Antitrust Practices and Market Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Antitrust Practices and Market Power - Essay Example The antitrust investigation against Google by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) followed complaints from competing search engines. They claimed that Google had monopolized the search business and online advertising, making it difficult for them to compete. Other search engine claimed that Google had made it hard for new entrants to find their way into the markets and industries that Google had already established operations. The Federal Trade Commission, which prohibits unfair methods of competition and deceptive practices (Areeda & Hovenkamp, 2011), came in to investigate Google’s antitrust behavior. Although FTC finally closed the investigation against Google without filling any lawsuits, antitrust behavior comes at a cost to the company. Google had to prove its case that it was not engaging in antitrust practices. This drew company resources into the investigation, resources that could have been directed to other company developments. Most importantly, unfair and illegal business activities often taint company image and consumer loyalty. This could eventually mark a devastating turning point for the company. Investigation into Google’s antitrust behavior was undertaken within the relevant legal framework. The applicable legal provisions included the Sherman Act (1890), Clayton Act (1914), and Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) (Posner, 2001). Under the Sherman Act, Google was investigated for the monopolization claims by other search engines. In the light of Clayton Act, the company’s exclusive dealings were put on the spot. Finally, the FTC Act encompasses unfair and anticompetitive practices for which Google was being investigated. Perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly market structures influence competition differently (Federico, 2009). These market structures determine whether or not there are barriers to entry into any given market

Analysing media text using the approaches in textual analysis Essay

Analysing media text using the approaches in textual analysis - Essay Example The analysis will focus on the image, the multimodal text and the message it conveys to its readers. In order to more critically understand the image presented on the cover, a brief background on the model is necessary. Miley Cyrus is a former child star on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, a character idolized by young girls because of her talent and wholesome personality. Parents were pleased that their children had a good role model in Hannah Montana that they encouraged them to emulate her, patronized her shows and bought her merchandize. However, as Cyrus grew older, she was captured by media in compromising situations that tainted her good reputation as a wholesome character (EOnline, 2013). Her controversial shift in image by exhibiting raunchy acts in public disappointed parents but were helpless in the fact that she was old enough to do what she wants. In March, 2013, she was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine (see appended image) with short, blond hair wea ring a white outfit with an open jacket showing more than her cleavage. Her image stands out from a plain pink background as the most salient element. Pink is usually associated with softness and femininity, which may not suit Miley’s personality, however, Machin (2007) suggests that flat colours connote simplicity, emotions and modernity. Such a background contributes to the salience of the various elements in the cover. As is common in contemporary women’s magazines, the model is positioned at the center of the page with the magazine title on top and titles of articles featured in the magazine surrounding her. With the background colour of pink as base, varying hues of this colour are used in the main heading, some emphasized words in the titles and highlights of some other titles. Lirola (2006) contends that the colour of the background creates a specific context which gives cohesion in the elements. The written text, being influenced by the background colour now be comes part of the visual. Pink is usually associated with young ladies, which Miley Cyrus represents. Lirola also suggests that the colour pink is used to attract the readers’ attention. Since majority of Cosmopolitan readers are females, the colour encourages interaction with them. The close coordination of colours of the titles, the model’s clothes and other objects in the cover page produces an impression of high stylization and a connotation of modern fashionability (Machin & Thornborrow, 2003) which Cosmopolitan is known for. The image of Miley Cyrus is a metaphor in itself. Wearing a white outfit which connotes purity and wholesomeness, she wears nothing inside so a large part of her breasts are showing. Her shoulders are hunched, and her hands grip at the inner ends of her jacket, a tensed pose indicating discomfort in what she is wearing and wants to break free. Metaphorically, she wants to release herself from the pure mould that the Hannah Montana character h as created for her and unleash her new image of maturity and sensuality. This is complemented by her facial expression which is neutral, neither smiling nor frowning but her eyes look deeply into the readers’ as if letting them know she is serious in what she wants. Goffman (1979) identified the model’s gaze to be important and suggested that women are usually sights to be gazed upon by others in the image. However, when the model herself gazes into the

