American Progress

John Gast’s painting, â€Å"American Progress†, illustrates many depictions of the early movement and development of the United States. This particular painting defines uniqueness and character throughout. Looking at it geographically the angel portrayed in the middle is floating westward as though she is exemplifying the Westward Expansion. She has the â€Å"Star of Empire† imprinted on her forehead, which better portrays the idea of her trying to move westward. This painting is a great description of our country’s economical progress and expansion. Gast artistically explains the present day United States as nice cities along rivers with big buildings and churches along the right edge of this painting. This scene is also shown as being happy and awakening because of the bright sun rays being shown down upon it. The city is supposed to represent a growing city along the mighty Mississippi River. You are able to see the evolution of transportation through boats and railroads. The three main intercontinental railways are shown departing from this city, and the beautiful angel in the middle is carrying the telegraph cable which eventually linked the nation together. She is also carrying with her some type school book, which to me represents intellectual ideas being spread throughout the country. In the background behind her lies many rolling hills and plush green grass. There is not many trees in this portrait, but the snow capped mountains on the left and the great plains on the right depict a great deal of land diversity from coast to coast. There are also many cattle, Indians, wild horses, bears, and other wild game trying to flee her approach towards the west and eventually into the storms and waves of the Pacific coast. Although she seems very divine in appearance some may take her intentions as revolting. Her central idea seems as though she is trying to spread the economical progress throughout the entire United States. Emotionally this is a very strong painting because of its detail and significance. When I first looked at this painting it made me think of Manifest Destiny. The angel in the middle attempting to emigrate westward defines the meaning of manifest destiny. Many thought it was God’s belief that the United States would expand from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. I also felt another tie to my previous assumption when I noticed the star on her forehead. I felt it had great importance so I began to acknowledge her surroundings and I realized it was the â€Å"Star of Empire†, which signifies westward movement as well. The star is a bright golden color, almost identical to rays of light being exposed upon new land. She is wearing a long, swaying white robe which is also significant because the color white signifies freedom. Her bright golden, blonde hair also signifies the presence of God to me. Her presence in this painting is not just for beauty but for great importance. I have always felt strongly about the spread of equality throughout our nation, and to me it seems as though she is trying to spread the superior life-style across the United States. The book in her arm represents that she is trying to spread intelligence and the teaching of literacy. It was very rare in the past for many people to be able to both read and write, and with the spread of civilization trying to take place it is very important that she also spread the gift of teaching. I also believe that she is trying to spread the connection of communication throughout the country by carrying the telegraph cord in her other hand. This became a very important facet of our country, because many of the connections and deals made over time would not have been made possible without communication. When I looked more towards the left side of the painting I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Coincidently that happened to be the way everyone was fleeing, which in my mind represents everyone trying to escape freedom and return to normalcy among themselves. These men, women, and animals look as though they are afraid of the angel hovering over them, but ideally they are trying to escape normal civilization. This painting portrays many different themes and central ideas depending on which way it is observed. I feel from my point of view that I was able to interpret that the theme is based on moving forward in society. As seen on the right side of this portrait, the eastern United States progressed sooner than the west, and many frontiersmen are afraid of this new lifestyle. It seems as though the angel is trying to help everyone move forward and develop a new way of living and become more acquainted with this innovative way of living. No one copes very well with change, and like-wise neither did the Indians, farmers, and all of the other wild animals. These individuals had to manage survival with whatever nature skills they had. The mountainous region on the left side of the painting is covered with dark, rainy clouds and white snow caps. This symbolizes harsh climates and bad conditions for any type of living. Some of the animals may not be used to the western climates and may not be able to adapt quickly enough before facing the edge of extinction. The angel present in the center of the painting is able to help spread this central idea of moving on by her presence and what she brings with her. The coloration of her long, curly hair exemplifies traits from Jesus Christ. Her intentions are as His would be, and that is to create happiness and equality throughout. The gleaming star on her forehead also ties into the main theme through the concept of Manifest Destiny. I believe the star has the most significance of any object in the painting when referring to the main theme. The principle of the star represents the same significance as the main theme; people are trying to move forward in society. This entire painting depicts the importance of this exploration to the western United States. Everything is explained in perfect artistic form from the bright, sunshiny city on the right to the dark, gloomy coast on the left. The depiction of the angel in the middle is obviously the most important characteristic of this painting, but she also brings a lot of debate for whether or not she is subsiding good or bad influence on our country. There are many details and translations that can be looked at from many different angles depending on the person’s train of thought. I have explained in every detail the way I feel about this painting and the way I sensed each direction of the artist’s feelings. John Gast has a great connotation of each perception in his painting, and uses many features to depict different portions of his famous artwork. Many great Americans can agree with the central concept of this painting and will be able to grasp the implications behind each item portrayed in the painting. I personally feel that this painting is well thought out and had great meaning behind each aspect.

Novel and Book Thief

Power of LanguageOne option: In The Book Thief, words have the power to both destroy and save lives. Examine how characters in the novel (for example, Liesel, Max, Ilsa Hermann, Hitler, Rosa and/or Hans) use words to destroy and to save. What are some of the effects of their words? Discuss at least two characters’ relationships with the power of language.Another option: The Book Thief is, on one level, the story of Liesel Meminger’s relationship with books. At the beginning of Zusak’s novel, Death advises the reader, â€Å"All told, she owned fourteen books, but she saw her story as being made up predominantly of ten of them. Of those ten, six were stolen, one showed up at the kitchen table, two were made for her by a hidden Jew, and one was delivered by a soft, yellow-dressed afternoon. When she came to write her story, she would wonder exactly when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything† (30).Near the end of the novel, Liesel confesses her conflicting emotions about the major’s wife’s library, â€Å"I love this place and hate it, because it is full of words† (522). Discuss at least two of Liesel’s books, and the significance of those books to her developing appreciation of the power of language.Power of language – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/15, 1/19Liesel’s Books (Books # 1-4) 1/22, 1/25Book # 5 2/3, 2/4Books #6 and 7 2/5, 2/8Book #8 2/11, 2/16Books # 9-11 2/25, 2/26Books # 12-13Your notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Utopia/dystopia A utopia is an imaginary place, situated in a particular time and space, that is socially, morally, and politically ideal. A dystopia is an imaginary place, also situated in a particular time or place, but which is socially, morally, and politically terrible, a state in which people are dehumanized, oppressed, terrorized, or completely dominated. While these are imaginary places , all societies display some characteristics of both. Find and discuss utopian and dystopian moments throughout The Book Thief. Is there a connection between the two? Are they dependent upon one another?Utopia/dystopia – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/22, 1/25Perfect Place – Book Thief characters 2/19, 2/22Two charactersYour notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Upstander triangle Each character in The Book Thief played a role in World War II Nazi Germany. Some were victims, others were perpetrators of evil and injustice, and many others (who chose to take no action) were bystanders. Among them, however, were rescuers or upstanders who acted against the evil and injustice they saw around them. Describe the roles that characters in The Book Thief fit into, and how they came to play each role. What qualities did the characters possess to fit into these roles? Did some characters play more than one role at a time? Did they change r oles? Why? What inspired or invited or compelled characters to move from bystanders to upstanders/rescuers?Upstander triangle – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/28, 1/29 â€Å"What Role Do You Choose?† triangle 2/19, 2/22Two characters 2/19, 2/22Rescuer biography (on assigned rescuer)Your notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Character analysis Compare and contrast two characters in The Book Thief. Focus on personality traits, where the characters fit in the upstander triangle, whether they perceive their world as more utopian or dystopian, and their perspectives on the power of language. How are these characters important to a core message (theme) that Zusak expresses through his novel?Character analysis – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/13, 1/14Hans v. Rosa Venn diagram 1/13, 1/14Frau Diller and Rudy Steiner Notes Homework 1/22, 1/25Perfect Place – Book Thief characters 1/28, 1/29 â€Å"What Role Do You C hoose?† triangle 2/19, 2/22Two charactersYour notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations) Novel and Book Thief Power of LanguageOne option: In The Book Thief, words have the power to both destroy and save lives. Examine how characters in the novel (for example, Liesel, Max, Ilsa Hermann, Hitler, Rosa and/or Hans) use words to destroy and to save. What are some of the effects of their words? Discuss at least two characters’ relationships with the power of language.Another option: The Book Thief is, on one level, the story of Liesel Meminger’s relationship with books. At the beginning of Zusak’s novel, Death advises the reader, â€Å"All told, she owned fourteen books, but she saw her story as being made up predominantly of ten of them. Of those ten, six were stolen, one showed up at the kitchen table, two were made for her by a hidden Jew, and one was delivered by a soft, yellow-dressed afternoon. When she came to write her story, she would wonder exactly when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything† (30). Near the end of the novel , Liesel confesses her conflicting emotions about the major’s wife’s library, â€Å"I love this place and hate it, because it is full of words† (522). Discuss at least two of Liesel’s books, and the significance of those books to her developing appreciation of the power of language.Power of language – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/15, 1/19Liesel’s Books (Books # 1-4) 1/22, 1/25Book # 5 2/3, 2/4Books #6 and 7 2/5, 2/8Book #8 2/11, 2/16Books # 9-11 2/25, 2/26Books # 12-13Your notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Utopia/dystopiaA utopia is an imaginary place, situated in a particular time and space, that is socially, morally, and politically ideal. A dystopia is an imaginary place, also situated in a particular time or place, but which is socially, morally, and politically terrible, a state in which people are dehumanized, oppressed, terrorized, or completely dominated. While these are imaginary places , all societies display some characteristics of both. Find and discuss utopian and dystopian moments throughout The Book Thief. Is there a connection between the two? Are they dependent upon one another?Utopia/dystopia – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/22, 1/25Perfect Place – Book Thief characters 2/19, 2/22Two charactersYour notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Upstander triangleEach character in The Book Thief played a role in World War II Nazi Germany. Some were victims, others were perpetrators of evil and injustice, and many others (who chose to take no action) were bystanders. Among them, however, were rescuers or upstanders who acted against the evil and injustice they saw around them. Describe the roles that characters in The Book Thief fit into, and how they came to play each role. What qualities did the characters possess to fit into these roles? Did some characters play more than one role at a time? Did they change ro les? Why? What inspired or invited or compelled characters to move from bystanders to upstanders/rescuers?Upstander triangle – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/28, 1/29 â€Å"What Role Do You Choose?† triangle 2/19, 2/22Two characters 2/19, 2/22Rescuer biography (on assigned rescuer)Your notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)Character analysisCompare and contrast two characters in The Book Thief. Focus on personality traits, where the characters fit in the upstander triangle, whether they perceive their world as more utopian or dystopian, and their perspectives on the power of language. How are these characters important to a core message (theme) that Zusak expresses through his novel?Character analysis – Journal entries that might inspire you 1/13, 1/14Hans v. Rosa Venn diagram 1/13, 1/14Frau Diller and Rudy Steiner Notes Homework 1/22, 1/25Perfect Place – Book Thief characters 1/28, 1/29 â€Å"What Role Do You Cho ose?† triangle 2/19, 2/22Two charactersYour notes (your ideas for essay, Book Thief pages, Book Thief quotations)

