The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1380 Words

Joseph Velasquez Ms. Smith American Literature 10 August 2015 In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald has a running theme that excessive wealth and materialism will lead to carelessness, corruption, and destruction. Most of the characters in the book reflect this theme, like Tom and Daisy as they were careless to run away from their difficulties because they have the money and leave their mess for someone else to clean it up. However, some characters go against this theme, like Jay Gatsby. He came from a poor family, but grew to become a gentleman, and used that to lead another life, become rich, and one day would get the girl of his dreams. He uses that money on parties for the people and trying to get Daisy to go with him. Then there is someone else in real life that goes against this theme named Elon Musk. He found his money through the internet as he started his career founding companies, one of them being Paypal. He now uses this money to prolong humanities survival with companies such as SpaceX and Tesla Motorsports. The American Entrepr eneur Elon Musk and Jay Gatsby goes against Scott Fitzgerald’s theme of excessive wealth and materialism will lead to carelessness, corruption, and destruction by using their money generously. There are a lot of rumors speculating around Gatsby’s wealth. Some say that he got his money from Kaiser Wilhelm, while others think it was all simply inherited. All of this was false, but what is true is that he had help from other people, andShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1393 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald was the model of the American image in the nineteen twenties. He had wealth, fame, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter; all seemed perfect. Beneath the gilded faà §ade, however, was an author who struggled with domestic and physical difficulties that plagued his personal life and career throughout its short span. This author helped to launch the theme that is so prevalent in his work; the human instinct to yearn for more, into the forefront of American literature, where itRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1343 Words   |  6 PagesHonors English 10 Shugart 18 Decemeber 2014 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life. The Great Gatsby is about the lives of four wealthy characters observed by the narrator, Nick Carroway. Throughout the novel a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby throws immaculate parties every Saturday night in hope to impress his lost lover, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby lives in a mansion on West Egg across from DaisyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Jazz Age was an era where everything and anything seemed possible. It started with the beginning of a new age with America coming out of World War I as the most powerful nation in the world (Novel reflections on, 2007). As a result, the nation soon faced a culture-shock of material prosperity during the 1920’s. Also known as the â€Å"roaring twenties†, it was a time where life consisted of prodigality and extravagant parties. Writing based on his personal experiences, author F. ScottRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1166 Words   |  5 Pagesin the Haze F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in a time that was characterized by an unbelievable lack of substance. After the tragedy and horrors of WWI, people were focused on anything that they could that would distract from the emptiness that had swallowed them. Tangible greed tied with extreme materialism left many, by the end of this time period, disenchanted. The usage of the literary theories of both Biographical and Historical lenses provide a unique interpretation of the Great Gatsby centered aroundRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald845 Words   |  3 PagesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, colors represent a variety of symbols that relate back to the American Dream. The dream of being pure, innocent and perfect is frequently associated with the reality of corruption, violence, and affairs. Gatsby’s desire for achieving the American Dream is sought for through corruption (Schneider). The American Dream in the 1920s was perceived as a desire of w ealth and social standings. Social class is represented through the East Egg, the WestRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay970 Words   |  4 Pagesrespecting and valuing Fitzgerald work in the twenty-first century? Fitzgerald had a hard time to profiting from his writing, but he was not successful after his first novel. There are three major point of this essay are: the background history of Fitzgerald life, the comparisons between Fitzgerald and the Gatsby from his number one book in America The Great Gatsby, and the Fitzgerald got influences of behind the writing and being a writer. From childhood to adulthood, Fitzgerald faced many good andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2099 Words   |  9 Pagesauthor to mirror his life in his book. In his previous novels F. Scott Fitzgerald drew from his life experiences. He said that his next novel, The Great Gatsby, would be different. He said, â€Å"In my new novel I’m thrown directly on purely creative work† (F. Scott Fitzgerald). He did not realize or did not want it to appear that he was taking his own story and intertwining it within his new novel. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he imitates his lifestyle through the Buchanan family to demonstrateRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1607 Words   |  7 Pages The Great Gatsby is an American novel written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of the themes of the book is the American Dream. The American Dream is an idea in which Americans believe through hard work they can achieve success and prosperity in the free world. In F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, the American Dream leads to popularity, extreme jealousy and false happiness. Jay Gatsby’s recent fortune and wealthiness helped him earn a high social position and become one of the mostRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1592 Words   |  7 PagesMcGowan English 11A, Period 4 9 January 2014 The Great Gatsby Individuals who approach life with an optimistic mindset generally have their goals established as their main priority. Driven by ambition, they are determined to fulfill their desires; without reluctance. These strong-minded individuals refuse to be influenced by negative reinforcements, and rely on hope in order to achieve their dreams. As a man of persistence, the wealthy Jay Gatsby continuously strives to reclaim the love of hisRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1646 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920s witnessed the death of the American Dream, a message immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Initially, the American Dream represented the outcome of American ideals, that everyone has the freedom and opportunity to achieve their dreams provided they perform honest hard work. During the 1920s, the United States experienced massive economic prosperity making the American Dream seem alive and strong. However, in Fitzgerald’s eyes, the new Am erican culture build around that

JessWesterly CaseAnalysis - 1102 Words

Jess Westerly Case Analysis Kanakavelan Gothandaraman DeSales University Professor: Dr. Alok Chakrabarti CR505 – Organization Management (Winter-2015) Table of Contents 1. Case Abstract 3 2. How effective has Jess Westerly been in taking charge an assistant product owner at Kauflauf? 3 3. Why did her first attempt to change sales call pattern fail? 4 4. Does her proposal to change call patterns make sense? Why or why not? 4 5. What action should she takes to ensure that her next attempt to change call pattern to succeed? 5 1. Case Abstract Jess Westerly joins Kauflauf GmbH as an assistant Product Owner in the computer/office supplies department. Before joining Kauflauf, Jess Westerly had a similar position with a†¦show more content†¦She just sent out mail to RSD and asked them to implement it. Even though she had collected a large amount of data and ran simulations, she did not understand field consultants’ working relationships with their clients. From some of the responses, she did not understand other regional markets well. Since she is new to the organization, and she is not part of sales department, she should have taken time to get an approval from the senior managers, primarily the head of sales. She did not mention any incentive program for the field consultant to spend more time with larger clients; incidentally larger clients are more demanding hence it will be stressful to the field consultants. 4. Does her proposal to change call patterns make sense? Why or why not? Yes, her proposals to change the call patterns make complete sense. But problem was the way she approached the RSDs and tried to implement it. Here are the reasons: First, it is a next natural step for Kauflauf to start engaging with larger clients. Based on the Westerly research data and simulation it was clear that field consultants are spending more time on less profitable clients. As per Westerly’s calculation only 35% of the consultants’ time went to customers who produced 85% revenue, it clearly shows the need to change call patterns. 5. What action should she takes to ensure that her next attempt to change call pattern to succeed? Westerly’s call pattern change did not succeed in

The Movie “Master and Commander” Essay Sample free essay sample

The film â€Å"Master and Commander † depicts the five patterns of leading – patterning the manner. animating a shared vision. disputing the procedure. enabling others to move. and promoting the bosom. In the film. Jack Aubrey. Captain of battlewagon HMS Surprize. theoretical accounts the manner by remaining focused in his mission to get the better of Napoleons battlewagon named Acheron. For illustration. at the beginning of the film he neer second-guesses his lower ranking soldier who heralds descrying the enemy. Alternatively he re-assures his claims and corsets on guard. further look intoing the possibility of the enemy within the dense fog. Captain Aubrey theoretical accounts the manner by staying qui vive. focused. disciplined in catching sight of the enemy. He theoretical accounts the manner in strong leading. ensuing in salvaging the lives of crewmembers from the unexpected onslaught of Asheron. Another illustration of patterning the manner is when Captain Aubrey sees one of his officers being disrespected. He rapidly responds to the insubordination with rigorous subject. He theoretical accounts the manner through the ranks. foremost in mentoring his officer and so following through quickly by penalizing the junior-grade crewman with ciliums. His Lieutenant returns to the shipmates’ quarters. where subordinates stand to attending and salutation. following protocol to superior rank as expected. Unfortunately. the lieutenant shows weak leading and fails to pattern the manner. Alternatively of constructing upon the leading displayed by his Captain. he cowers in fright. taking to his self-destruction. The following measure of model leading is to animate a shared vision. At the beginning of the film. the battlewagon is about destroyed and in malice of the amendss they do non return to dock but go on to sail. Jack Aubrey inspires his vision by unifying his crewmembers to carry through the orders to drop. burn or gaining control Napoleons vas. The crew fix amendss from Asheron’s cannons. artillerymans continue to develop for conflict and concern continues as normal on HMS Surprize. The ships physician Stephen Maturin is a good friend of Aubrey and is known for offering him advice. He frequently disagrees with the Captains finding in conflict and argues vehemently against the ciliums given to one of the shipmates. Though the tenseness between the two heightens. Aubrey’s vision to get the better of the enemy finally inspires the physician. One twenty-four hours after much introspect Jack Aubrey decides to dock the ship at an alien island. at the petition of his physician friend. who wants to research rare species. During his geographic expedition on the island. Maturin discovers the enemy ship. while mounting atop a hill trailing a rare bird. Immediately. Maturin abandons the coops with the alien animals he collected and hastes back aboard the ship about killing himself. He informs Aubrey of his find on the opposite side of the island. The author believes. that the doctor’s determination to abandon the bulk of his prized research and acquire back on the ship was attributed to the regard he had gained for Captain Aubrey. He no longer cared about himself but was overtaken with his leaders vision refering the mission of HMS Surprize. The 3rd leading quality Captain Aubrey displayed was disputing the procedure. Soon after their first conflict. the crew encountered a heavy storm at sea where the ship took heavy blows from air current and rain. The downpour caused the ships’ mast to tumble over into the ocean with crewmembers thrown overboard contending to last. A drastic determination had to be made by the Captain in order to salvage the vas. He had to break up the ropes that held the sails crewmembers clung to for their lives. He made a important determination cognizing that all his people are watching in horror. as their co-sailors are lost at sea. His pick was non easy but if he chose non to cut the ropes all 196 crewmans on board would hold died. Captain Aubrey challenged the procedure in his leading during that storm but it is obvious throughout the remainder of the film that he keeps the trueness of his crew. The author believes Captain Aubrey enables others to move throughout the full movie. There are intense conflicts. ramping Waterss. combative mariners. and many times atrocious diseases. There is a scene at the Captains’ tabular array where there are maggots in the nutrient that is served. All these conditions were a challenge for Jack Aubrey in maintaining good morale. enabling his crew to execute their responsibilities. Finally the 5th leading of promoting the bosom can be seen by how Captain Aubrey interacts with the crew – particularly the kids on the ship. During the first conflict one kid gets injured severely and Aubrey is at that place to promote this kid during surgery. He even takes his unvarying off to assist help the physician in the ghastly undertaking of cut offing the immature male childs arm. Jack so encourages this male child with sort words of hope about the boy’s hereafter on the ship. It is interesting to see how the kids and the older crewmembers talk good about their commanding officer. There is one scene where a group of crewmans tell stories how â€Å"Lucky† Jack Aubrey grew up on HMS Surprize. They swap narratives about his courage and his publicities all the manner up the concatenation of bid. The kids look up to the Captain because he shows echt concern and interaction with them. Promoting the Black Marias of his followings pays off in the terminal ; whe n crewmans immature and old show their truenesss to their commanding officer with a collaborate triumph against the Acheron. In decision. Captain Jack Aubrey displays the five patterns of model leading by patterning the manner. animating a shared vision. disputing the procedure. enabling others to move. and promoting the bosom.