Organization Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organization Theory - Essay Example Therefore the role of the leader is to find a compromise between all of his employees to perform the organization objectives. "The resource base view of the firm infers that firms create competitive advantage by implementing unique combinations of resources and business practices that are difficult (or impossible) for competitors to imitate" from this viewpoint, Human resource practices are key components of overall firm strategy. In fact, the success of some well-known firms has been attributed to their HR practices as a competitive advantage (e.g. Southwest Airlines and SAS" (Porter 1990). This paper addresses three important themes addressed in three chapters in the course focusing on Tesco as the case study institution. In the first part of the paper, an overview of the institution under analysis is presented. Part two of the paper presents the strength weaknesses opportunities and threats of TESCO. The part of the paper, evaluate the motivational strategies of Tesco, in relation to chapter ten of the study. Part four focuses on corporate social responsibilities of Tesco, while the last section focuses on Tesco decision making. Founded by Jack Cohen in 1919, Tesco Plc has come a long way and has established itself as the largest super store in Europe. At the turn of the century, Tesco became very proactive in coming up to the requirements of the new ear and tesco.com was launched, followed by aggressive entry into international markets like Malaysia, Japan & Turkey, China & the US. Today, the international operations of Tesco yield more profit as compared to the profits in the Europe market. More than half of Tesco's selling space is in markets outside Europe. The Tesco Plc website states "shareholders. Today the Group operates in 12 markets outside the UK, in Europe, Asia and North America. Over 160,000 employees work in our international businesses, serving over 28 million customers and generating 13.8 billion sales and over 700 million profit." Tesco denotes its success to an aggressive global strategy of geographic diversification. In its attempt to renew the brand and keep it in sync with changing customer tastes and keeping up the growth figures in future, Tesco follows various strategies including international diversification, providing value to customers, product diversification, innovation, and umbrella branding 1.2 SWOT Analysis of Tesco 1.2.1 Strengths Premium location, centre of primary target market catchments. High exposure to foot and vehicular traffic. Better value in the form of lower prices Fresher Merchandise Unique service offering to this market and highly recognized in UK. High level of qualified resources and their professional capabilities to

Week 3 student replys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Week 3 student replys - Essay Example The post gives an enlightening account of the involvement of Tempo Air in every stage of construction, and until the home is actually occupied and being lived in by the homeowner and his/her family. It is clear that inspection and testing is undertaken, and that the ultimate results have to do with reduction of energy bills, elimination of problems involving moisture content, and enhancement of indoor air quality or IAQ. What appears vague is the particular process undertaken by Tempo Air in the course of achieving its objectives. Why is there a need for Tempo Air to be involved in the early stages of the home (or building) construction when the matter of indoor climate control is a matter that can be addressed only after the building has been constructed? Is it not just a matter of choosing the right brand of air-conditioning units and the right horsepower rating that it could deliver? The post ends with a mention of ‘segmentation’ as separating the company Tempo Air from less reputable firms. I believe ‘segmentation’ in that sense does not refer to market segmentation, which distinguishes between customer-groups. Segmentation should refer to the groups of consumers which the company distinguishes and targets for its goods and services. Neuhaus, E & Schellen, H (2006) ‘Conservatism Heating to Control Relative Humaidity and Create Museum Indoor Conditions in an Monumental Building.’ Retrieved from http://www.monumenten.bwk.tue.nl/documenten/Conservation%20Heating%20to%20Control%20Relative%20Humidity%20and%20Crea.pdf A very informed query is propounded by Kevin Gillin on the post describing St. Jude Medical, a high-tech medical devices manufacturer and distributor. The products and services of St. Jude are vital in extending the lives of people, and the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) may have material impact on the medical devices industry (Forbes, 2013) to which St. Jude