How Time Management Skills Can Effect Educational Achievement Education Essay

Time direction is really of import and it may really impact person ‘s overall public presentation and accomplishments. However, all of these are related by how persons manage their clip to accommodate their day-to-day life or to do it flux steadily with their modus operandis. Conducive scenes and environment will certainly advance positive results to the pupils, besides holding good talks given by their lectors. Nevertheless, pupils ‘ clip direction can be considered as one of the facet that can travel a pupil to be a good pupil. A good clip direction is critical for pupils to stand out. However, some of the pupils do non hold a good clip direction accomplishments that has negatively impact their life and their survey. The use of clip by pupils in higher instruction establishments is related to their day-to-day modus operandis and activities. Students ‘ clip direction can besides impact stress degree of pupils as they need to get by with their undertakings and their personal errands. In educational establishments of Malaysia, clip direction has a function in finding how the pupils perform. This includes the pupils who are specialising in the instruction profession. Teaching profession is one of legion professions accepted widely throughout the whole universe. Due to this peculiar ground, higher acquisition establishments all around the universe nowadays provide classs which either closely or straight related to the learning profession. The acquisition establishments in Malaysia are non excluded. Here in Malaysia, higher learning establishment provides educational classs in assorted Fieldss of survey. Many larning establishments have their ain Faculty of Education to provide the demands and the pupils to foster their surveies in this peculiar field. Among these universities are Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris ( UPSI ) , Universiti Malaya ( UM ) , Universiti Malaysia Sarawak ( UNIMAS ) , International Islamic University Malaysia ( IIUM ) , Universitit Kebangsaan Malaysia ( UKM ) , Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( UMS ) , Universiti Putra Malaysia ( UPM ) , Universiti Sains Malaysia ( USM ) , Universiti Teknologi Malaysia ( UTM ) and Universiti Teknologi Mara ( UiTM ) . The pupils who are undergoing the classs under the Faculty of Education are being exposed to what they should cognize and fix for the educational field besides the cognition that they gain during category. All of the pupils are being trained in bettering both their cognition and besides their soft accomplishments. However, all of the pupils do non hold the same manner of pull offing their clip. This may hold an consequence both on their academic and societal life. In order to find how pupils manage their clip, a survey demand to be carried out among pupils who are taking the B. Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language ( TESL ) programme at the Faculty of Education, UiTM Shah Alam. This survey is specifically for Part 8 or concluding semester pupils who are presently analyzing under the TESL programme. Statement of the Problem. Students in every university are different from one another, particularly in the manner they manage their clip. The manner of managing clip for each person is different in UiTM even though the classs taken are the same. Some of the pupils are even analyzing in the same category. Some category will hold the session of a peculiar topic in the forenoon and some possibly holding it in the afternoon or even later in the eventide. The clip allotment of the category may impact the pupils ‘ clip directions. In other words, pupils manage their clip to suit their demands and most of them pull off their clip by prioritising on what they want to make, instead than what they need to make. This consequences in the troubles of the pupils in executing their undertakings based on what they planned. Therefore, it is necessary to transport out a survey in order to find how pupils manage their clip, and how it affects their surveies. A survey demand to be conducted to happen out how the pupils manage their clip throughout their period of survey and how it may impact their surveies. The pupils are larning harmonizing to the timetable provided by the module that may or may non disrupt their common day-to-day activities. The pupils have different ways to pull off their clip to provide to their survey program. This survey is conducted to place portion 8 TESL pupils of UiTM clip direction and how it affects their surveies. Research Aims The chief aim of the research is to find the ways portion eight B.Ed.TESL ( Hons ) pupils in the Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Mara ( UiTM ) , Section 17 Shah Alam, pull off their clip. The aims of this research are as stated below: 1.2.1 To cognize how the pupils manage their clip and their day-to-day modus operandi during their continuance of survey. This is chiefly to look into how pupils manage their clip throughout their survey which includes clip for both academic and personal activities. 1.2.2 To look into in what manner clip direction affects their surveies and public presentation. To detect how does pupils ‘ manner of pull offing clip affects their surveies and their public presentation. 1.3 Research Questions This research is intended to reply the undermentioned inquiries: 1.3.1. How do the portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils manage their clip during their period of survey? 1.3.2. How do they get by with academic work load during their survey? 1.4.3. Do they hold equal clip for societal activities? 1.4 Significance of Study The significances of this survey are: 1.4.1 To find how portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils of UiTM pull off their clip during their period of survey, including on how they manage their clip for academic activities and clip for socialising. This can be looked on how portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils make agreement of their clip, in which can be related on how they divide the clip for academic intents and besides the clip for their societal demands. This survey will detect how portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils of UiTM pull off their clip to accommodate their demand as pupils. 1.4.2 To raise the consciousness of portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils of UiTM on how they manage and spend clip for their modus operandis as pupils. The survey is of import for both pupils and the Faculty. It will convey benefits to the pupils who are non cognizant of how they spend or pull off their clip. The information collected in this survey can be used as a guideline to the pupils to fix a better manner to take their life or on how to pull off their clip decently. This besides will assist the pupils to do better clip direction for their academic and societal life. 1.4.3 To enable the university to form activities related to clip direction accomplishment and self-improvisations, in order to heighten the pupils clip direction both during and after their categories. The Faculty may besides utilize the informations collected to transport out activities related to clip direction in order to better whatever that should be improved about their clip direction. The pupils may besides do necessary alterations on how they spend their clip or reschedule their day-to-day modus operandi in order to accommodate their demands or even to increase their public presentation in survey. 1.5 Restriction of the Study The restriction in this survey is on the figure of the respondents. For this survey, it would non be possible to obtain the information or information from all TESL pupils of UiTM. Due to that, the sample has been limited to portion 8 B.Ed. TESL pupils of UiTM in Section 17, Shah Alam, Selangor merely. 1.6 Definition of Footings Several footings will be used throughout this survey. These footings are interrelated to one another and are used particularly when mentioning to the topics and the survey done. The footings used may be different in significance. 1.6.1 Time: Harmonizing to Merriam-Webster Collegiate lexicon, 11th Edition ; clip is defined as â€Å" the measured or mensurable period during which an action, procedure, or status exist or continues † . Time in this research refers to the activities of portion 8 TESL pupils of UiTM.. 1.6.2 Management: Harmonizing to Collin ‘s Cobuild Advanced Learner ‘s English Dictionary, New Edition 5th ( 2006 ) , direction carries the significance on the manner people control different parts of their life. 1.6.3 Time Management: Based on the definition of clip and direction given above, clip direction can be said as the manner of how persons control their clip throughout their day-to-day life. In this survey, throughout their day-to-day life refers to clip direction applies to the period when portion 8 pupils are analyzing at UiTM subdivision 17, Shah Alam.