Name __Jack Jenkins____________ Essays - Chemistry, Matter, Nature

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Name __Jack Jenkins____________ Science Hour ______2nd ________ Element Superheroes Element Fact Sheet: | Symbol | Atomic Number | Atomic Mass | |Si |14 |28.0855 | | Number of | Number of | Number of Electrons| |Protons |Neutrons | | | | | | |14 |14 |14 | | Melting | Boiling |State of Matter at | |Point |Point |Room Temp. | | | | | |1414 C |2900 C |Solid | Classification: Nonmetal ? Metal ? Metalloid ( My element belongs to the Carbon group. Origin of name of element. Latin word "Silicis" or "Flint". Discovered by Jons Jacob Berzilius 1824 Key Ideas about the element: 1. Silicon is used to make some types of concrete and bricks. 2. Some iPhone cases are made out of silicon. 3. Power Balance bracelets re made out silicon. They are made from melted down original silicon. 4. Silicon is very important in the electrical industry, Silicon is a semi- conductor. 5. In the future silicon may replace coal as the main source of electricity. Element Superhero Name of Superhero: Silicon Man Superhero Slogan: Just like your friends, Silicon will always be there for you! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ELEMENT SUPERHEROES RUBRIC SCORING SHEET: NAME: Jack Jenkins SCIENCE: ___2nd _____ 1. ELEMENT FACT SHEET (rough draft): _____/5 PTS 2. ELEMENT FACT SHEET (final) _____/20 PTS 3. DETAILED PICTURE OF SUPERHERO _____/10 PTS (including name, atomic # & atomic mass) 4. SUPERHERO SLOGAN _____/5 PTS 5. OVERALL WRITTEN EXPRESSION (final) _____/5PTS (this includes spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness) 6. ORAL PRESENTATION _____/5PTS (Were you prepared? Did you paste your rough draft on the back of the picture and use the information during your presentation?) TOTAL: _____/50 PTS **BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME, DATE, SUBJECT AND HOUR ON THE BACK SIDE OF YOUR FINAL PRODUCT.

Atomic and Ionic Radi essays

Atomic and Ionic Radi essays The purpose of this essay is to give explanation to the formation of the periodic table and all of its elements and how they are organized and put into periods and families and the trends that involved with those parts. This essay will emphasize the atomic and ionic radi. The radius of an atom or Ion is measured from the nucleus of the atom and taken to the outermost electron. We will also investigate the trends and the factors that affect the radius of the atom. There are two things that separate the periodic table; the family which runs vertical and the period that runs horizontal. There are 4 factors that affect the atom and ions radius. The addition of energy levels. The magnitude of the positive charge of the nucleus. The shielding effect and the interference that it creates between electrons and the nucleus. Last but not least the electron configuration stability electron arrangement. The trends for the atom and ionic compounds increases size from top to bottom with in the family. Where as with in the period the decreases in size from left to right. But like every rule there are exceptions. There are 3 different ways that the factors discussed can affect the trends in the family. In a positive way a negative way or have no affect on the trend. We will break down how each factor will affect the trend in the family. A positive thing is the addition of energy levels which allows for electron to have larger radius from the nucleus to the outer most electron. The shielding affect is also positive because it means the that magnitude of the charge is not large enough to make the entire electron shrink. A negative factor is the magnitude of the positive charge because the larger the magnitude the closer the outermost electron is because it pulls the everything closer together. The factor that does not affect the trends in the family is electron configuration because that does not affec ...

24 Great Places to Buy Used Law Books Online

24 Great Places to Buy Used Law Books Online Law books are without a doubt one of the biggest expenses for students, and it doesnt help that textbook prices increased nearly threefold between 1986 and 2004 according to the  Government Accounting Office  (PDF). Sadly, selling them back for pennies is perhaps even more depressing than buying them in the first place. But gone are the days when students could only go to the school bookstore and perhaps one or two used bookstores off campus to collect all of their necessary supplies. The Internet has created a virtual playground for shoppers, and here are 28 places you can save money on law books and note that many buy back books as well (so perhaps you can get money back in the future!): AbeBooks.com: A subsidiary of Amazon.com with books discounted up to 90% off list price.AddALL: Popular textbook search and comparison engine. You can also try their ebook comparison engine at ebooks.adall.com.Alibris.com: Textbooks from 10,000 independent bookstores.Amazon.com: Surely you know of Amazons excellent book selection, but dont miss their Marketplace, which has some of the best prices anywhere on used books and ebooksBarnes Noble: Save up to 30% on new textbooks and 90% on used textbooks with free shipping on textbook orders of $25 or more.BnCTextbookRental.com: Shop by your course schedule and save 25% on used books through Barnes Noble College book rentals.Better World Books: Free shipping in the United States; sales help fund literacy projects in America and around the world.Biblio.com: Brings together over 5,500 independent booksellers for a selection of over 100 million books.BigWords.com: Probably the most popular textbook price comparison engine.Books-A-Million: Free shipping on orders over $25 and Millionaires Club for 10% discount on purchases. BookByte: Buy, sell, or rent law books and also get great deals on study guides and other materials.BookFBookFinder.com: 150 million books. 1 search engine.CampusBooks.com: Compare prices on law books and save up to 95% on textbooks and ebooks tooCampusBooks4Less.com: Search engine that price compares for you.CollegeBooksDirect.com: Promises same day shipping.CollegeSwapShop.com: Price comparison search engine.eBay.com: Lots of former students sell their law books directly on eBay and their companion site,  Half.com.eCampus.com: Award winning site where you can buy new and used books for up to 95% off with a bill me later option for no payments for 90 days.eTextShop.com: Buy and sell textbooks; guarantees the highest price when selling your books.MBS Direct: Partners with some schools to provide what it says is the largest inventory of new and used textbooks in America.Powells Books: Started on a derelict corner of Portland, Oregon in the early 1970s, Powells has withstood the test of time and now serves customers worldwide. Textbooks.com: Buy textbooks to 90% off with free shipping. Also, buys your textbooks for great prices.TextbookX.com: Nearly a million titles in stock and its own Facebook application to facilitate sales. Also, sells school supplies at low prices.ValoreBooks.com: Buy and sell used law books; offers great buy back prices. And here are two last bits of advice before you go online shopping for law books: Be sure you have the correct ISBN numbers for the editions of the books you need; and shop early for the best prices and books in the best condition. Happy shopping!

Issues in Learning and Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues in Learning and Teaching - Essay Example Looking at marginalized ideologies of knowledge and learning also creates a deeper understanding of what it means to receive an education. The main concept of recognition of education is one that is formed by perception of what it means to have information and knowledge. In the Western form of knowledge, there is a perception that knowledge comes from a textbook, school system and the ability to move through this system with points or grades. This one method for achieving knowledge in the culture is what determines what an individual does and how they associate with society. Furthermore, it changes the information that one decides to live their life from, as opposed to create their own career or belief system about knowledge. The consciousness that is given from the school system then becomes what forms an individual, their interpretations and the perceptions that they hold for a life time. The result is a sense of understanding and maintaining the environment according to the school system and the conscious beliefs that have formed from the information and knowledge one has received from this particular institution (Davis, Sumara, Kapler, 2007). The concept of perception for education and information becomes complex because of others that have not received the same format for education or which come from a different cultural context. For instance, indigenous cultures that aren’t brought through the system have a perception of the institution as one which limits the way in which one thinks. The natural beliefs that one has who has received a formal education, as opposed to a culture that believes and lives in an alternative way then transforms and changes the approach which one has in relation to information. The basis of this comes from contextuality, which is what shapes the individual’s life, specifically through mental and social beliefs as well as assumptions and desires that are formed from this. The context created with cultural affiliation s, school systems and information is what leads one to believe that something is normal or expected. Outside of this is a transformation that has to occur to create the right approach. This belief then forms the state of nature. For one that has been through a school system is a state of nature that comes from the ideas learned in this format. For one who has experienced the indigenous culture is a different state of nature that forms and creates the necessary perceptions. The importance of this concept is based on the gap which forms between the two cultures in relating to the informational aspects when working with a specific group (Henderson, 2000). There is an important notice in the concept of information and learning that occurs between the systems and cultural differences which occur. When looking at this perspective from a specific viewpoint, one can note that there is the inability to relate to different cultures and not to understand what the other is going through. The pe rsonal experience of going through a school system causes definitions and beliefs to form around an indigenous culture. If there is an unawareness that this is occurring, then it may lead to other problems with how one interacts with