Human Resource Management Benefits' Choices Research Paper

Human Resource Management Benefits' Choices - Research Paper Example Failure to sincerely respond to these legally required benefits may result in an employer failing to retain the best of its employees thus losing the all important attract-and-retain game (Beam et al. P. 12). Employers must however be on the lookout for the extra cost impacts related to the provision of the above legally required benefits to employees. For increased discretionary benefits, employers must always be on the look out not to lose their best employees. It is thus imperative that the most desirable employees are identified and retained. To achieve success at retaining the best workers, employers have to look for the traits that make employees most desirable among their peers. The most desirable among today’s employees are those not quite like the others, have good sense of humor, and are more engaging and outgoing compared to others. In addition, the most desirable employees are not that concerned about protocols, thus ask their employers more direct questions, especially regarding the next step in task execution (MB Financial Bank, P. 7). The best employees are also self-starters, do not take time off for trivial reasons, and are rarely, if ever, late for work. Strangely, the best employees are not workaholics but only stay after if there is extra legitimate work to be done, never complaining in the process (MB F inancial Bank, P. 8). The best workers are also task oriented, use Job description only as guideline, and might require occasional restraint while at work. Finally, such employees do not expect praise but appreciate it. MB Financial Bank. Benefit Packages for Employee: Employee Legally Required Benefits, 2012. Banking Resource Center. Retrieved on May 29, 2012 from