Management of Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management of Organizations - Research Paper Example This also includes fulfilling the requirements for activities such as recruitment of new members of management teams, establishing business relationships with other organizations and coming up the best platform for increasing the intellectual property rights of an organization. To be successful in delivering the best for this career, it is essential that become enlightened on a number of key skills. These skills are as stipulated below. It is clearly vital to note that this job requires one to be very excellent in making quality business strategies. To be successful here, it is necessary that I have excellent qualitative and quantitative skills. In addition, as a key member of an organization, I should also have excellent electronic commerce skills. This will facilitate smooth execution of business functions globally hence increasing the companies competitive advantage (Miles,

Sexual studies biology assignment 2 (another persos assignment) Essay

Sexual studies biology assignment 2 (another persos assignment) - Essay Example This was done through a systematic analysis of various articles concerned with the incidence, pathophysiology, and treatment of antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction (Higgins 141). Management of sexual dysfunction through medical assessments has been deemed to be one of the most important steps in addressing the problem. This may include the following: eliminate other potential factors for sexual dysfunction (e.g. alcohol, age, substance abuse); exclude the effects of using medications other than antidepressants (e.g. diabetes management medications, cardiovascular system medications, nervous system disorder treatments); and exclusion of the residual effects of depression or the use of anti-depression drugs (Higgins 146). Once all factors have been ruled out and the effects of the antidepressants still persist as the main cause of sexual dysfunction, possible options for patients can include gradual reduction of antidepressant dosage, replacement or switching of antidepressant s from SSRI to non-SSRI, adjunct drug treatment or the use of drugs to counteract side-effects, not using antidepressant drugs a day before engaging in sexual activity, or undergoing cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) using a combination of biological and psychosocial approaches in dealing with and understanding the mechanics of sexual dysfunction (148). ... Sexual dysfunction is a very sensitive topic, and as such must be tackled as holistically and as open-mindedly as possible, both by the patients as well as the professionals that they work with. It is very important that patients are fully-informed about the possible causes of sexual dysfunction and how these issues can be addressed, especially when the patients are taking antidepressants or using other kinds of drugs. This is because there is a high possibility that they feel less empowered as a result of accepting that they have lower sexual drive as well as their battles against depression, and they may not be fully aware of the possible connection for this, let alone it being common among users of antidepressants. This article is able to provide important details on how to handle sexual dysfunction while taking antidepressants, as it has been mentioned that individuals may respond differently to the treatments enumerated. Also, it also serves as a reminder that not all mental ill nesses depend on pharmacological therapies alone as there are some other ways to cope with this problem, and that by reducing the dependence on drugs that could possibly inhibit sexual responses, patients have greater chances of improving their sex lives simply through adjustments of medications or behavior. Mental health specialists and clinicians can benefit from this article by providing their patients with alternative solutions in addressing either or both issues of depression or of sexual dysfunction as a result of the use of antidepressants, and in effect can give a chance for patients to have access to a better sexual health as a result of a few changes in their anti-depression

MGMT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

MGMT - Assignment Example The person sitting next to me was a strikingly attractive young woman. She raised her hand to ask a question and we were stunned when the lecturer failed to address her by her name (as he had all of the males that were asking question). Instead, he said, â€Å"What’s your question blondie?† The room immediately became uncomfortable but the lecturer seemed to have no idea that what he had said was sexist. She asked her question, received her answer and sat fuming and embarrassed for the remainder of the morning. I regret that I did nothing. I felt horrible for her but felt powerless to do anything. I didn’t want to speak up because I was a new hire and besides, this gentleman was so well regarded in the community. At the very least I think I should have said something to the offended party afterwards, but I didn’t. I think that if I had it to do all over, I would have taken a moment to say something to the lecturer at the break for lunch. I think I should have let him know that I think he offended one of the new hires by the way he addressed her. I think at the very least, I should have let him know that he made me feel uncomfortable by referring to her as â€Å"blondie†. I understand that this man was from a different generation and that such a comment might have been tolerated when he was much younger. But that isn’t an excuse. It does place the comment in context, but I can still remember that embarrassed and uncomfortable emotion I felt in the training session that

Jeyes business 's generic and distinctive marketing strategies Case Study

Jeyes business 's generic and distinctive marketing strategies - Case Study Example The main research question to be speaking to in this reading is whether the chief executive officer (CEO) ought to unilaterally exercise strategic leadership on behalf of the whole organization or whether such leadership ought to be shared by one or more additional groups in the pecking order of management. The achievement of the strategic objectives fundamental strategic decisions is talented through the effectual practice of strategic leadership. In spite of the self-evident perceptual imprecision and cognitive limitations of strategic leaders, their imitation of the factors causal to or detracting from victorious outcomes of strategic choices are extremely important for the long-term feasibility of the organization (Wheelen, Thomas L. Hunger). The study fundamental this research is directed toward determine the truly important leadership factors that make a payment to the achievement of implemented strategic decisions as seen during the eyes of the chief executive officer (CEO). The exact focus is on strategic leadership at the height of the CEO. There are additional studies that are anxious with the CEO as a strategic leader. But, for the mainly part, these are not studies in which the CEO is the elite participant. This study is based on a learning of strategic leadership at the CEO level as apparent by the in office chief executives with a sight toward formative whether victorious strategic decisions ought to be made unilaterally or jointly at the uppermost levels of the business. Introduction The following report describes and analyses Jeyes business 's generic and distinctive marketing strategies, as well as providing accurate industry, competitor, market, and SWOT analysis'. Evaluation of Jeyes business 's marketing strategy is conducted, thus analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy. Lastly the report recommends probable future courses of actions obtainable to Jeyes business, in order to get better profits and stop mistakes in the future. It is important to emphasize that the study of International strategic planning methodology should not be limited to techniques alone. numerous books have been written on planning method over the years, but without firm basics in theory and/or empirical confirmation, very few have endured the examination of time. Accordingly, this quantity is a compendium of together theory and experiential proof that pertain especially to how firms ought to be managed deliberately. Thus, the application of strategic management hypothesis and experiential proof to preparation technique is the subject matter of strategic planning methodology, and this quantity which, we consider, is the first to attain such a nexus (Schuler, R. S., 2003, 419-459). Strategic development technique is, to strategic management theory, what automatic engineering is to hypothetical physics. More than just procedural guidelines, then, this research contains main beliefs of applied strategic management theory and experiential evidence that are either usually accepted or adequately verifiable to serve as bases for expert practice. mutually strategic management scholars and grave strategic planning practitioners who wish a total collection of typically accepted planning main beliefs ought to find this

Rochester Manufacturing Corparation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rochester Manufacturing Corparation - Case Study Example The firm believes that 30% of the people use a good estimate of products suitable for the FMS. This provides a good incentive for moving ahead with the FMS now. The 30% is viewed to fit very nicely into a â€Å"family†. Moving ahead with the FMS, it is also viewed to reduce the variety. The traditional numerically controlled machine has a high variety. Therefore, moving ahead with the FMS now will be associated with a reduction because of higher utilization in the number of pieces of the machinery. In addition, the resources are scarce and hence proper utilization should be enhanced. By utilizing the resources, the profits will also be utilized. In return, the production will be increased if the variety is utilized (Khanna, 2007). The main objective of any firm is profit maximization and cost minimization. If the FMS will have a lower variety, the costs will be minimized and profits will be maximized. The lower variety is a very big motivation of moving ahead with an FMS now. The firm should be able to go from 15 to perhaps as low as 3. This shows a reduction of 12 in the variety. This variety reduction will create more room for an extra production. The firm will be able to expand its production by perhaps four times. It means that the efficiency of the firm will increase by moving ahead with the FMS now. Moving ahead with the FMS now is also associated with a reduction in the floor space from 20,000 square feet to about 6,000 square feet. This shows a reduction by 6,000 square feet. Any organization strives to have a suitable space to carry out its operations. A suitable space will reduce the congestions within the organization. Congestions are associated with various disadvantages. Also, moving ahead with the FMS now will also be associated with the through put of orders improving with the processing of the family parts in1 or 2 days rather than 7 to 10. This shows a good processing efficiency. If orders are processing very fast, it will

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example In recent years, UK government measures increasingly impinge on privacy. This was after the enactment of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act of 2000 that has granted more powers to the UK government to intercept different kinds of information. The main reason for the enactment of the RIP Act was to ensure that security and law enforcement agencies in the UK had enough powers granted to them, so as to be able to do their jobs effectively, especially with the growth of new technologies that have raised security concerns. With this, it is clear that â€Å"the UK views cyber attacks against individuals and corporations as civil and criminal issues that can be handled accordingly.†4 However, the act has profound effects on organizations and investors associated with the UK. Consequently, there have been concerns raised over the regulation of such powers and the fact that most investors and shareholders would prefer to only have very little of their information intercep ted and disclosed. Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act of 2000 This act incorporates monitoring and interception of communications. â€Å"RIP dictates that every electronic communication has to be sent to the Government Technical Assistance Center (GTAC).†5 In the case that a warrant for the disclosure of information is issued, the person whom protected material is addressed to is required to disclose the information. Investigatory powers covered by the act include the obtaining of communication data, the interception of communications, hidden surveillance in particular operations, intrusive surveillance, legal right to encrypted information, and the use of undercover officers, informants, and agents.6 Under the RIP Act of 2000, all Internet Service Providers are required to intercept all communications data created, sent, or transmitted through the United Kingdom’s networks, and route it to the Government Technical Assistance Center. The RIP Act 2000 supports tipping-off of employers and companies by employees. Upon request by the government of the UK, any company official is required to surrender any requested information, and the law bares him or her from informing anyone about such an action, including the security staff, senior management, and employers.7 There are punishments for those who violate tipping-off regulations by informing others that they have disclosed private information, and such offenders get up to five years imprisonment. International companies and stakeholders associated with the UK are very uncomfortable with this law, since they might operate assuming that they hold secure company information, while the UK may have gotten well aware about it through interception. Impacts of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act of 2000 The United Kingdom’s RIP Act 2000 is a great invasion of privacy for different parties. This is because the act allows interception of internet communications, gives legal right s to access of encrypted information, and allows surveillance. Companies and individuals are required by the UK