Religious Freedom and Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Freedom and Human Rights - Essay Example e of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees and protects fundamental human freedoms, there are a lot of cases of their brutal violation. According to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2013, around 400 Shiite and 80 Christians were murdered during the attack of sectarians in Pakistan and are exposed to serious danger in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Different religious minorities, including Hindus, are subjected to oppression and physical abuse in Bangladesh due to political instability in the country. Buddhist groups demolished churches and mosques in Shri Lanka. Falun Gong followers and Catholic clergymen were incarcerated and tormented in China (â€Å"International Religious Freedom Report,† 2013, p. 2). So, several questions arise: do people really have the freedom of faith and where lies the difference between religious liberty and religious extremism? The purpose of the paper is to define the concept of â€Å"religious freedom†. Further, it will analyze the impact of this notion on human rights. Also, it will evaluate the importance of religious freedom for the functioning of international system. Though it is popularly believed that religious freedom originated in Western culture, there is persuasive evidence indicating that this concept came from ancient Persia, Sumeria, Africa and China. In conformity with Persian Documentation and Hebrew Scriptures, around 2,600 years ago Cyrus the Great implemented the policy of adopting tolerant attitude towards people of different religions. This regime restored Jewish outcast’s right of returning to their fatherland. Other holy texts pointed out that there must not be any coercion in religious beliefs (Hertzke, 2012, p. 109). Freedom of religion is universally acknowledged to be one of the fundamental human rights. It is stated in different declarations of the United Nations Organization, international agreements and national legislation. Article 18 of the

Life Is a Race Essay Example for Free

Life Is a Race Essay Family as a Primary Group Social Problems Garelick August 2010 Family plays an important role in the life of every person and society as a whole. It is no surprise that at every new stage of development in our society, with every revaluation of values, the interest in the issues of family, morality and spirituality spikes. At the present time, in the complicated environments through which we weave our lives, the family remains a unique mediator between the interests of the individual and society and is in the epicenter of a major social upheaval. The transition to current market relations and with them the related apathy, and with the mpoverishment of the general population drastically came the turnaround in the view affecting the well-being of our families and their stability and potential for proper upbringing of the young. These, along with many other social instabilities, have led to a crisis of family values. The consequences of this crisis are bifurcations between the generations, the prevalence of reduced lifetime fertility and the growing number of single parents in the United States. If marriage, parenthood and kinship are what constitute family relations, at the present time we are witnessing a decay of this little tiny trinity. The problem is complicated by the fact that at present time, the institution of marriage is going through a transitional period. There is a certain destruction of the old traditional values of marriage, and the new have yet to be formed. Marriage and family are increasingly becoming more about individuals and their need for intimate satisfaction and informal communication, and less about structure and support of one another. Let us pinpoint and define Just where the family lays its essence within the complicated world of social institutions and in which groups, as defined by our text. In a broad sense, the concept of a social group is any social association of people, anything from peer groups to a population of a particular country. In sociology, this concept is used in a narrower sense as any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis (Schaefer, 2009, p. 107). In general, members of a society feel like they belong to a group, and are also perceived by others as members of said group. To analyze the social structure of a society there must be items explored that ppear in all elementary parts of the given society, which incorporate all of the social perspectives. For this, I have chosen what is generally accepted to be the primary group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 110). The most successful definition, and essentially creation of the term, was created by Charles Horton Cooley who coined the term o refer to a small group characterized by intimate, tace-to-tace association and cooperation (Scnaeter, 2 p. 110). In other words, primary groups are those in which individuals have personal interaction with one another. For example, classmates can be members of a primary roup, and the rest of the student body would then be members of a secondary group. From a social perspective of a functionalist for the normal operation of the human society we must consolid ate certain types of social relations so that they become mandatory for members of a particular social group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 4). This primarily refers to those social relations in which, in order to obtain entry, members of a certain group must satisfy the most vital requirements needed for the successful functioning of the given group as an integrated social unit. For example, or the production of material comforts, people tend to perpetuate and secure a level of financial cushioning; this is also done for the upbringing of children, for unstrained family relationships, as well as for education and training for everyone involved. A symbolic interactionist would view the family process as a consolidation of social relations and a way to establish a system of roles and statuses, prescribing certain rules of conduct in a social network, and in defining a system of sanctions in case of a default by any of the individuals in the process of living out and following he given rules of conduct (Schaefer, 2009, p. 16/111). Social roles, statuses and sanctions are implemented in the form of social institutions that define sustainable patterns of behavior, ideas and incentives. Social institutions are organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs, such as replacing personnel in the family setting (Schaefer, 2009, p. 113). Social institutions dictate how ideas and goals are perceived and defined by the system of standard social values, such as patterns of public behavior and the complicated systems of various social ties, i. e. he sets of roles and statuses through which a range of behavior is carried out and kept within certain limits. So, within the concepts of social institution and social group there is a significant internal difference. While the social group, whether primary or secondary, is a collection of interacting individuals, the social institution is a system of social relationships and social norms that exist in a particular area of human activity. However, it should be noted that these concepts are inseparable from each other, because a social institution is a set of relationships and systems of behavior, and is etermined ultimately by the needs of people. In other words, although the social institution creates social relationships and norms, there are people for whom these relationships are linked and carried out; the family is the perfect example of a social group that puts the rules in to practice. People organize themselves into different groups using institutional rules. Each institution includes many social groups that provide the overall institutional behavior. Consequently, institutions and social groups are interrelated, and it would be completely meaningless to separate these otions and study them separately. So, based on the foregoing, I conclude that the family is a social phenomenon that combines the features of a social institution and a primary group. The idea of the modern family arises from the desire to satisfy purely personal needs and interests ot individuals. According to structure-tunctionalists, tn patterns of reciprocal obligations among people and between structures of people and the greater society define family. The greater society has needs that must be met; in order to meet those needs, society creates subsets of people structured to elp meet the needs of society. The family is one of those structures. The definition of family changes as the needs of the greater society change. When the greater society needs rapid population growth † after a time of war, for example † societys definition of family emphasizes heterosexual bonding, procreation and child rearing; but when the greater society is faced with over-population and the need to limit population growth, societys definition of family may be modified to include homosexual bonding and may be more supportive of childless couples (Diem, 1997, As a primary group, the family connects the personal needs of the public interest, adapting to social relations, norms, and values that are accepted in our society. In other words, the familys personal needs are sorted and organized on the basis of accepted societal values, norms and behavior patterns and, eventually, acquire the character of the social functions such as the regulation of sex, procreation, socialization, emotional satisfaction, status, safety, and economic security. From what I have gathered, the definition of family from a conflict perspective has een a highly discouraged and slightly controversial subject since family is considered a sacred institution. As a result, support for research on conflict in the family has been discouraged (Werner-Wilson, 1993, p. 6). And it would seem that a social institution of such prominence would not have a dark side from which can leap and bound toward freedom suppressed minorities. But for the sake of this essay, let us assume that if Karl Marx were to look at the institution of marriage, he would wave his well bearded nugget side to side disapprovingly. The idea of a traditional family as roots in male supremacy, and suppression of womens rights. If only Karl Marx was not a man of the nineteenth century, but lived in present time. The ideal family includes: 1) a set of social values (love, for children), 2) public procedure (for the care of children, family rights and obligations), and 3) interlacing of roles and statuses (status and role of husband, wife, child, teenager, mother-in- law, brothers, etc. ), with the aid of which the family exists. Thus, the institution of family is a collection of certain bonds, rules and roles, which in practice are manifested into the activities of this individual primary group. We all know how great the importance of family is in everyday life, society and even in the political arena. After all, it is the family of each person that provides them with an inexhaustible source of love, devotion and support. The family lays foundation for morality, spirituality and tolerance. And it is the family that is recognized as the major reason for why cultural beliefs survive, are inherited and passed from generation to generation. It is a prerequisite for socialization and the lifelong study of social roles, basic education, skills, and behavior. A healthy, strong family is the basis of stability and prosperity of any society. The family is the foundation of all social institutions vis- ¤-vis the development of the family is ultimately the progress of society as a whole. But the world does not stand still, in its ever-changing atmosphere social institutions take on new meanings and the ideas ot marriage and tamily change witn the times. Marriage has ceased to be life-long and is losing its legitimacy: divorce, single parent families, broken hearts and bank accounts used to be exceptions, and are now becoming the norm. The vast majority of professionals such as philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and students of the modern school of thought, all agree that the family is going through a real crisis. The strength of family is being tested under the weight of total catastrophic failure that our society is facing; the deep nature of which is characterized by our flailing civilization. As a primary element of society, it gives a miniature image of the same contradictions that are inherent in our cultures. One of the most remarkable properties of the family is its flexible and dynamic orm of structural organization. Thanks to the universal ability to adapt to the peculiarities of the ever-changing world, the family has developed an enormous variety of types of family structures, sometimes adapting itself beyond recognition, but while keeping unchanged its essence as a social institution and a primary group. In addition, the family is created to meet any number and range of essential human needs. The family, therefore, in contrast to other social groups defines the very meaning of integrity and adaptability. Because of its multifunctional ability to ameliorate the physiological and sychological human needs, and its inclination toward self-organization and self- development the idea of family is able to combine all personal, collective and public interests into one little amiable ball with a gigantic potential for explosive cataclysm. The world is not static, it changes, and with it change its social institutions, and thus the family. Clearly, the family today, like society in general, is in deep cow dung. The strength of the family, its charm and vitality lie in the integrity that is inherent in the family idea and in the definition of the primary social group and social nstitution. The present era in which we have had this great pleasure of existing is different from any other in recorded history. Todays complex economic and social situations require a modern approach, which can often cause stress and depression, which have already become integral parts of our existence. Today is the time when the need is particularly great in having a safe retreat, a place of spiritual comfort. This safe retreat can be our family, its stability and strength can be built to withstand the widespread variability of the painful world. The family is something worth elebrating, and in celebrating ourselves we can go on further to build everything else that will try to destroy it.

