimulated a rebirth of national film production all over the world. This period in the history of cinema has specific features that make it unique in comparison with the years before and after. The coming of sound itself, and its world-wide implications is the first look. Then the focus is on the world of the studios, how the system operated – particularly in Hollywood – and how different aspects of the cinema were combined together during the studio period. The studios were not entirely free to make films simply for the market. The system also encountered problems of how to regulate itself to take account of political, social, and moral concern. While other countries experienced political censorship of varying degrees of severity, the Hollywood cinema suffered relatively little interference from central government. The Hollywood was instead faced with carefully orchestrated demands for a moral clean-up and the risk of intervention by local censor boards (Neale 78-79). Along with spoken dialogue, the major innovation of the sound cinema was synchronized music. The art of musical illustration that was used during the silent period was changed by the synchronized music. A considerable difference was, certainly, that filmmakers began to use music as a part of the fictional world. For instance, music could now be introduced when the film showed an orchestra or an actor performing a song. Then, sound film would use music not only to the picture, but to dialogue as well. Music became pure background. Composition, performance, and recording were all subject to studio control, and the production of musical tracks of high quality can be counted one of the greatest achievements of the system. Outside Hollywood music tracks were often less polished. But directors were more often free to work with composers of their own choice, and Sergei Prokofiev’s music for Eisen stein ‘s Alexander Nevsky (1938) provides an interesting contrast to two classic Warner Bros. scores of the same period – Erich Korngold’s The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Max Steiner’s Casablanca (1943). Modern Cinema  The most significant change in world cinema since 1945 was that produced by the breakdown of the Hollywood studio system and of its competitors and imitators elsewhere. By the early 1960s the Hollywood system was in severe disarray. Declining audiences and a series of costly flops left the major studios on the verge of bankruptcy or open to hostile take-over. While the studios experienced difficulties, new enterprises such as American International Pictures emerged. These companied made low-budget movies that were intended for the new youth and drive-in markets. Many new genres came into being. One of such innovations was the road movie. It proved to be influential not only on more mainstream American films but throughout the world. The mainstream itself was forced to innovate, drawing inspiration both from the down-market competition and from the new cinemas emerging in Europe. In Europe the most important single event was the sudden explosion on to the scene of the French New Wave – the Nouvelle Vague – with first features by Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Alain Resnais following each other in quick succession in 1958 and 1959 (Hjort 123). The New Wave had been briefly preceded in Britain by the ‘Free Cinema’ movement, and was followed by the ‘Young German Cinema’ which announced its existence in the Oberhausen Manifesto of 1962 and went on to renovate the lackluster West German cinema later in the decade. In Italy the change was less sudden but none the less significant, with the creation of Federico Fellini’s La dolce vita and Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura in 1960. It was beginning of a new art cinema. Changes in the 1960s were not confined to Europe. The Cuban Revolution in 1959 gave an impetus to the growth of new cinemas throughout Latin America, notably in Brazil (Cook 45). In Japan the studio system which had nurtured the work of the great masters such as Mizoguchi and Ozu was also in crisis, and in the changed situation allowed for the entry on to the world stage of directors like Nagisa Oshima, who was to play a role in Japanese cinema similar to that of Godard in France. The new cinemas greatly extended the boundaries of film art. They brought new audiences into the cinema, for whom films assumed an unprecedented cultural importance. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s the cinema spoke more directly to these mainly young audiences than did any of the more traditional art forms. But outside Italy, France and England the innovate cinema with the new realities was not popular. Because of the limits on the size of the audience, the new cinema had to be low-budget or propped up by subsidy (sometimes both) in order to survive (Guneratne 67). The ‘new’ period in Hollywood cinema begins from the 1975 release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. The film signaled the birth of a new, younger generation of Hollywood directors. Born mainly in the 1940s, they both studied the films of classical Hollywood and were influenced by the filmmakers of world cinema. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made blockbusters with classic principles. One of the most famous filmmaker in the 1980s has been Woody Allen. Allen has made famous films, such as Interiors (1978) and Stardust Memories (1980). Conclusion There exists recognition of the fact that from the beginning the cinema has developed in remarkably similar ways all over the world. But it is also recognized that from the end of the First World War onwards, one film industry – the American – has played a main role in the creation of world’s cinema. However, many nations have created their own, culturally identifiable, genre films that proved extremely popular during the 1970s and 1980s. In India, for instance, a remarkable 250 film-making companies, using more than 60 studios, continued to produce 700 feature films a year throughout the 1980s (Kindem 23). The central government encouraged the making of Indian films by requiring all commercial cinemas to screen at least one Indian film per show. A star system, much like Hollywood’s of the 1930s and 1940s, is strong in all parts of the world. Indeed Indian stars working on several productions at the same time can become enormously wealthy. The nations survived mainly by learning from Hollywood cinema. At the same time Europe produced a product that corresponded to needs that Hollywood cinema could not supply. Asian countries have been strong producers of film. Hong Kong, a country of only 5 million people, produces more films than Hollywood. In the 1990s Hong Kong’s citizens watched Hollywood and native productions in about equal numbers. In the 1980s Hong Kong martial arts films were distributed world-wide in large numbers. With broadcasting systems combined with the rise of satellite-distributed services Hollywood penetrates even these markets. Hollywood produced the most famous icons in the world such as Steven Spielberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger. With its international control, the Hollywood corporations could and will define standards of film style, form, and content.