Economic and Political Fallout of World War I Term Paper

Economic and Political Fallout of World War I - Term Paper Example The world got ‘shaped’ both geographically and historically by two global conflicts that happened in the twentieth century. It included the First World War and the Second World War, with the First World War starting in 1914 and ending in 1918 with the signing of Treaty of Versailles. Although the First World War ended officially in 1918, its aftereffects simmered for many years, leading to the political and the economic fallouts in various regions of the World, particularly in Europe as well as United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Europe In Europe, the political and economic fallout of First World War was mainly visible in Germany and Italy. Defeated in the First World War and with fellow European countries from Britain to Spain dominating the world scene during that period, through their imperialist policies, Germany and Italy along with Japan thought of exhibiting their imperialistic leanings. They thought of capturing many colonies, which will enable them to regain their lost glory. Germany for instance at the end of the First World War I lost some of its most economically rich territories like eastern portion of Upper Silesia, Saarland and Rhineland to its fellow European neighbors, France, Poland, etc. The loss of these territories apart from depriving Germans of economic wealth also resulted in population relocation and thereby problems with neighboring territories. These problems fueled the German ambition to regain its lost territories. Importantly by restoring the ‘rightful’ boundaries to pre-First World War Germany, its leader, Adolph Hitler wanted to form a Greater Germany. Through Greater Germany, he wanted to encapsulate all the territories where Germans lived into a Great Nation. Italy on the other hand, frustrated by the minimal territorial gains at the end of First World War indulged in expansionism. At Versailles, even though Italy was promised larger part of Austrian territory, it got only renting-Alto Adige /Sudtirol, and this resentment fueled Italy’s expansion plans. â€Å"†¦uncompromising message was that Italy and had not received from its allies the gains to which its gallant war had entitled it† (Henig, 2005, p.10). This reason coupled with domestic crisis lead to the rise of Benito Mussolini, and he with popular support launched the desire to capture as many colonies as possible. â€Å"Mounting resentment over what was increasingly referred to by nationalists as the 'mutilated victory', and a series of post-war social and industrial convulsions, destabilized the weak post-war Italian government† (Henig, 2005, p.10). Mussolini desired to create a New Roman Empire, basing it on the Mediterranean area. As a first step, he invaded Albania and then Greece in the early part of 1939. There were also economic reasons behind the desire of Germany, Italy, and Japan to conquer many territories. That is, these three countries were not as rich as Britain and France and also they did not have enough colonial possessions to serve as the source of raw material or markets for their finished goods. Germany was particularly affected by the Great Depression of 1929 which started first in the U.S.A and then spread to other countries, and which indirectly caused the war. That is, U.S.A had been lending capital to European countries, but to protect her own industries, America raised a Tariff wall.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CUSTOMER SERVICE - Essay Example In addition, if the language used in the query or reply is not courteous and polite, the customer is most likely not to reply back. Directly addressing customers or Phone call follow-ups: This type of follow-up has mixed results. Either they will be annoying for the customers making their responses the same annoyed ones or planning to get rid of the person or honest opinion will be given. Usually this is entirely dependent upon the person calling or talking to the customer. If they are polite, friendly and precise, the customer is more likely to give an honest opinion rather than just wanting to get rid of the question being asked. The call centre is outsourcing its services to various small companies. Their aim is to expand their services to larger outlets. For the time being, their focus is providing the best possible services to the customers. These services are prompt and accurate. For this purpose, they train every employee in the specified product information they are servicing before letting them work in the call centre (Kotler et al., 2009). This training enables them to be precise and helpful to the customer as much as they can. They also focus on hiring people with a pleasant personality, clear accents and voices so that the customer does not feel offended talking to them. Professionalism is highly encouraged here in all aspects whether it is answering queries or helping a difficult customer out. Rewards are also given to employees who offer the best support for the month. Employee input for improvement in service is also taken under consideration. The local mart also has a high value of customer service. It is a family run business and slowly they are expanding due to their high service quality, word of mouth and repeat customers. Their policies include always putting the customer first. Any sign of discomfort or dissatisfaction is

Bulgarian and Romanian Essay Example for Free

Bulgarian and Romanian Essay Bulgarian and Romanian citizens are free to live and work in the I-JK after controls in place since 2007 expired. Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz greeted the first flight from Romania as it landed at Luton airport on Wednesday morning. Romanian Victor Spiersau was aboard and said: l dont come to rob your country. I come to work and go home. The UK has not released forecasts of migrant numbers, but campaigners say up to 50,000 people a year could come. Immigration minister Mark Harper said curbs on access to benefits would ensure hose heading to the uK would contribute to the economy. New arrivals One of the planes passengers, Victor Spiersau, was coming to the country for the first time. Nigel Farage: Its irresponsible to open the door unconditionally The 30-year-old said he already had a car washing Job lined up that would earn him 10 euros (‚Â ¬8) an hour an improvement on the 10 euros a day he received working in the construction industry at home. l dont come to rob your country. I come to work and then go home, he said. Here you paya lot; in Romania its very cheap. Mr Spiersau added: l dont want to stay here. I want to renovate my home and to make a good life in Romania because its much easier to live in Romania because its not expensive. A Home Offce spokesman said the government was working to reduce net migration and would ensure people entering Britain were doing so for the right reasons. However, more than 60 MPs are backing a campaign to extend the restrictions for a further five years, saying the British economy has not sufficiently recovered from the 2008 recession to cope with the change and that It will put pressure on public services and reduce Job opportunltles for Brltlsh workers. Welfare strain Laszlo Andor, the EU commissioner for employment, social affairs and Inclusion, said there were already three million people from Bulgaria and Romania llvlng In other European union member states. continue reading tne maln story Analysis image of Mark Lowen Mark Lowen BBC News, Bucharest Its a special new year for Romanians and Bulgarians, finally gaining equal rights to work freely across the EIJ seven years after their accession. Some, particularly Britain, fear large numbers will come, mindful that a decade ago the government expected 15,000 per year from Eastern Europe but a million and a alf came. No extra flights have been planned from Bucharest but one coach company has tripled services to London. Many here talk of their hopes of a better life with higher salaries but nobody knows quite how many will finally leave. It is unlikely that there will be any major increase following the ending of the final restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian workers, he said. Mr Andor said his organisation recognised that migrant influxes could strain welfare systems in host countries but since the EIJ provided contingency funds for this it was no reason to put up barriers. He said migrants were essential to economic recovery and must be protected from discrimination. l firmly believe that restricting the free movement of European workers is not the answer to high unemployment or a solution to the crisis, he added. Migration Watch which campaigns for tighter controls on immigration has suggested that many of the two million Romanians and Bulgarians currently working in Spain and Italy could now be tempted to come to the I-JK by the higher wages and access to in-work benefits such as tax credits.