Criminology Essay -- Legal Issues, Crime

Figuring out why people commit crimes is one of the central concerns of criminology. Do most criminals act rationally after weighing the costs of crime? Is society ever to blame for an individual to commit a crime? Do mental diseases or even genetics factor into whether a person will live a life of crime. Over the years, many people have developed theories to try to answer these questions. In fact, the number of theories of why people commit crimes sometimes seems to equal the number of criminologists. I explore these questions and much more in the paper that follow. The foundation of classical criminology is its central belief that individual criminals engage in a process of rational decision making in choosing how to commit crime (Williams & McShane, 2010). This view is based on two further assumptions: that individuals have free will; and that individuals are guided by hedonism, the maximization of pleasure and the minimization of pain. These ideas were important in that they shifted attention towards punishing people’s offending behavior rather than punishing the individual’s social or physical characteristics in and of themselves. This shift consequently had an enormous inï ¬â€šuence on changing attitudes towards punishment and towards the purpose of the law and the legal system. Classical ideas about crime and punishment can be found in the works of a number of different writers. The writings of Cesare Beccaria (1738–94) and Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), however, were especially inï ¬â€šuential. According to the emerging view of the social contract, humans originally lived in a state of nature, grace, or innocence and their escape from this state resulted from the application of reason. It was argued that there was an in... ...e extent to which this is a legitimate evidence-based concern is a moot point. It is hard for anyone to grasp the concept or be able to understand why people commit heinous crimes or engage in criminal activities. We as human beings are all capable of committing or engaging in delinquent behavior. What stands in the way of a person that makes them decided to engage in deviant behavior or to choose not to commit crimes at all? We may never truly know or understand the real reasons behind why certain people make decisions like these every day. Early philosophers and scientists looked carefully and dug deep into the criminal justice system and the behavior of criminals using theories to explain criminal behavior. With these views they were able to come up with multiple distinctive theories that explained different views on why people decided to commit crimes.

Nicomachean Ethics on Moral Virtue Essay

Aristotle believes that virtue, or excellence, can be distinguished into two different types. One being intellectual virtue, and the other being moral virtue. Aristotle encompasses intellectual virtue as being philosophical wisdom, understanding and practical wisdom. He considers moral virtue to be of liberality and temperance. Aristotle distinguishes between the two types using his previous argument about the irrational element. Aristotle shows that the irrational element is comprised of a vegetative element as well as a desiring element, while the rational is separate from the vegetative. The point that Aristotle makes is that the irrational can be composed of subdivisions and each could have an impact on the other. The same idea is carried into his argument about virtue being distinguished into two types. Intellectual virtue comes from a sense, logical reasoning, or rational thought. The ability to understand and act in accordance with that which is held to be virtuous. Aristotle defines the split between intellectual and moral virtue in its perception of how it is obtained. Intellectual virtue is obtained through teaching requiring time and experience. This goes hand in hand with his definition for logical reasoning and rational thought. How can one distinguish between that which is considered virtuous? Since it is the person who must decide what is virtuous and that which is not, they must rely on life teachings to understand the difference. Aristotle claims moral virtue becomes a result of habit. Aristotle relates moral virtue with nature. Nature has a certain course of action, which must be followed. Anything contradicting the course of nature would be classified as non-uniform. Using the examples of throwing a ball. Its natural state is to come down and no matter how much you throw the ball up, it will never go against its nature to come down. Moral virtue arises in us from nature, it does not need to be taught externally, it is born with us, and it is through habit that we are able to perfect our moral virtue. Moral virtue becomes a trait that is acquired through activity. In practice it becomes perfect, and by nature we are all accessible to it. Aristotle uses the analogy of builders having to build to become good builders. The same concept applies to the development of moral virtue. Moral virtue can then be stated to apply through action. It is action, which will then define how well we display levels of moral virtue. Aristotle uses this point to lead way into his next argument about the development of states of character. As stated earlier, moral virtue is a way of nature. Nature implies that actions must be of a certain kind or characteristic. In application to the states of character, Aristotle claims that it is the differences, which define the states of character. Therefore measurement of a person’s state of character lies on the ability to see the differences between a person’s action and how far that action is from a natural course of action. The natural course of action becomes the next argument, for how does one measure the natural state of character or the norm? Aristotle begins by tackling this argument by defining what is considered not the normal. With this Aristotle gives rise to moral vices. Moral vices become defined as the extremes of moral action. In order to re-enforce this Aristotle uses examples of health and eating. If a person is hungry, they can choose how much to eat, but what is considered a healthy amount to eat? There are now two extremes present, to eat nothing, or to overeat. In the case of eating nothing this would constitute as bad for the health, for there are no nutrients to fuel the body. Conversely in the argument, if one were to eat too much, this may lead to obesity which then gives high rise to a greater number of cardiovascular issues leading to a downfall in health. The point of this argument is to define that there are extremes and that these extremes can have adverse affects toward the goal in question. Vices therefore have adverse affects towards goals. In order to build up moral virtue they must not follow vices. Aristotle points out that it becomes the mean, which becomes that which one should follow. Relating back to moral virtues being that of habit, it can be said that as actions are carried out, character is being built based on these actions. As character builds, they become more and more likely to do the same actions over and over, because it is defined in that characteristic state. For example if I were to run 2 miles every single day, for the first few days I would feel sore and unacquainted with running, but as time goes on, my muscles will naturally become adapt to the running environment, and will not cause me much pain. However if I were to stop running all in all after months of habitually running then I would begin to find myself feeling out of shape and un-fit and my muscles would once again to begin to adapt to my laziness. In order to build character, one must stay away from vices, and stick to preservation of the mean, and during this process, they must stay with the mean, and not deviate, for its these deviations away from the mean, in which a character would begin to follow a building of unmoral virtue. Therefore it is the mean action that will define what constitutes as a moral virtuous action. Aristotle begins to further his argument over moral virtue by explaining virtue in terms of actions. Though there has to be some underlying constitution, which states that these actions are of valid in terms of building moral virtue. Aristotle claims that a person who lacks virtue may perform a virtuous action. Their actions will hold no sustenance if they do not comply with the three things which Aristotle points out must be held true in order to perform a virtuous action. A virtuous action consists of three things: they must have knowledge, choice of the action, and must do so from an unchangeable character. Actions, which will arise from a person who follows these, are indicative of a person who is in character and have developed a state of character. In order to differentiate between a person who is virtuous and a person is non-virtuous, they must meet the criteria above. For an action is simply an action, and it may be a good action, however if the person does not know what they are doing, and it does not follow in a state of accordance with their character then that person is not doing the virtuous action for the sake of being virtuous. A person who does a virtuous action will perform actions that they view as being virtuous and having knowledge of the actions themselves as being virtuous and it is because that person is doing this action in character that they are virtuous. They have habitually grown into a virtuous character because their state of character had already been previously built from previous virtuous actions. Aristotle’s arguments over the debate of virtue is that it becomes a slight paradox. For a character to become virtuous they must first perform virtuous actions. The paradox comes in that if a character were to become virtuous, that means that they are starting from a state of un-virtue. If this is the case, then it would contradict Aristotle’s third point of performing a virtuous action. Virtuous action being built upon a character that is un-virtuous would therefore contradict the third requirement for an action to virtuous. The third requirement being that it must come from a firm and unchangeable character. If a character is unchangeable then the question remains, how does a person become virtuous? For now it can be agreed upon that it is over the course of time and nature that a person is virtuous, they must perfect it through habit, and doing what is virtuous. In other words, if a person so desires to be virtuous they must habitually work towards performing virtuous actions. Therefore a state of character can be changed as time progresses based on actions that are performed.