The Organisational Structure Of Fedex Commerce Essay

The Organisational Structure Of Fedex Commerce Essay Logistics is managing the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of destination to meet the requirements of consumers. The main functions of logistics include purchasing, inventory management, transportation, and warehousing. The transportation industry can be identified in three major sectors such as shipping, passenger transport and manufacturing of equipment. In this paper we discuss about shipping which is responsible for transportation of supplies. FedEx has acquired and realigned number of small companies and managed synergies in order to control more of the market. Acquisition strategy of FedEx has given opportunity to capture different areas of logistics and transportation business with different client base and locations thereby integrating their operations to achieve better synergies and economies of scale. Business without borders Having their own fleet enabled them to reconfigure their systems and reroute existing flights in order to take advantage of the markets. Same way feeding three costly networksair, ground, and information technology is extravagantly expensive. They operated in a Global scale in order to offer customers limitless opportunities thereby expanding customer base and achieve global economies of scale. FedEx involves in many Corporate Social Responsibility programs as a branding strategy by carrying pandas, penguins and whales across the countries to provide them with proper living conditions. Though this type of transportation is considered risky FedEx does this with affection in order to protect them. They maintain a strong brand name as a strategy and advantage of its brand image, the name that customers have counted on for reliable service and cutting edge technology. Frederick W. Smith Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith was a charismatic-visionary leader. He pioneered the transportation field and founded FedEx when he was 27 years of age. He had a desire, a drive to lead the company. He was confident, intelligent and also had the job-relevant knowledge in the field. His military background helped him to believe that the FedExs people are more valuable than technology. Fred always started thinking outside the normal which made FedEx a great success. Though he was a risk taker and invested highly in IT he succeeded in the business because of his visionary thinking and determination to go ahead. Fred re-shaped the entire transportation industry. FedEx believes in leadership through accessibility which makes all forms of interaction with customers. (b) Transportation and logistics infrastructure within FedEx Corporation FedEx acquired its own fleet of transport while competitors were hiring space on commercial airlines and sub-contracting their shipments to 3rd parties. With this, the need for booking space in commercial vessels ceased and FedEx experienced cost advantage over other companies. Landing larger freight planes were allowed after the de-regulation of the airline industry and using these reduced the operating cost. After de-regulation of the trucking industry, FedEx established regional trucking system further reduced the cost. FedExs unmatched air route authorities and infrastructure make it the worlds largest express transportation company, providing speedy, reliable and time-definite transportation with easy access to the locations. To cut down cost and time, packages from all over the country were flown to a central point or hub at night where traffic lanes were comparatively empty. Packages were sorted, redistributed at the hub and again flown to their ultimate destination to reach them next day. Even with the limitations such as adherence to the skyline regulations, ground clearance and administrative issues, FedEx managed to make this a turning point towards their success. (Please refer annexure page à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for more details) Value added services such as multiple warehousing, scanners given to drivers to capture package information and overnight distribution system were external factors contributed to the growth in FedEx business. Just-in-time inventory management created demand for speed and accuracy in transportation and shortened the lead time for companies Integration between FedEx and customers blocked them from going to competitors. How it helped FedEx Michael Porters Value Chain C:UsersvirginiaDocumentsMBAMBA-Second yearGlobal Corporate strategyVIRGI FED EXvalue chain.png How FedEx reduced cost by applying value chain (refer document New FedEx and dragon) Primary activities Outbound Logistics Processing time at the local offices was reduced since they did not need to fill forms and attend to customers individually. In FedExs point of view reducing processing time means reducing labour costs. FedEx has achieved tremendous savings by strategic implementation of IT. Tools such as just-in-time manufacturing and total quality management are adopted for inventory control and enhancing of service quality. Marketing and Sales Information on customers preferences, geographical data and traffic volumes of each web page collected automatically. These data could be used for strategic initiatives, planning and marketing. World Wide Web is a low cost media for advertising in the global market and discovers potential markets. Packaging in a timely fashion was one of the marketing tools they used. Customer Service FedEx discovered that its advanced IT systems contain a mother lode of information about the profitability of each client. They knew which customers create how much profit, which actually end up costing FedEx. Secondary activities Procurement Strategic plans are developed with suppliers to support the process and development of new services. Transactions are managed through Web to achieve greater efficiency. Further they are streamlined through Electronic Data Interchange. FedEx had agreed upon better dealings with the fuel with suppliers. Human Resources FedEx will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, partners and suppliers. They recruited correct people and top positions were filled with competent managers. Further incentives, profit shares and internal promotions are given to keep the staff moral high in order to make their processes less costly and effective. They motivated the front liners conducted a fair treatment program to all staff. Information Technology When customers log onto the FedEx system they could place orders to pick up and pay using the credit cards which made greater convenience. Moving the process to the internet reshaped the transportation industry. In applying systems like Cosmos, PowerShip, EDI and Netscape integrated services supplied to customers are enormous. 1 (c) Virtual Information infrastructure at FedEx Corporation How it helped FedEx provides its customers supply chain solution from the point of raw materials to end of the product life cycle. Each stage of the supply chain has IT applications and systems that have been implemented by FedEx in order to fulfill efficient customer solutions. Some of the systems were transportation management solutions, order processing and related distribution centre operations, fulfillment, just-in-time inventory control, purchasing and production which provide peace of mind throughout the entire distribution cycle. COSMOS is a customer oriented services and management operating system. This Centralized computer system kept track of all packages handled by the company. This was made possible by placing a bar-code on each point of pickup making greater reliability to its customers. Further data package movement, pickup, invoicing and delivering data to central data base. PowerShip Features such as Label printing, on-line packaging pickup request, package tracing and stored frequently used addresses of most active customers. EDI and Internet This allowed companies to build one-to-one relationship with customers was the perfect scenario for manufactures. They could match supply and demand without wastage. Agreement with Nescape to adopt their software as the primary technology for accessing its corporate intranet sites. Advantages of the Nescape are mentioned below. Customers would build integrated websites using FedEx application Free down load from fedex.com which incorporated a link enabling them to track packages directly from their own site. Enhancement to package-tracking service. Information with regard to 25 shipments can be checked simultaneously and forward same to three e-mail recipients. Some countries are able to access information in their native language. FedEx claimed to have the largest on-line client server network in the world that operated in real time Web based application 1994 (write) FedEx can reach customers in other countries more easily through internet. This will further expand operations at FedEx in the global market. A creative alliance with marketplace will allow FedEx to tap into the growing e-commerce market for consumers. Web surfers link different companies web sites, where they can order a variety of products and services. IT infrastructure will support supply chain operations. The FedEx website was launched in 1994 and included a package tracking application and allowed customers to generate their own unique bar-coded shipping labels. The web site provided speedy and customer focused features. OUTBOUND TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY ORDER MANAGEMENT MANUFACTURING INBOUND (PURCHASING) SUPPLIER Stages of the Supply Chain FedEx Systems Applications GIVS IMI Multiship Custom Clearance system Transportation Optimization system Global Inventory visibility System (GIVS) Inventory Management Systems (IMI) GIVS IMI Warehouse management systems (WMS) Transport management systems (TMS) Customer clearance system Enterprise resource planning ERP IMI (including invoicing) The FedEx Integrated Logistics Solution FEDEX SOLUTIONS FOR THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN Strategy Bob de wit Ron Meyer (Page 653) (Please refer annexure for detailed explanation of the systems and application of supply chain at FedEx) Evaluation FedEx has developed many innovative services that would not be possible without its strong IT capability. IT expansion at FedEx effectively created a barrier to new entrants in this industry. Even though FedExs coverage to supply chain through integrated systems by tightening, improving and synchronizing the various parts of the supply chain, it was no longer a competitive advantage but a competitive imperative as the customers saw the benefits of squeezing time and inventory out of the system. The virtual information infrastructure at FedEx immensely supported to maintain the market leadership in the past years. They have forecasted the future in a positive direction and implemented correct decision by funding on IT development. Throughout the years this has helped FedEx to reduce cost, minimize process time and become customer focused and ultimately increased the profit margins which helped in a growth in global GDP and International trade. Even though FedEx has highly invested on IT for upgrading on a periodical basis, technical issues such backup systems, virus protection, handling issues with web hacking have been successfully addressed in order to remain in the market leader position. BRANDING AND BUSINESS STRUCTURE UP UNTIL 19 JANUARY 2000 Mergers and acquisitions (MA) Introduction 2.0.1. Mergers Joining of two or more companies to form a single legal entity can be defined as a merger. The assets of the smaller company are merged in to the larger. Share holders of the smaller company (or the target company) will be bought over by the acquiring company. In general mergers take place in a friendly setting. Executives of the respective companies participate in a due diligence process to ensure a successful combination of all areas of business. 2.0.2. Acquisitions Purchasing of more than 50% of voting shares of a company by another company is an acquisition. Both companies can continue as separate legal entities. Acquiring company will be the parent company (or holding company) and the target company will be the subsidiary. Acquisition may take place through a hostile takeover by purchasing the majority of shares of the company in the open market. (Source:A Simple M Model for all Seasons by Bu Sam Rovit, David Harding, and Catherine Lemire) 2.0.3. Mergers and acquisitions strategies Mergers and Acquisitions are a common strategy in Global Logistics and Transportation industry by which companies in the industry expand geographically and increase the reach and access. 