Ill Mind of Hopsin

Brandon Williams Ms. Hildebrandt English 1100-0022 October 8, 2012 Ill Mind of Hopsin 5 â€Å"Ill Mind of Hopsin,† is a song that a lot of people will probably never hear in their lifetime, kind of like some classical music. For the most part, classical music is all instrumental, but it can still tell a story or have an idea behind it. In the â€Å"I’ll Mind of Hopsin,† Hopsin is trying to convey that the younger population of today’s society is pretty much the most messed up and corrupt group of people ever with very complicated lyrics and a repetitive beat. His lyrics might sound like they’re just words, but in fact they actually have a meaning.Even though it is a rap song it actually is very complex, not just some idiot talking about nothing important over a crappy beat. First off, the beat of the song is very important to the way Hopsin expresses his ideas. For a rap song, it is pretty fast paced. He needs to be able to fit a lot of words into a 5 minute song. The beat is very repetitive to allow for the same pace. Most raps nowadays have a chorus while Hopsin’s songs do not. Actually nothing in the song is ever repeated. To me, that is a way of showing intelligence. Most modern rap artists include a chorus because they can’t think of anything else to say in their song.Sometimes, just by hearing the beat of a song you can determine what the outcome will be. When I hear the beginning of â€Å"Ill Mind of Hopsin 5,† I think, â€Å"Wow, this is going to be serious and a very meaningful song. † Also, when I hear a fast beat song, I know that it is going to have more to say as a song than the slower, less intelligent sounding songs. Hopsin expresses in the first few lines of the song that he can’t believe and is embarrassed that he played a part in this game, the ‘game’ being society and all of its ideas about how life is and should be.Hopsin felt like he had no common sense. It w as taken away from him by all of his surroundings such as friends, media, and school. He wants to let people know, that is not the way that life is supposed to be lived. People just don’t care about what they do anymore. If it is fun to do at the moment, people automatically do it without thinking ahead about what the consequences could be. For example, Hopsin tells a girl in his song, â€Å"One of these niggas got you pregnant and you can’t raise it, but you caused it, your actions made a fat statement. His telling her that she royally messed up and that she has to deal with a problem she could have avoided. He also says, â€Å"Do you even have any goals? † He is talking about the lazy kids and young adults that just don’t care what they do for the rest of their life. Hopsin wants to know what the point of living is, if someone doesn’t have a plan in life. This seems to be a problem that is very prevalent in today’s society and Hopsin is c alling everyone out on this issue. He is not just rapping about some pointless argument. There are a lot a lot of people that could care less about rap.Most rap songs these days are meaningless, but Hopsin proves otherwise. It takes care of a lot of stereotypes and points them out clearly. Any artist that makes a song as clear as this one has to be a genius. It is hard to make a complex song like this with so many different stereotypes that is easy to understand and without confusing the audience. Hopsin is African American but that doesn’t stop him from calling out his own race. He states, â€Å"Cause you in the streets actin like a Neanderthal. † Hopsin doesn’t even want to be associated with his own race because of the stereotype they have put on themselves.He is trying to say that there is more to life than fighting, basketball, and rapping. He can’t believe that there are people out there that are prideful that they have been shot and stabbed, like t hat is something to be proud of. If that is what it takes to become famous than is someone really a musical artist. Hopsin wants people to know that these new age rappers are full of themselves and nothing else. They don’t care about their listeners. Hopsin is angry at the music industry too. Obviously, it is hard to be a fake classical artist, but it is easy to be a fake rapper or singer these days.He is mad at the industry for putting this idea that all you need to be successful in life is money, girls, and a large persona. He states songs whose sole purpose is to fulfill these ideas are a disgrace to the Hip Hop community and to all of the people who are trying to make rap a more complex genre of music. Most rappers are in the â€Å"game† for all the money instead of the satisfaction of making good music whether the public thinks it is good or not. It is all about making yourself feel like you have accomplished what you wanted to accomplish. It was the same case wit h classical writers like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.They made their music because they were interested in the art of making music. These artists stayed fairly humble during their careers. Hopsin also shows these qualities. He is successful enough to be making a lot of money, but he isn’t treating it like the majority of rappers are today. He doesn’t flaunt his cash around in his music videos or at his concerts. This is why I respect him as an artist and not a fake person whose job in life is to be a puppet for the music industry. Hopsin’s song is the perfect example of how someone can express their feelings toward society and its problems.He makes it pretty easy for the listener to understand what he, the artist, is saying. The words are very clear as well as the ideas in the song. He wants people to see the messed up society that everybody lives in today. The whole entire song is one huge call out towards the world. Hopsin took it into his own hands to admit t he obvious problems that people see every day. Hopsin isn’t afraid to let people know that they are stuck in this never ending loop of insanity that is the media and what it does to corrupt people’s minds.

Free Essays on The Day After Tomorrow

The Hollywood production The Day After Tomorrow is the story of an abrupt climate change, with extreme and catastrophic effects which will, in consequence, lead to the onset of a new ice age. As a result of global warming, polar ice caps melt, which disrupt the Gulf Stream (part of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation). The North Atlantic region cools while heat builds up in the tropics. The result is a severe storm, causing catastrophe and a dramatic change in the global climate. I think that this film is very helpful in the way that it raises awareness on the issue of global warming. However, there were many obvious scientific facts which have been manipulated in this film, such as; an abrupt climate change, temperatures plummeting to freezing in a matter of hours, a massive snowstorm, tornadoes striking Los Angeles and soccer ball-sized hail falling on Tokyo. I think that the probability of all this destruction occurring over the short time-span of a few weeks is ridiculous. Thes e types of consequences of global warming are not expected to occur all of a sudden, but not for another century or so. They will occur gradually, and be less intense. One fictitious aspect in the movie was when temperatures in New York City plunge from sizzling to freezing in hours. This factor has no real scientific structure and I think it is strictly used for increasing the dramatic effect of this movie. Although temperatures are descending as a result of global warming, they are not changing nearly as rapidly or dramatically as depicted in the movie. Over the last hundred years, global temperatures have only increased by almost 1 degree. In a warmer world, additional rain at middle and high latitudes, plus melt from glaciers, would add more fresh water to the oceans. This could affect important ocean currents, such as the Gulf Stream, that transport heat north from the equatorial regions and might result in parts of North America and Europe becoming re... Free Essays on The Day After Tomorrow Free Essays on The Day After Tomorrow The Hollywood production The Day After Tomorrow is the story of an abrupt climate change, with extreme and catastrophic effects which will, in consequence, lead to the onset of a new ice age. As a result of global warming, polar ice caps melt, which disrupt the Gulf Stream (part of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation). The North Atlantic region cools while heat builds up in the tropics. The result is a severe storm, causing catastrophe and a dramatic change in the global climate. I think that this film is very helpful in the way that it raises awareness on the issue of global warming. However, there were many obvious scientific facts which have been manipulated in this film, such as; an abrupt climate change, temperatures plummeting to freezing in a matter of hours, a massive snowstorm, tornadoes striking Los Angeles and soccer ball-sized hail falling on Tokyo. I think that the probability of all this destruction occurring over the short time-span of a few weeks is ridiculous. Thes e types of consequences of global warming are not expected to occur all of a sudden, but not for another century or so. They will occur gradually, and be less intense. One fictitious aspect in the movie was when temperatures in New York City plunge from sizzling to freezing in hours. This factor has no real scientific structure and I think it is strictly used for increasing the dramatic effect of this movie. Although temperatures are descending as a result of global warming, they are not changing nearly as rapidly or dramatically as depicted in the movie. Over the last hundred years, global temperatures have only increased by almost 1 degree. In a warmer world, additional rain at middle and high latitudes, plus melt from glaciers, would add more fresh water to the oceans. This could affect important ocean currents, such as the Gulf Stream, that transport heat north from the equatorial regions and might result in parts of North America and Europe becoming re...

High School Math That Meets College Requirements

High School Math That Meets College Requirements Different colleges and universities have very different expectations for high school preparation in math. An engineering school like MIT will expect more preparation than a predominantly liberal arts college like Smith. However, preparing for college gets confusing because the recommendations for high school preparation in math are often unclear, particularly when youre trying to distinguish between what is required and what is recommended. High School Preparation   If youre applying to highly selective colleges, schools will generally want to see three or more years of math that include algebra and geometry. Keep in mind that this is a minimum, and four years of math makes for a stronger college application. The strongest applicants will have taken calculus. At places like MIT and Caltech, youll be at a significant disadvantage if you havent taken calculus. This is also true when applying to engineering programs at comprehensive universities like Cornell or the University of California at Berkeley. If youre going into a STEM field  (science, technology, engineering, and math) thats going to require math expertise, colleges want to see that you have both the college preparation and the aptitude to succeed in higher-level mathematics. When students enter  an engineering program with weak math skills or poor preparation, they face an uphill battle to make it to graduation. My High School Doesnt Offer Calculus Options for classes in math vary widely from high school to high school. Many smaller, rural schools simply dont have calculus as an option, and the same is true even for large schools in some regions. If you find that youre in a situation where calculus simply isnt an option, dont panic. Colleges receive information on the course offerings at your school, and they will be looking to see that you have taken the most challenging courses available to you. If your school offers AP calculus and you choose a remedial course on the mathematics of money instead, you clearly arent challenging yourself. This will be a strike against you in the admissions process. On the flip side, if a second year of algebra is the highest level math offered at your school and you complete the course successfully, colleges shouldnt penalize you. That said, students interest in STEM fields (as well as fields such as business and architecture) will be strongest when they have taken calculus. Calculus may be an option, even if your high school doesnt offer it. Talk to your guidance counselor about your options, which may include: Taking calculus at a local college. You may even find that some community colleges and state universities offer evening or weekend courses that wont conflict with your high school classes. Your high school is likely to give you credit towards graduation for college calculus, and youll also have college credits that are likely to transfer.Taking AP calculus online. Here again, talk with your guidance counselor about options. You may find courses through your state university system, a private university, or even a for-profit educational company. Be sure to read reviews, as online courses can range from excellent to terrible, and its not worth your time and money to take a course that isnt likely to lead to success on the AP exam. Also, keep in mind that online courses require lots of discipline and self-motivation.  Self-study for the AP calculus exam. If youre a motivated student with a  strong aptitude for math, its possible to self-study for the AP exam. Taking an AP course isn t a requirement for taking an AP exam, and colleges will be impressed if you earn a 4 or 5 on the AP exam after self-study. Do Colleges Like Advanced Math Topics? Success on an AP calculus course is one of the best ways to demonstrate your college readiness in mathematics. There are, however, two AP calculus courses: AB and BC. According to the College Board, the AB course is equivalent to the first year of college calculus, and the BC course is equivalent to the first two semesters. The BC course introduces topics of sequences and series, in addition to the general coverage of integral and differential calculus found on the AB exam. For most colleges, the admissions folks will be happy with the very fact that youve studied calculus. While the BC course is more impressive, you wont be hurting yourself with AB calculus. Note that far more college applicants take AB, rather than BC, calculus. At schools with strong engineering programs, however, you may find that BC calculus is strongly preferred and that you wont earn calculus placement credit for the AB exam. This is because,  at a school like MIT, the content of the BC exam is covered in a single semester. The second semester of calculus is multi-variable calculus, something not covered in the AP curriculum. The AB exam, in other words, covers a half-semester of college calculus  and isnt sufficient for placement credit. Taking AP Calculus AB is still a big plus in the application process, but you wont always earn course credit for a high score on the exam. What Does This All Mean? Very few colleges have a definite requirement regarding calculus or four years of math. A college doesnt want to be in a position where it has to reject an otherwise well-qualified applicant due to a lack of calculus classwork. That said, take the strongly recommended guidelines seriously. For most colleges, your high school record is the single most important component of your application. It should show that youve taken the most challenging courses possible, and your success in upper-level math courses is a great indicator that you can succeed in college. A 4 or 5 on one of the AP calculus exams is about the best evidence you can provide of your math readiness, but most students dont have that score available at the time applications are due. The table below sums up the math recommendations for a range of colleges and universities. College Math Requirement Auburn 3 years required: Algebra I and II, and either geometry, trig, calc, or analysis Carleton Minimum 2 years algebra, one year geometry, 3 or more years math recommended Centre College 4 years recommended Harvard Be well-versed in algebra, functions, and graphing, calculus good but not required Johns Hopkins 4 years recommended MIT Math through calculus recommended NYU 3 years recommended Pomona 4 years expected, calculus highly recommended Smith College 3 years recommended UT Austin 3 years required, 4 years recommended

Music in my life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Music in my life - Assignment Example It is vital that an individual takes a break off work or studies, and listening to music or pursuing music information from different artists and musicians constitutes my leisure time. My time to relax is funfilled relative to my engagement in music. My inspiration in life has much to do with music. Music is done in diverse and dynamic ways, all of which are unique to specific genres and musicians. The information contained in music or messages that music passes through serves different people differently. Personally, music serves as a source of inspiration.On the same note, life encouragement and directions can also be derived from music (Turner 203). Music also serves as my personal advisor, with screening for positivity and negativity being accounted for. The diversity of the world is clearly evident in the way music is done. In my life, music serves as my educator in this line. Through music, I have come to learn and understand global diversity across borders. Over and above ente rtainment, music serves as an eye opener in every aspect of my life. This is more so in regard to the music genres I listen to.I have embraced music diversity in a global context, meaning that I am not fixed to any specific music genre. However, there are primary music genres that dominate my preference in music. RnB rates the tops the list although I have regard to locally composed and produced music, and also music that accounts for the individual, social, cultural, economic, and political differences around the world.

Tenn-Tech Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tenn-Tech Plc - Case Study Example The situation demands a prompt and a proactive action from the top management. Hence it is vital to bring in a new management accounting approach that is more in consonance with the prevalent developments and circumstances. Resorting to throughput accounting seems to be just the right approach for Tenn-Tech Plc in the existing scenario. However, this is easier said then done. This calls for a total paradigm shift on the part of the key players and the stakeholders at Tenn-Tech Plc. It is imperative for the top echelons of power at Tenn-Tech Plc to be cognizant of the marked shift in their perception that an adherence to a new management accounting system will call for. Throughput accounting will not be merely an another management accounting system, but will be in fact an entire new way in which the organization under consideration will be required to perceive itself and its role in the global market scenario ("Throughput Accounting" 67). The basic fault with the activity-based costing system that till now was being resorted to by Tenn-Tech Plc is that it believes that the efficiencies yielded by the changes wrought in the localized factors within the company, be it the marketing department, manufacturing or any other section, will automatically lead to enhanced over all efficiencies (Corbett 38). That is why the directors and the top management are wasting their strength, time and efforts in criticizing and finding faults with the individual local sections wi thin the company. While the Financial Director seems to be at loggerheads with the Marketing Director, the Chief Executive Boris Barker has already given way to a serious labour problem with the aid of the Management Accountant Huggenkis, both of them being guided by their obsession for covering the unreasonable overheads. No doubt such moves appear to be narrowly reactionary in their approach, rather then being all inclusive and visionary. The basic fault with the management accounting system at Tenn-Tech Plc is that it is based on the fundamental premise that for an organizational chain to be really strong, it is a must that all the links in it be really sturdy and tough (Corbett 41). This definitely sounds good, but is surely not true in a real life scenario.Throughput accounting is an alternative approach to management accounting that holds that the eventual strength of an organizational chain is determined by the strength of the weakest link in that chain (Corbett 41). This app roach towards management accounting is based on the theory of constraints proposed by E.M. Goldratt in his novel The Goal. This approach will conclusively address the dilemma being faced by Tenn-Tech Plc, which is how to design a more efficient management accounting system. According to throughput accounting, the notion of allocating costs to products, which was till now being adhered to by Tenn-Tech Plc is inherently faulty and invariably leads to wrong decisions. As interpreted and suggested by the theory of constraints, Tenn-Tech needs to be viewed as a system that consists of several individual and interdependent elements. Thus the primary task before Tenn-Tech is to be conversant with the constraints existing within this system. According

Why are we so fat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why are we so fat - Essay Example adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese† (U.S. Obesity Trends). Obesity is caused by excessive fat deposits in body. Lack of physical workouts, overeating, changing food habits, excessive fat contents in foods etc are some of the reasons for the increasing trends in obesity statistics. This paper tries to answer the question; why are we so fat? According to what’s known as the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis, early humans compensated for the energy used in their heads by cutting back on the energy used in their guts; as man’s cranium grew, his digestive tract shrank. This forced him to obtain more energy-dense foods than his fellow-primates were subsisting on, which put a premium on adding further brain power. The result of this self-reinforcing process was a strong taste for foods that are high in calories and easy to digest; just as it is natural for gorillas to love leaves, it is natural for people to love funnel cakes (Kolbert). One of the major reasons cited for the overweight related problems among Americans is the changes happening in the brain systems. It is a fact that brain is getting far more developed as time goes on. In other words, current generation has brain size much higher than that of the generations in the past. Thus brains of the current generation require more energy and for that purpose they consume more energetic foods. American medical association committed a serious blunder by asking the public to take only low fat food. â€Å"They failed to take into account that when people do that, they increase their carbohydrates. Slashing carbohydrates and sticking to protein (Why are We So Fat?). It should be noted that blocking of fatty foods not only prevented the ketosis process but also it caused increased hunger. Thus people started to eat more and more foods enriched with carbohydrates which resulted in overweight. Current Americans are c onsuming foods like pasta, potatoes, flour, cereal products, and bread more and more than the Americans in the past. These food items have low glucose contents and therefore a spike in insulin production may occur. Low blood sugar can increases hunger and appetite for food and the final outcome could be overweight. It is an accepted fact that Americans are enjoying the most lavish life styles in the world. Majority of the people in America may have their own vehicles and they use it for their traveling needs. In other words, Americans may not walk even a single kilometer if they wanted to go somewhere. Moreover, busy life styles prevented them from engaging in any physical work outs or playing some games. Majority of the leisure times are spent in front of the computers by the Americans. The increasing popularity of social networks and the availability of easy to use communication tools such as palmtop, laptop, tablet PCs, iPads, mobile phones etc are forcing the Americans to spend more time in front of the computer and internet. In short, mental or verbal exercises are increasing among Americans whereas physical exercises are decreasing. Thus, extra energy consumed through excessive foods may become deposited in the body rather than burning it out through physical exercises. The line between being in and out of energy balance is slight. Suppose you consume a mere 5 percent over a 2,000-calorie-a-day average. "That's just one hundred calories; it's a glass of apple juice," says Rudolph Leibel, head of molecular genetics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "But those few extra calories can mean a huge weight gain." Since one pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, that glass of juice adds up to an