2.1 Benefits and limitations of MA strategies in the Global Transportation and Logistics industry 2.1.1. Benefits Obtain maximum value and create sustainable competitive advantage Increase output Obtain new technologies, expertise and provide entire new products Improved focus on core skills of the firm Improvements in use of the brand names Increased consumer welfare and overall cost reduction from the joint consumption of complementary products Fastest method to achieve growth Creating a broad and deep product portfolio Strength in storage sales and services Integrate technologies and practices across entire product line such as strong capabilities in data archiving, manage products to better address the regulatory compliance and market opportunity Capability to integrate disparate business processes and information into one common framework Quicker and cheaper growth of the organization, synergies of market size and distribution channels, easier finance (revenue and cost synergies), economies of scale, gaining customers, cost efficiencies, improved infrastructure. Achieving maximum benefit of synergies by integration Reduction in transaction cost and transportation cost Fulfilling increasing / complex customers demands Redesigning of the global supply chain Obtain excess capacity in terms of production and warehousing facilities Mergers and acquisitions improve market efficiency by capturing synergies between firms. May help in removing inefficient management or to respond to economic shocks 2.1.2. Limitations Most of the studies have shown that mergers have failure rates of more than 50 percent Acquisitions are complex and difficult to execute and manage successfully. The companies should have the ability to integrate the technical know-how and the resources to bring that know-how to market products. In mergers and acquisitions there may be a significant impact on corporate culture. The purchasing company sets the quality bar high for the people in the company to be acquired. The companies cultural norms will be will be reinforced by the innovation, collaboration and integrity and customer focus of those employees. Generally there are clashes in such a situation. Though companies expect the synergies from take overs, it is found that acquiring companies lose about 10% of their value during the first five years after mergers. 2.2. How FedEx Corporation managed the acquisition of Caliber Systems in 1998- whether it is a success or failure FedEx Acquisition History up to year 2000 YEAR ACQUISITION OVERVIEW 1984 Gelco Express International FedEx dramatically expands its presence outside of the U.S. with the acquisition of Gelco Express, a worldwide courier with service to 84 countries. 1989 Tiger International Inc. With the integration of the Flying Tiger Line, FedEx becomes the worlds largest full-service, all-cargo airline. The acquisition includes routes to 21 countries, a fleet of cargo aircraft including Boeing 747s, facilities throughout the world and Flying Tigers expertise in international airfreight. 1998 Caliber System Inc. FedEx creates FDX Corporation (later renamed FedEx Corporation) and grows its portfolio of services with the addition of ground small-package carrier RPS (now FedEx Ground), Western U.S. less-than-truckload carrier Viking Freight (now part of FedEx Freight), Caliber Logistics (now FedEx Supply Chain Services), Caliber Technology (now part of FedEx Services) and Roberts Express (now FedEx Custom Critical). 2000 Tower Group International Inc. World Tariff Ltd. FedEx Corp. creates FedEx Trade Networks. Today, FedEx Trade Networks is one of the largest-volume customs entry filers in North America and provides FedEx customers with end-to-end transportation and customs clearance solutions around the world. acquisitions history.cfm.htm 2.2.1 Caliber Systems FedEx acquired caliber systems in 1998 and five separate subsidiary companies were formed such as Federal Express, RPS (Roadway package Systems), Robert express, Viking freight and FDX Logistics. They focused mainly on the small package business. Each subsidiary was managed separately and was responsible for its own accounts. Caliber had developed its expertise in moving raw materials, plates of steel bars and managed in work-in-progress. It manufactured cars and fork-lift trucks. After acquisition FedEx started offering other services besides express shipping. 2.2.1.1. Federal Express Federal Express was the world leader in global express distribution. They offered 24 to 48 hours delivery. Also was the leader in overnight package delivery business. Goods shipped ranged from flowers to lobsters to computer components. 2.2.1.2. RPS RPS was the second largest ground small package delivery of business-to-business. Also it was a low cost, non-union, technology-savvy company. Shipments were done in one to three days. RPS had the lowest cost models in the transportation industry. With the take-over by FedEx, RPS moved on to business-to-consumer delivery service and took advantage of electronic commerce. They operated through independent truckers who are contractors and specialized in delivering small packages between businesses at rates lower than UPS. 2.2.1.3. Viking Freight This was the first less-than-truck-load freight carrier in western USA. They shipped 13,000 packages per day. 2.2.1.4. Robert Express This was the worlds leading surface-expedited carrier for non-stop, time critical and special-handling shipments. This was the smallest company within the FedEx group. Robert Express Exclusively allowed customers greater control at a price. They had a limited number of aircrafts but they had to pay for use and crew time. 2.2.1.5. Caliber Logistics Caliber logistics was the pioneer in providing customized, integrated logistics and warehousing solutions worldwide. The acquisition of caliber brought over the-road transportation and warehousing capabilities. Caliber Logistics was renamed as FDX Logistics. 2.3 Merging of Caliber Logistics and FLEC New company was FedEx Logistics brought together all splintered operations of logistics in all the subsidiaries, streamlined costs and presented one menu of logistic services offered to clients. They aligned R D of systems upon common, agreed platform. 2.4. HOW FEDEX MANAGED THE ACQUISITION OF CALIBER SYSTEMS? Acquisition contributed to reinforce FedEx commitment to become more than just a delivery company. With the acquisition, company image was transformed to a holding company. Accordingly company changed its name to FedEx Corporation. FedEx managed the subsidiaries by operating independently, each company focused exclusively on delivering the best service for its specific market. They competed collectively. Under the FedEx banner they offered entirely different services, different customer terms and different sales procedures. Usage of IT resources spread among the group. FedEx introduced a one-stop shopping as solution for all levels of supply chain. This was the ultimate goal of FedEx in order to bring the subsidiaries closer together to create synergy. FedEx brand name had been inculcated in the peoples minds throughout the years. This strong global brand name and the brand image created among the entire world from the inception had sufficient market for FedEx to operate even after acquisition. Operating under the FedEx banner created customer confidence although the companies acquired were operating in their own names. Acquisition improved FedExs non-express delivery capabilities and brought in other new businesses to the company. When UPS had the advantage of promoting just one brand, UPS was to sell the entire company and the services it offered. Acquisition of Caliber Systems enabled FedEx to match UPS in offering a wide variety of delivery options. But, UPSs extensive network for making door-to-door deliveries was far ahead of FedEx. Business at UPS was slightly affected after the acquisition of Caliber Systems by FedEx. Further the strategies adopted by the FedEx management such as enhancing business capabilities though IT and building up strong relationships regularly with clients and communication with the global market, created competitive advantage at the time of acquisition of the Caliber Systems. Hence acquisition of the Caliber Systems by FedEx was a success. 3.1 DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET MARKET AND E-TAILING http://media.techtarget.com/searchCIO/images/spacer.gif http://media.techtarget.com/searchCIO/images/spacer.gif Internet is the extensive, worldwide computer network available to the public. It is interconnected to computer networks that are connected by internetworking. E-tailing (electronic retailing) means the selling of retail goods via Internet. E-tailing done mostly with business-to-consumer (B-to-C) transactions. E-tailing began to work for some major corporations and smaller entrepreneurs were started around year 1997. (Source: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci212079,00.html) 3.2. How internet/e-tailing had been applied to the transportation and logistics industry? At the time when the web based purchases were growing, UPS one of FedEx competitors were ahead of them in terms of ground transport. FedEx identified the booming opportunities arising with the growth in internet based purchases. FedEx bought over Caliber System in January 1999 and the aim was to enhance the reach of business to business coverage while catering to increasing demand from internet based buying. FedEx anticipated growth in ecommerce and planned to start FedEx Home Delivery to co-op specializing in business-to-consumer e-tailing. At that time, in 1997 FedEx was handling shipping for only 10% of all goods sold online, compared to the 55% handled by UPS. In 1999 FedEx signed up with CISCO with mission of critical one stop online source for sales tools and client information. Web portals such as Yahoo! had been offering store-building services for some time, as did all other Internet service providers. By that time UPS, their main competitor was had been offering the same services since 1997 through vendors Harbinger Corp. and IBM Corp. FedEx started to offer its ecommerce Builder Internet platform free to clients later, with e-commerce services. 3.3. Non-financial performance at FedEx in the context of Internet market and e- Tailing Internet was the basis for competition. It opened opportunities in logistics management as most businesses started integration with customer supply chains using the internet. FedEx had the right business model to take advantage of this opportunity. Growth in e-tailing needed assistance of express transportation to fulfill the customer expectations and FedEx already was a giant in the field achieved advantage over the situation. FedEx was the leader in the market and enjoyed a strong brand image in the transport and logistics industry. Even though they identified and anticipated enormous opportunities which came up with the development in e-tailing, UPS was the leader in ground transportation. FedEx made a smart move by buying over Caliber Logistics and later integrating all systems and a powerful technical architecture that enabled internet commerce usage. The competition became fierce with the as the major transportation companies were betting big on technology. Even though FedEx were investing millions on IT and introduced internet in 1994, it became the industry norm rather than a competitive advantage. FedEx developed all its software in-house where competitors like UPS formed strategic alliances with Open Market Inc., and worked with IBM. One of main reasons for FedExs successful performance financially and non-financially was that they identify anticipate the changes and adopt themselves accordingly. 3.4. Financial performance at FedEx in the context of Internet market and e-tailing Online holiday shopping, which accounted for $650 million in 1997, grew to rapidly $4 billion over the holiday season of 1999. By the end of year 2000, more than 20,000 client Web sites were linked to the FedEx Marketplace, and the ecommerce Builder unit had secured around 2,000 customers. Despite the analysts concerns their earnings totaled $688 million on sales of $18 billion. The expected growth associated with e-tailing was USD 7.0 billion in 2000 and USD 327 billion in business-to- business presented enormous opportunities for FedEx. (Source: http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/444/Fedex-Corp-MOVE-INTERNET.html) Annual report of 1999 reflects that the growth in revenue as follows. Year Growth in Revenue 1999 5.67% 1998 11.48% 1997 11.91% 1996 8.5% 1995 13.76% FedExs average revenue growth is around 10%. In year 1999 this has reduced to 5.67% which they claim as a result of the high fuel price. FedEx has invsted in IT and was Market share growth REFER ANNUAL REPORTS DATA