Environmental conditions: Apple iTunes in the UK

Environmental conditions: Apple iTunes in the UK 1. Introduction The following report will carry out an assessment of the macro and micro environmental conditions that are likely to impact upon Apple iTunes within the United Kingdom. The analysis which will be carried out will include an assessment of the degree of the threat or the opportunities posed by the existing and potential competition. iTunes is a digital media player application which is used for playing and organising digital and video files. iTunes also connects to the iTunes store via the internet to purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, applications, games, audio books and podcasts. The Music industry has radically changed in the last couple of years, thanks to the increasing penetration of broadband, which has made it increasingly convenient for music lovers to buy via the web, this has the effect of promoting digital downloads. Content owners have been hit by the increasing problem of illegal downloading which has had the effect of devaluating the value of music for an entire generation of youth. (Mintel 2009) After its launch in 2002 Apples iTunes has come to dominate the music delivery business in many countries around the world, including the United Kingdom. Using a number of tools which look at both the micro and macro environment, and various analysis I will draw many conclusions whether there is a likelihood of continued success for Apple iTunes in the future. 2. What is Apple iTunes? iTunes is a free application for your Mac or PC it organises your digital music and video on your computer. It syncs all your media with you iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. It is also a store on your computer; it has everything you need to be entertained anywhere, anytime. (Apple 2010) Apple iTunes was developed in early 2002 and has developed ever since in relation to Apples continued success with their portable media player the iPod. Ever since 2002 many new features have been added to iTunes such as in April 2003 when version 4.0 of Apple iTunes was released which added the feature of the iTunes Store, to make it the success of what it is today. (Apple 2004) 3. Apple iTunes Market Position The music industry has witnessed a massive change over the last few years; this is due to many reasons. One fundamental change has been the increasing user usage of broadband technology, the increased speed and more people adopting the technology has led to consumers to view downloading music via the web to be convenient and simple. This development originally led many of the traditional high street retailers such as HMV to start selling music online in CD format. In more recent times music both single tracks and albums have become more and more easily accessible for the average consumer due to the continued popularity of services such as Apple iTunes. 3.1 Market Data on The Music Industry In January 2009 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) predicted that the UK will spend over  £600 million on digital music in 2012 (Mintel 2009). As you can see from (Appendix 2) downloads are dominated by singles or the download of individual tracks. But iTunes and other digital competitors are looking at improving the way in which they are marketing to consumers hopping to persuade them to purchase more albums digitally. Also in (Appendix 2) using BPI figures it shows the demand for single downloads has increased by a massive 340% from 2004-2009, where by the sale of single music in physical format has decreased by 850%. The same trend can be seen for album sales as well. As you can see from the table in (Appendix 1) pre-recorded music sales are continually moving from the traditional music stores, supermarkets etc to the internet to services such as iTunes. Over a period from 2007-2009 there was a 6% increase of sales of pre-recorded music on the internet, where as other means of selling/distributing pre-recorded music saw a considerable decrease year on year over the same period. The music industry has seen revenue decrease by 4% in 2008 and it is predicted that this trend will likely continue. Although digital distribution of music will ensure the costs involved when selling music will be dramatically lower, this will lead to increased profit margins for legal music sales in the future. Mintel has forecasted that the music market will continue for the next few years until 2013 to continue to decline. The market will see a dramatic fall of 33% of current prices from 2008-2013, 2009 saw the biggest drop which was 16% (Appendix 3). This is all due to a number of contributing factors, the main being that economic conditions are poised to remain uncertain which hampers consumer confidence. (Mintel 2009) 3.2 Music Market Industry Key Points/Findings The music industry has changed in recent years due to the major rise in downloadable content which is seen as more appropriate due to the rise of the portable media player as well as it being much easier for consumers to get hold of music, by simply downloading. The following will outline some key findings from the Music Industry which Apple iTunes operate within. * The music market for digital download retailers market share will continue to grow with many new entrants looking to move into the market where Apple iTunes dominate by offering digital rights management (DRM) free tracks. (Mintel 2009) * The Dominance of iTunes will remain until new entrants are established. (Mintel 2009) Over recent years ever since the download revolution began there has been one major retailer, iTunes. They have been seen as a threat to major music labels, to counter this threat major labels have granter DRM free tracks to many other retailers to encourage completion in the market place. This move looks to have changed the market place in the future by allowing the consumer to have more choice where they choose to purchase/download there music. (Harvey 2009) 3.2 Competitors It is vitally important when analysing the market which Apple iTunes operate within to outline their competitors. Many different competitors can affect Apples performance within the market, the competitors can be categorised into direct, close, substitute or indirect competitors. It is vitally important to analyse all of these competitors because they will all affect Apple iTunes in some aspect. As you can see from (Appendix 5) it shows all of the possible competitors within the industry, Apple in 2008 had a market share of 80% Apple the market leader with an 80 per cent market share (Lynch 2009) which means there are at least 25 firms who are in (Appendix 5) and many other firms battling it out for the remaining 20% of the market. Apple have been able to gain such a large market share with little or no competition due the agreement they had with the major record labels such as Sony/BMG, Vivendi Universal, Warner and EMG up until 2007 Apple were the market leaders and were starting to begin to dictate prices to the record labels which began to make them worried that they had originally given away to much to Apple iTunes. The record companies realised that Apple had gained dominance of the music on-line delivery industry and could dictate prices to the record companies. As a result, the record companies decided to drop DRM completely and encourage other delivery companies to enter the industry they needed some competition for Apple. (Lynch 2009) Once DRM free music began to be readily available it enticed many new businesses into the market, in the table in (Appendix 5) you can see the many firms who have seen how successful iTunes has been and they would like to gain some of the success which Apple has created for itself with iTunes. Direct competitors are those who offer a very similar service to what iTunes offers firms such as Amazon, HMV Digital, and Tesco Digital are all looking to break the dominance of Apple by offering a similar service but by offering the tracks at much cheaper price, due to them wanting to break into the industry. While Apple raised prices, competitors cut theirs. Amazon, the online retailer, cut the price of many of its top-selling music downloads on Monday to 29p as it competes for a larger share of the digital music market. (Ahmed 2009) Close competition are businesses which offer a similar service to what iTunes offers but are not in direct completion, these are firms such as subscription based services of Napster, Sky Songs and eMusic as well as bundled download services run by both Nokia and Omnifone which are Comes With Music and Music Station respectively as well as services run by the major mobile networks within the UK such as O2 and Orange. Competition which is classed as substitutes to the service which iTunes offers are firms which offer a different service to iTunes but could be used instead by potential customers. These are businesses such as Spotify and We7 who offer free music for users but the service contains many adverts which make the service free, the revenue is all advertisement driven. Also substitute services are business which use the latest web technology which is streaming, firms such as YouTube, MySpace Music and Last.fm are all services which are free and legal allow users to listen to music online but not actually download and put onto a portable media player, such as the iPod. New services like Spotify give us hope for the future, but physical sales continue to fall and even digital services struggle to compete with free illegal music. (Mostrous 2010) Substitute services such as Spotify which are free to the consumer may the future of music as they offer a service which costs nothing and is legal. Indirect competition, is a service which is completely different to what is offered by iTunes. Sony has started to promote and sell the e-book reader, which is a similar idea to the iPod but instead of music allows users to download books and read them on a screen. It seems the traditional gift wrapped tome is being trumped by downloads, after Amazon customers bought more e-books than printed books for the first time on Christmas Day. The department store chain John Lewis highlighted the popularity of e-readers this Christmas, reporting a jump in sales of Sonys eBook readers. (Allen 2009) The music market when from physical music CDs etc to digital downloads, now the book market looks to go a similar way by offering the user to read books in a digital format. 4. Macro Environmental Factors The macro environment is the major external and uncontrollable factors that have an influence on the organisations ability to make decisions and also can affect the strategy and the performance. The macro environment looks to include many factors such as economic, legal, social, political and technological changes. (Grant 2005) Included in the following section of the report a PESTEL analysis will be carried out of Apple iTunes which is a framework which looks at the macro environmental factors any business faces in the external environment, also an industry life cycle will be carried out. 4.1 PESTEL Analysis This model is a way of looking at Apple iTunes macro environment; it looks at the six key factors of the external environment, Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. The following section of the report will use this framework to look at the key factors effecting Apple iTunes in the macro environment. (Masterson 2004) Firstly, political this looks at if there are any pressures from the government or associated bodies, also any potential pressure from other business such as the major record labels such as Sony/BMG in Apple iTunes case. A breakthrough occurred when Apple iTunes made a deal with the record industry in 2002 which revolutionised the music industry. For the first time it was possible to download music for a payment without the problems of DRM which had become frustrating for consumers. By 2008 iTunes was the market leader with a massive market share of 80%, before this in 2007 the major record companies began to realise they had given away too much to Apple. iTunes had gained dominance in the market and were in a position to dictate prices to the record companies, this had the result in record companies dropping DRM and encouraging new entrants into the market to compete with Apple iTunes. The first two new entrants which tried to break up the dominance of iTunes were Nokia and Amazon. (Lynch 2009) Censorship can cause a great deal of problems for a service such as iTunes, in the build up to the Olympic Games in Beijing, China iTunes was selling on its iTunes Store a Tibetan album. Due to the political unrest between Tibet and China, the Chinese government blocked the use of the iTunes Store Parts of iTunes are blocked in China; access to iTunes store is completely restricted in the majority of China. (Branigan 2008) Next is Economic, which looks at how Apple iTunes will be affected by the macroeconomic environment. The UK economy still remains in a recession which has effects for all of Apple iTunes potential customers within the UK market, consumers are unlikely to be willing to purchase luxury goods such as the music iTunes offer within its online store. This is due to levels of disposable income is not at the levels of previous times, also due to low levels of disposable income Apple iTunes will see very few new customers as people who have not experienced downloading music before may not even have a computer so will not go out and purchase one in these times. Although many experts believe the UK economy will begin to show some growth in the near future, the economy will still be in a recession, officially the recession has not yet ended. Analysts believe that fourth quarter figures will show the economy returning to growth. (BBC Business News 2009) It is extremely important for Apple to be a ware of the economic factors within the macro environment. Thirdly social, this looks at the demographics and the trends within the market which Apple iTunes operate within. This part of the PESTLE analysis will outline a few key trends which detail the market place Apple iTunes operate within. * 16-24 year olds are more likely to favour downloading music.(Mintel 2009) * Over 45s are less likely to download, due to being concerned about quality and equipment and compatibility issues, this is linked to the understanding of technical development, also unsure what is legal and what is not. (Mintel 2009) * The amount of Internet usage is a massive influence on consumers views. (Mintel 2009) The above trends allow Apple iTunes to target certain sectors of the market place, they would look to continue to target their products to the 16-24 market place, but would look to develop a bigger customer group within the over 45s by possibly educating these customers on how iTunes works. Next is Technological, technology is changing constantly at an unprecedented rate and has created many opportunities which Apple iTunes have adopted. The broadband revolution has meant a facility has been created for consumers to access music at a reduced price compared to standard hard copy media. Also continued innovation by Apple for new products, such as the lasts iPhone 3GS has meant more people are using the iTunes service, fastest, most powerful iPhone yet the 3GS (Blake 2009) The Music industry has radically changed in the last couple of years due to technology, thanks to the increasing penetration of broadband, which has made it increasingly convenient for music lovers to buy via the web, this has the effect of promoting digital downloads. Environmental is the fifth factor of the PESTEL framework this looks at the how the performance of Apple iTunes effects the environment which they operate within. Apple is aware of the environmental factors within the industry and is trying to offset the damages they cause, We account for everything, including out products. Apple reports environmental impact comprehensively, we do this by focusing on our products what when we design them, what happens when we make them and what happens when you take them home and use them. (Apple Environment 2010) Apple seems to be very aware about that negative impacts of production and of consumers using their products, they are aware of the need for themselves to be socially responsible. Finally legal, this is a massive aspect for a firm such as Apple iTunes as there are many legal aspects to how they operate within the market place. Also it is important they are aware of the illegal actions potential customers carry out within the market. Illegal downloads is continuing to grow despite the many actions carried out across the industry, The issue of illegal downloading remains a problem that is set to persist. Although various efforts are being made by those in the sector to minimise the problem there is no easy solution. (Mintel 2007) Below are two key findings for the UK market which Apple iTunes need to be aware of as it shows that UK consumers are attracted to the prospect of illegal downloads. * Consumers favour illegal downloads due to their lack of cost. * Heavy downloaders are further encourages to continue by the lack of legislation against file sharing from the authorities. (Mintel 2007) 4.2 Industry Life Cycle The industry life cycle is the supply-side equivalent of the product life cycle; it is made up of four key phases, Introduction (Emergence), Growth, Maturity and Decline. There are two main factors which are fundamental which lead to industry evolution; they are demand growth and the creation and diffusion of knowledge. Demand growth is when the life cycle and the changes with in it are defined primarily by changes in an industries growth rate over time. The second major driving force of the industry life cycle is knowledge. New knowledge in the form of production innovation is responsible for an industrys creation. The dual process of both knowledge creation and knowledge diffusion is to exert a major influence on industry evolution. (Grant 2005) Apple iTunes are positioned on the industry life cycle on the maturity stage, (Appendix 4) they have just entered the maturity stage from experiencing rapid growth to be the market leaders in digital music distribution. They show many of the characteristics of the maturity stage, they are dealing with the mass market having many millions of customers although they need to be aware that potential customers now are begging to become more sensitive to price due to the current economic climate but more so due to the ever increasing competition of price within the market place. The omnipresent iTunes has triumphed over its digital-market competition, providing three-quarters of the online sales in the market. But it isnt the only show in town: there is a huge amount of competition, not just on the service offered but mainly on the price which music is sold for. (Robin 2008) Other characteristics which show that Apple iTunes are in the maturity stage are that they are introducing new produ cts that are continually being innovative by adapting the iTunes service, such as adding additions to the iTunes Store and extra features. 5. Micro Environmental Factors The Micro Environment factors are that what affects an organisations immediate area of operations. It affects the decision making and the overall performance of the business; the factors which it looks at are customers, distribution channels and competitors. (Grant 2005) In this section of the report I will look to adapt the porters five forces model which will then be applied to Apple iTunes, which will allow for analysing the five key forces that shape the industry. 5.1 Porters 5 Forces Porters five forces analysis helps firms to analyse the strength of competitive threats and is particularly useful to Apple iTunes as it allows them to analyse the competitive environment. The model focuses on the competition and the bargaining power in the supply chain suppliers through to customers. The model is made up of five forces they are threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and the industry competitors. (Masterson 2004) Firstly threat of new entrants this looks at the activities of potential competitors as well as existing competitors within the market place. In 2007 the major record labels began to realise that they had given iTunes too much power over the digital music market and were able to dictate the price they wanted to pay to the major record labels, Apple iTunes was now the biggest firm in the industry with over 80% of the market. As a result, the record companies decided to drop DRM completely and encourage other delivery companies to enter the industry they needed some competition for Apple. (Lynch 2009) DRM free tracks were introduced to create new entrants into the market, which it has succeeded in doing which has meant Apple iTunes now has many major competitors to its dominance. iTunes have the highest market share in the industry at present and due to the increased competition that has developed but they still have not taken away iTunes dominance, new firms who come into the market must be aware that the only way they are going to be successful is if they are innovative. Also to prevent new entrants into the market iTunes has the power to set a price for its downloads at whatever it sees fit due to how successful and respected the Apple brand is, this price may be lower than what new firms into the market may be able to afford which would prevent them from competing in the market. Next is the bargaining power of Apple iTunes suppliers this will look at the relationships developed between the record labels and how these relationships have changed over time. iTunes suppliers are the record labels such as such as Universal, Sony, Warner Music and EMI, in 2009 they believed that they could make more money out of the industry by making iTunes charge more for the tracks which they sell in there iTunes store. Apple were made to charge 99p for their highest price track, the music labels insisted that it would be in Apples interest for future development of the industry as it would mean more revenue to be available to promote new artists and prevent piracy. Apple iTunes caved in to pressure from the record companies and introduced variable pricing yesterday, raising the top price for a song to 99p. (Ahmed 2009) Originally before the record industry decided to offer DRM free tracks, iTunes were the only business in the market and they had complete control over the recor d labels and could charge the prices they wanted. But now due to the increased competition the record labels want to create iTunes now have to listen to their suppliers more, and sometimes take on board what they recommend even if they dont believe it will have a positive impact on their business. Thirdly is the bargaining power of the buyers these are customers who use the Apple iTunes service; this will look at what power the customers have over iTunes. iTunes is the largest service online which offers users the ability to download digital music, but customers within the UK are extremely price sensitive especially in this current economic climate where currently the UK is in recession (BBC Business News 2009) When services such as Amazon are offering users the chance to download identical digital music tracks which are DRM free for 29p compared to iTunes 99p consumers may wish to use Amazons service rather than iTunes. Amazon, the online retailer, cut the price of many of its top-selling music downloads on Monday to 29p as it competes for a larger share of the digital music market. (Ahmed 2009) The next force which the model looks at is the threat of substitutes within the market, the market is full of competitors but the majority are very similar to the service which iTunes offers its customers. The threat of substitutes though is great, due to the industry which iTunes operates within. Technology is ever developing, if a new firm was to enter the market and adapt new technology which no other firm had looked at, they would be an innovative service which may be looked upon by consumers as something different and one which they may want to try and use on a regular basis. It is vitally important that Apple iTunes continues to innovate by introducing new ideas and features to its products so that they continue to be the market leaders. As with Amazon in the Ahmed 2009 article, iTunes were persuaded to increase their prices even though Amazon who are trying to gain a foothold into the market continued to have their prices 70p cheaper per track, which could lead Amazon becoming a substitute to the service which iTunes offers. (Ahmed 2009) Finally the inter rivalry of competitors this looks at various factors such as competitive edge, price wars and the market growth rate etc. The digital music market is highly competitive; the market is growing very rapidly. The main aspect of the market is that every business within the market are selling the same digital music to which iTunes are offering all at different prices, this is due the record labels introducing DRM free tracks to create competition for iTunes within the music download market. iTunes are not the cheapest within the market place but have been able to develop a brand image which has led them to major success, they are the market leaders and continue to innovate new successful products. 6. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a general management tool, which consists of four main factors. Two of which are internal factors which look at the micro environment they are the strengths and weaknesses of Apple iTunes. Whilst the other two factors are external to the business looking at the macro environment they are the opportunities and threats of the industry Apple iTunes operates within and are unable to change. Strength is something that iTunes has or something that it carries out, that is considerably better than its competitors. iTunes is a service which is owned and run by Apple; they are a very successful company who have developed many different products such as computers and in more recent years the leading portable media player the iPod. (Apple 2010) The strength of their brand image and its loyal band of customers has meant that iTunes has been able to build on the success of previous products to ensure that Apple iTunes is a success. Relationships were created with the leading record labels early on in the development of iTunes so that they could become the industry leaders in the market; by 2008 they had 80% of the market. (Lynch 2009) The strengths of iTunes are that it is a service offered by a business which has already had major success in the market place with the leading digital music player the iPod, users who have an iPod automatically use iTunes to put music onto their pl ayer which has meant they have been massively successful. Weaknesses are parts of iTunes that are worse than the competition within the market or aspects of iTunes which they could improve upon. iTunes have been forced by record labels to make the cost of using their service higher than many of its competitors; iTunes highest price for the latest music in the charts is 99p where as the main competitor which is Amazon has their highest track at 79p. Amazon is already in second place in terms of market share for digital music, although it started its service only 18 months ago. (Ahmed 2009) In recent times it is believed that Apple are worried that they may be close to market saturation in the future due to not seeing any increase in the sales of their digital music player the iPod which is the hardware which is directly linked to iTunes. Traders were worried by news that iPod sales were no higher than in the previous year. It is vitally important that Apple continue to innovate new products to continue the dominance of Apple iTunes. (Clark 2 008) Opportunities are developments in the external environment which iTunes could look to adapt into their business to improve the service which they offer to their customers. Technology is ever developing and Apple iTunes continually need to be aware of the developments so they are early adopters and can implement the changes into the services they offer their customers. Recently iTunes has developed new features such as television episodes, video and applications which have been added to the iTunes service. But the next opportunity which they could look to adopt is the potential to read books, magazines and newspapers on say for example the latest iPod. Apple is believed to be looking into this, following the market leaders Sony into this market. There are electronic reading devices in existence already, such as Sonys e-Reader and Amazons Kindle. But, publishers hope the unquestioned design talents of Apple will ensure that its latest product is the vehicle that enables them to transfo rm their business models. After all, the iPod has converted millions to the idea of paying to download songs and, to a degree, has revived the music industry, becoming the worlds largest music retailer in the process. (Burrell 2010) Threats are something that is going on in Apple iTunes external environment which is likely to cause them potential future problems. Apple iTunes have been hit by the increasing problem of illegal downloading, which had the effect of devaluing the music for an entire generation of youth. It is estimated that over 95% of all music downloaded is done via illegal methods, which means the music industry and services such as iTunes lose out on the revenue gained by these potential extra sales. Despite strong growth in digital music sales, the industry body for world music estimated that more than 95% of downloaded music was not paid for. (Mostrous 2010) 7. Future Success for Apple iTunes There are many factors involved when discussing if there is potential for future success for Apple iTunes, the report above has look at the industry/market which Apple iTunes operate within and then used that analysis to look at both the micro and macro environment using various models to analyse the prospect of future success for Apple iTunes. There are many factors involved when discussing if there is potential for future success for Apple iTunes, in January 2009 the BPI predicted that the UK spend over  £600 million on digital music in 2012. (Mintel 2009) This should allow Apple iTunes to see that there is still some potential growth within the market even though Apple are worried that they may be close to saturation within the market, due to the sales of the iPod not increasing from 2008 to 2009. Continually there seems to be growth within the industry from 2004-2009 at a massive rate of 340%, (Appendix 2) this rate increase over that period is not going to be sustainable into the future in the current market place due the increased competition and the increased level of illegal downloading activity. iTunes should be aware of this, but if there are more and more successful artists being introduced into the industry there is still potential for more growth in the market for Apple iTunes. DRM free tracks introduced into the market in 2007 meant that Apple had gone from being the only major player in the market, to an industry which now has hundreds of competitors. This meant consumers had much more choice of where they should purchase there digital music from. The record companies realised that Apple had gained dominance of the music on-line delivery i