Correlation Between Sales And Brand Value Marketing Essay

Correlation Between Sales And Brand Value Marketing Essay In the marketing concept, brand differentiates a product and services from its competitors. Brand affects consumers not only because of the knowledge systems that consumers know about the brands but it is also part of psycho-social-cultural context (Esch et al., 2006). Hence, it is very important to build a strong brand as it act as one of the contributing factor in sustaining companys performance of which the value of a company relies on its current earnings that potentially will develop its future financial performance. For instance, the powerful global companies take advantage on its brand as a contribution factor to their continuing success (Davis, 2002). Brand is classified as an important asset to the company as it helps in the generation of cash. Moreover, it has an impact to the company as the business is worth more due to its position of the brand in the market. The value of the brand is a reflection of the brand worth in regards to current and future income, reputation and market value. It is vital to understand the meaning of the brand value as it serves as a tool in determining the marketing strategy in each segment or target market. According to Gabay et al. (2009), brand value is related on how a brand is influence in the marketing mix as well as the impact of the brand name to the other features in the marketing concept. When a brand is managed well consistently, the brand value will appreciate over time that allows company to charge a premium over competitive offering leadings to a higher profit margin (Davis, 2002). A companys brand is directly related to the consumers as they are the one who decides on the purchase of a product. Brands that manage to segment its products appropriately in the competitive market will enable the company to attract consumers as well as maintaining the brand value that stands as a key point to compete in the future market. Each company would want to have a stable growth in its profitability and the key point to determine the success of the company will rely on its sales figures. As companies noticed the importance of a brand in its financial performance, huge investment has been made to ensure that its brand has a high brand value. For example, Coca-Cola is consistently investing in its brand to develop an emotional connection with the consumers. Consumers perceptions on a brand do play an important factor in the selection of the best brand for a particular product. It is important to build and have a brand value as it involve consumers understanding on what they are getting compared to what they are giving. There is a linkage between consumer loyalty and brand value. For example, if a particular brand maintains a significantly higher perception of value to a consumer than any other brand in the category, that consumer will consistently purchase that brand and consistently recommend that brand to others. As a result, consumers are confident in the product and directly will have an impact to the companys sales performance. According to the top 100 grocery brands in the United Kingdom (UK) report, it was noted that the sales pattern is related to consumers perception on the brands. Brands that have a high brand value have performed well in terms of its sales. Therefore, it seems that there is a relationship between sales and brand value. However, there is still uncertainty on the strength between the two variables. In view of this, it is viable to do a statistical analysis for further analysis on the said matter. 1.2 Previous work that has been done Brand is seen as a very important concept in the marketing perspective especially brand value which have a relationship between quality and price. High brand value is the most valuable asset for a company as it brings higher margins both short and long term (Esch et al., 2006) and host of other benefits (Oslon, 2008). By identifying the factors driving the brand values, it allows company to increase its brands performance which will result to an increase in revenue, larger market share and higher profits. Wood (2000) indicates that by using brand value as a performance measure, it creates a long term focus of the company. Research findings indicate that consumer buying behaviour is based on perception on a brand name (Gabay et al., 2009). Therefore, brand is seen as a contract with the consumers that reduce uncertainty which allows consumers to purchase uncertainty reduction or trust that leads to the increase of value (www.sdrnet.com,2010). Meanwhile according to Oslon (2008), brand creates value by generating demand and reducing risk through securing future earnings for the business which will result to creation of value for companies to its brands. Penrose and Moorhouse (1989) suggest that one important factor determining the value of the brand is its profitability. By knowing the brand value, it allows the company on how is the brand performing in the market. It is related to the element of acceptability and the strength of the brand as it is link to the consumers decision in buying a product. Blackett (1991) comment that there is a relationship between a brands strength and its ability to command future income. Therefore, the stronger the brand, company would be able to predict its future income conversely the weaker the brand, the less certain is its future. This indicates that the brand value will provide a company a clear idea of profitability from its various brands. A research was done against the most expensive leading global products and the findings indicate that each brand invest time and energy to manage its brand accordingly (Gabay et al., 2009). This shows an indication on how companies foresee the importance of b rand value. With a good brand, consumers will be prepared to pay a premium for the products and leads to a brand loyalty which will have value if the brand was ever sold. Research conducted earlier has found a relationship between sales and brand value (Gabay et al., 2009). Moreover, one of the factors determining the brand value is the strong brand acceptance in the market which is dependent on consumers. Research indicates that brand has the power to attract consumers and provide a guarantee of sales through premium price that provide a higher margin from the sale of the products (Blackett, 1991). Another research has found that there is strong correlation between strong brand value and its benefits of pricing, customer loyalty, market leadership and overall financial performance (Leiser, 2004). Moreover, Leiser (2004) and Davis (2002) also point out that there is relationship between customer loyalty with brand value and profitability as findings from a research indicate that 5% increase in customer loyalty could elevate profits by as much as 100%. Meanwhile, based on a study conducted in the hotel industry, it suggest a positive correlation between brand value and a firms performance in terms of profits and long-term cashflows (Kim, Kim and An, 2003). Based on the above, it can be summarise that there is relationship between brand and financial performance. 1.3 What would expect to discover For a product to be successful, it must have a good brand name. Once this has been establish in the market, it creates a powerful and lasting connection between consumers that leads to a positive effect of the product and simultaneously has an effect to the companys sales performance. Sales figure meanwhile definitely have several attributes to the company such as gaining market share and acceptability in the market. As a result of a positive trend in the sales figures, it helps the company to build its brand value in the market. Brands with high values are related to strong market share as it allows the company to bargain more effectively in terms of pricing and quality. Moreover, with the high market share, the brands have an advantage in economy of scales that leads to high sales figures. However in the year 2008, a number of discounted retailers entered the UK grocery market with their home brand at a low cost price. With the effect from the economic crisis, consumers buying trend has slightly shifted from high value brands to home brands which have low brand values. Although the current economy condition does have an impact across the sector, especially in the growth of own-label products, premium brands have still continue to perform well. From this report, it would like to see the relationship between sales and brand values as it is interrelated wherein with high brand value; the product has a control in the market and will lead to better sales in the future. 2.0 Description of data For the purpose of this report, the dependent and independent variables are sales and brand value respectively. Details of the data are attached in Appendix 1. The data is based on the top 100 grocery brands in the United Kingdom (UK) for the year 2008. However, for the purpose of this report, only top 78 grocery brands are used as the sample size due to lack of information of certain brands. The histograms for each variable are given in figure 1 and 2 respectively. The histogram for sales and brand value indicate that the most recorded value is  £168.7 million and  £174.07 million respectively. Meanwhile, the mean values are  £162 million and  £152.04 million for sales and brand value respectively. Based on the median for sale of  £162 million, the 95% confidence interval is between  £135 million to  £188 million while brand value is between  £121 million and  £184 million. It was noted that the distribution for both variables are positively skewed of which the lon g tail in on the right. Figure 1: Histogram for sales Figure 2: Histogram for brand value Figure 3: Normal distribution for sales The inference about the population mean is based on the following computation: 95% confidence interval = 162  ± (1.96 x 127) = (-86.92 to 410.92) Therefore, it believes that the population mean lies between - £86.92 million and 410.92 million. There is a 95% chance that this is true. 2.1 Source of data The brand value data was extracted from the report titled The UKs most valuable grocery brand 2008 prepared by www.intangible bussines.com. Meanwhile, the data for the sales value was obtained from the market research company, The Nielsen Company (2008) of which the data was recorded via checkout scanners at all major grocery chains totalling about 74,000 in the UK. The calculation of the brand value is computed based on its forecast sales, royalty and discount rate. Brand value Components: Sum of future royalty income Testing and benchmarking Discounted Components: Risk analysis Tax deduction Royalty rate Components Brand strength Royalty rate range Future sales Components: Historical sales Adjusted Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) X , = Source: The top 100 grocery brands in the UK The future sale is based on the adjusted Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to reflect the brands long term ability for growth. The royalty rate is based on scoring of measurements i.e. preference, relevancy, heritage, perception and awareness that resulted to the brand strength for each brand. Meanwhile, discounted rate is computed by multiplying the royalty rate and reduced at the relevant tax rate. The discount rate reflects the time value and risk assessment based on 9% with the basis of the brands existence in a stable economic environment. Finally, results are tested and verified by to ensure the correct figures are used for the ranking purposes to avoid biasness. 3.0 Analysis 3.1 Scattergram and Correlation Before proceeding with the correlation between the two variables i.e. sales and brand value, a scattergram was applied to explore the relationship between the said variables. Scattergram is used as a preliminary step in investigating the existence of a relationship between two variables. In figure 4, the variables indicate a linear positive relationship which is suitable for the correlation analysis. Based on the said scattergram, it was observed that there are two values which are higher than the other values. After checking the values, it was discovered that the said variables have a very high value in sales compared to other brands. The main reason is because the two brands have a strong brand identity in the global market and is one of most respected brands in the market. Moreover, the small sample size might contribute to the finding of a number of outlying residuals. In considering the outliers, it was decided to maintain the variables as it does not have much impact to the r v alue if the same are removed. r= 0.948 Figure 4: Scattergrams and value of r In order to provide a precise measurement of the degree of correlation, the correlation coefficient is used to produce a mathematical measurement (Cohen and Holliday, 1996:80). The correlation analysis is applied to check the quantifiable relationship between two variables in terms of both the strength and direction. Based on figure 4 above, there is a large correlation i.e.0.95 between the two variables (above 0.5) which indicate a quite strong relationship between sales and brand value. Therefore, this result is interpreted in the manner that the amount of sale directly affects the brand value wherein the more sales take place, the higher the brand value. In order to decide the amount of association between the two variables justifies the sales to brand value, hypothesis testing is conducted. Null hypothesis Ho: p= 0, there is no association between sales and brand value. Alternative hypothesis H1=p≠ 0. There is an association between sales and brand value. Critical value: 5% (87-2) = 0.183 Test statistics = 0.948 The test statistics exceeds the critical value and therefore to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there is significant association between sales and brand value. Inference about the population value of the correlation coefficient based on the sample is calculated using the FISHER function in EXCEL which is as follows: w= FISHER (0.95) = 1.83 (the mean for the normal distribution) the standard deviation is 1/ = 0.11 The 95% confidence interval for w is 1.83  ± (1.96 x 0.11) = 1.62 to 2.05 By using the FISHERINV formula in Excel, the 95% confidence interval for the population correlation is from 0.92 to 0.97. The narrow confidence interval indicates that adequate sample size is used for the correlation and the variables have a reasonable control in detecting the estimate of the effect. 3.2 Regression analysis Regression analysis is a technique used in analysing variables which focus on the relationship between dependent variable and independent variables. It will assist in understanding how a change in the value of the dependant variable has a direct effect to the independent variables. Clearly, the said analysis could be used to infer causal relationship between independent and dependant variables. Regression Statistics Multiple R 0.948091 R Square 0.898876 Adjusted R Square 0.897687 Standard Error 40.49166 Observations 87 Figure 5: Regression model and statistics A simple linear regression was performed on the 87 sample size to determine if there is a significant relationship between sales and brand value. Based on the regression statistic in figure 5, the Multiple R value is 0.95 and the R square is 0.89 or 89% which both indicate a liner model wherein the two predictors fits the data well and the confidence interval for the slope is wholly positive. R2 tells that 89% of the variation in the sales in associated with variations in the brand value. ANOVA df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1 1238788 1238788 755.5547 4.62162E-44 Residual 85 139363.8 1639.575 Total 86 1378152 Coefficients Standard Error t Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95% Intercept 38.81685 6.231001 6.229634 1.72E-08 26.42795 51.20575 Brand value 0.806217 0.02933 27.48735 4.62E-44 0.747901 0.864534 Figure 6:Regression statistic summary output With reference to figure 6 above, the intercept is given as 38.816 and the coefficient of brand value is 0.806. From this figures, the regression equation is constructed as y=38.817 + 0.806x. A significance relationship indicates that an increase in sales will have an effect to the brand value to increase between 0.75 to 0.86. The significance of the coefficients is indicated by the p-values. In figure 6, the p-value for brand value is 4.62E-44 (very small value), indicating that this variable in the population is very unlikely to be zero as the smaller the p-value, the greater significance it has. Based on the ANOVA results, the figure headed Significance F could also be used to assess the overall strength of the linear regression equation. From the regression statistic output, the value for the Significance F is 4.62162E-44 (very small value), so it can be concluded that there is a highly significant linear relationship between sales and brand value. Overall, it appears that there is a strong relationship between sales and brand value and the equation could reasonably be used to obtain predictions for sales in other brands given information about brand value. Based on the analysis above, it was noted that there is significance positive correlation between sales and brand value. It is recognised that there are four different reasons for the relationship to exist: sales indeed cause brand value. If sales increase certainly the reason is because consumers purchase more on the brand which leads to a good brand name and image. Thus, it increases the brand value. however, the results might be just a chance as it is based on sampling. If more observations and sample of the population are correctly and repeatedly done, there is tendency for the correlation becomes very unlikely (the more the test is conducted, the less likely that the results occur by chance). there may be some other factor which was not taken into consideration which produces the variation between sales and brand value and which might be the real cause of the correlation. there might be a causal connection that represents the effect of the correlation but might have put it in the other way round. It can be concluded from the high correlation between sales and brand value based on consumers purchasing power which causes the increase in sales. However, it might be the case that sales are caused by something else such as current economic condition and lifestyle. 4.0 Conclusion Prior to discussing the findings in detail and highlighting its contribution to the current literature and marketing practices, it is essential to provide an overview of this report and summing-up the findings. In summary the aim of the report is to test the relationship between sales and brand value. Based on the analysis conducted above in section 3.0, it is noted that sales have a positive effect on brand value. There is a strong relationship between sales and brand value. This is supported from the finding of Kim, Kim and An (2003) which indicate a positive correlation between brand value and a firms performance in terms of profits and long-term cashflows. Both variables complement each other to ensure the profitability of the company. Brand has always been an important identification in differentiating its products with its customers. Indeed brands with high brand value have established its existence in the market by anchoring a large sum of market share. Moreover, companies have identified the importance of the brand value and several steps have been taken up to ensure that the company will continue to perform better in its financial performance. Customers perception on a brand is related to the brand value computation as it contributes in terms of loyalty. If consumers are happy and satisfied with the product, eventually it built loyalty by consumer to the product itself. Clear example is the Coca-Cola brand, which is a global brand that is accepted by most of the consumers and this has lead to the contribution to the high brand value. It was reported that the sales of Coca-Cola has increased tremendously as it has manage to build a good brand image among its target market as well as a good positioning in the usage in sports and family gathering (www.businessihub.com). This is consistent with Leiser (2004) and Davis (2002) findings which indicate that 5% increase in customer loyalty will elevate profits of the company to the extent of 100%. According to Blackett (1991), there is a relationship between a brands strength and its ability to command future income. Based on the analysis conducted, the strong relationship between sales and brand value indicates the contribution in the aspect of companys financial performance. Therefore, companies is required to provide a wealth of information in regards to its brand value which as a result will enhance and improve both in terms of brands name and business performance. Based on the findings, companies should stimulate sales by means of promotion and advertisement. Current business environment is characterized by stiff competition and in order to survive a company has to have a well planned strategy to compete in the market. However based on the result obtained, it is not sufficient to focus only on these two variables to determine the companys performance especially when brands are supposed to last forever (Esch et al., 2006). For the long term prospect of the brand value, other variables such as brand trust and satisfaction do act as factors driving to consumer buying behavior. Therefore, continuous analyzing different indicators that have an impact to the business in some way can assist companies to interpret the result and make corresponding decision. Despite the above observation, it is hoped that the findings of the analysis could create greater interest in the subject and hopefully engender further in dept analysis which could contribute further understanding to the readers. 5.0 Reflection The analysis done through correlation and regression is able to assist company to engage into forecasting. For instance, a company introduces a new brand in the market and within the next few months its sales has increase tremendously as well as the income. By undertaking further research on how to sustain its sales, the correlation and regression analysis will assists in building up a model that can help the company to forecast its future income. Indeed, correlation is an important tool of statistics which can be used in the business decision making. It is vital to gasp the point of the correlation as even though there is strong correlation, it does not provide an immediate conclusion on the causation as it could indicate a relationship that is based on cause and effect (Taylor, 2007). For this particular example, a high correlation was seen between sales and brand value and some prediction could be made based on the factors such market share but it should be aware that the correlation itself has no proof of these assertions. As a result, correlation could not be solely used as a proof of causation. Some other statistical test should be used to support the result of the correlation. For example, if sales caused brand value, then it seen that there is correlation between the two variables as any changes in sales will cause changes in brand value. The reverse, it is not necessarily true because if sales and brand value is correlated, it could not automatically assume that sales is the cause of brand value. Linear regression using one independent variable i.e. brand value might not reflect the accurate result of the prediction for dependent variable i.e. sales. Therefore, multiple linear regressions with the use of additional independent variables could help better in explaining or predicting the dependent variables. In addition to this, the sample size used in this study only represents part of the entire population that could lead to bias and generalisbility (Saunders et al., 2007). Therefore the outcome obtained from the study may not reflect the whole population as whole and further analysis of the general population would be of value. Analysis of the population of other brands from different industry can be done to confirm, compare and expand on the results obtained earlier.

The Beginning Of Time :: essays research papers fc

The Beginning Of Time There was a period in history when the beginning of the world in which we live in was a expressed through legends and myths, now, through the use of increasingly advanced scientific equipment we can see that the universe is more vast and complex than ever imaginable. The purpose of this paper is to bring light to some of the modern beliefs regarding the origin of the universe by answering a series of questions. What are the commonly excepted theories of the evolution of the universe? What is meant by the "Big Bang Theory" and how does it work? And how our planet and solar system developed from The Big Bang? This paper will use scientific data to base the evolution of our universe around The Big Bang. At the present time there are two theories which are used to explain the creation of the universe. The first theory is the infamous Big Bang Theory, which will be detailed later. The second is the Steady State Theory. (Weinberg, 1977) The later hypothesis was created to replace the common belief that the universe was completely static. The expansion of the universe was discovered in 1929 when Edwin Hubble discovered that every galaxy in the universe was moving away from each other, this meant that the universe was expanding. Hubble found the movement of the galaxies by using a phenomenon known as the Doppler effect. This effect caused bodies moving away from an observer to have a "red-shifted" spectrum (the light spectrum of the body had been shifted closer to red) and bodies moving towards an observer to be "blue-shifted" (Hawking, 1988) The expansion was traced backwards through time to discover that all the galaxies had originated from the same point. It was later believed that all matter spawn from that "center of the universe" discovered by Hubble, by means of some sort of enigmatic portal. Matter would collect outside this singularity and form every moon, planet, and star known today. The Steady State Theory was very attractive because it featured a universe with no beginning or end. The theory meant that scientist had to abandon the laws of conservations of mass and energy. It seemed plausible that the aforementioned laws of physics could breakdown at a certain point but more and more evidence gathered against the Steady State Theory, leading to unending modifications to it. Until finally the theory was dropped completely with the discovery of the smooth microwave background radiation (radiation so ancient it had shifted right out of the visible spectrum into microwave radiation). A smooth background to the universe suggested that it was hot and uniform - the