Gautam Buddha Essay Example for Free

Gautam Buddha Essay Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautam, Shakyamuni, or simply the Buddha, was a spiritual teacher from ancient times and the founder of Buddhism. He is universally recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha (Sammasambuddha) of our age. Yet his exact date of birth and death is uncertain but a majority of historians date his lifetime from circa 623 B. C. to 543 B. C. He is one of the few luminaries in the history of humans who is such a wide and lasting influence to the people. There are countless stories of the Buddha each tradition, each culture, each time period has their own stories . It is believed that, immediately after his birth he took seven steps and on each step a lotus blossomed which represents the seven colours of rainbow. The tales say he was a son of a king raised in a palace with every imaginable luxury, he was called Siddhartha Gautama-a prince among a clan of warriors â€Å"When I was a child† he said â€Å"I was delicately brought up most delicately, a white sunshade was held over me day and night to protect me from cold, heat, dirt and dust. My father gave me three lotus’s ponds one where red lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed† Pali talkie Gautam Buddha is the key figure in Buddhism. Discourses, and monastic rules were summarized only after his death and memorized. Passed down by oral tradition, the Tripitak- the holy book of Buddhism is also written on pali language only after 400 years of his death which is divided into 3 parts 1st the rules that a Buddhist monk needs to follow, 2nd Buddha’s admonition and 3rd Accounts of Buddha’s life. Siddartha Gautam: Siddhartha Gautam was born in southern Nepal at the foot of the Himalayas on the famous gardens of Lumbini, which is located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 B. C. Siddhartha was a child with a contemplative bent of mind. He was inclined towards meditation and spiritual pursuits much against the wishes of his father. His father feared that Siddhartha might leave home, and so, kept tried to insulate him from the harsh realities of the world outside by keeping him inside the palace all the time. Sealed from pain and suffering Siddhartha indulged in a life of pure pleasure. Every whim satisfied every desire fulfilled. The Buddha once said â€Å"During the rainy season I stayed in my palace where I was entertained by musicians and dancing girls I never thought of leaving. † when he was sixteen his father draws him in tighter in to palace life, married him to his cousin which wasn’t long before they fell in love. But one day when he goes outside travelling through the kingdom, and he has the first of four encounters he sees an old man and he ask his attendants and attendants replied oh! That is the change, no human being could stay young everybody needs to grow old. Then on his next tour outside he sees a sick man and doesn’t quite understand what it is, again he ask his attendants then his attendants replied oh! That happens to all of us everybody gets sick and don’t think you are a prince and you don’t get sick your father, your mother everybody will become sick. Then he sees that it isn’t just a sick person in fact it’s the universal and something is stimulated inside of him so he keeps getting the chariot to take him out then he sees horror after horror. And on his third trip outside he meets a corps then he recognizes impermanence, suffering and death as a real state of things, the world that he has been protected, sealed or kept from seeing and he was shocked then he realized this is my fate too I will also become old I will also become sick and eventually I will also die, how do I deal with these things. And then on his fourth trip outside he sees the spiritual seeker someone who was decided to live a life completely other than his life in order to escape impermanence, sufferings and death. Soon after he left his family and Kingdom at the age of 29 and went into the forest in search of peace and truth. Siddhartha was alone in the world for the first time, on the bank of the nearby river he drew his sword â€Å"although my father and step mother were grieving with tears on their faces† Siddhartha said â€Å"I cut of my hair I put on the yellow robes and went forth from home into homelessness. I have been wounded by the enjoyment of the world and I had come out longing to obtained peace. † Then he wandered from place to place to gain knowledge. He met many cholars and saints but he was not satisfied. At last he started hard meditation bearing great physical suffering. Emaciated, exhausted Siddhartha tortures’ himself trying to destroy anything within himself that he sees it’s bad. It is said that Siddhartha had lived many life before this one as countless animals, innumerable human beings and even gods across four incalculable ages that secret text say and many eons experiencing life in all at different forms. The Buddha: Gautam Buddha seated under a pipal tree—now known as the Bodhi tree—in Bodh Gaya small town in north eastern India. For Buddhist there are hundreds of holy places but none more sacred than Bodh Gaya. It is the sacred point from which the buddhits faith radiates. It is their mecca or jeroselum or any other initiation forms of initiator. Then he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth so he sat down with his rags he was wearing under the shade of Bodhi tree at the bank of the river and began to meditate. It was spring time with a full moon on the sky at night, before the sun would rise Siddhartha’s long search would be over. Siddhartha now got transformed into Buddha or the enlightened one at the age of the thirty five. The pipal tree under which he got Enlightment came to be known as Bodhi Vriksha. Buddha saw nature of the people envy, jealousy and strong negative mental stage. He analyzed all the people in the world they are like the fishes riddling in the very shallow water. So Buddha he himself is afraid to teach the people. Then, the myth says the god BRAHMA himself comes to the Buddha kneeling down and asked Buddha to teach people what he had gains during all his life BRAHMA implies that is what every human needed to satisfied one’s life otherwise the human life would never be fulfilled. And then Buddha decided to give his teachings. For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha devote his rest of his life bringing his teachings the â€Å"Dharma† the fundamental laws of all things into the world. He preached his first sermon in Sarnath, near Varanasi. He taught that the world is full of sorrows and people suffer on account of desire. Hence desires needed to be conquered by following Eightfold Path. Of these eight paths, the first three would ensure physical control, the next two ensures mental control, and the last two would ensure intellectual development. It is said that the Buddha traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal, teaching a diverse range of people: from nobles to outcaste street sweepers, murderers such as Angulimala, and cannibals such as Alavaka. Cast was irrelevant to the Buddha so his teachings focused within the universe. From the outset, Buddhism was equally open to all races and classes, and had no caste structure, as was the rule for most Hindus in the-then society. Bliss, nirvana the Buddha taught could be found in a freeing movement through the practice of meditation the Buddha showed to his followers how to come to the terms with their own roiling thoughts and desires by paying attention to them, by becoming aware becoming mindful. What Buddha realizes is that if we can get rid of this fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of itself based on egotism, we won’t screw up everything we do, because we are thinking about it in a wrong way. Once you stop centering your feelings about feelings on yourselves, what naturally arise are simple compassions, compassions for your own sufferings and others as well. For decades the Buddha shared his teachings all across north eastern India that all beings are happy, he taught weak or strong, great or small. He said let us cherish all creatures as a mother her only child. Bare foot in his robes he was still walking along the roads when he was eighty an old age was upon him his back hurt, his stomach was often in pain, â€Å"I am old worn out† he told to a trusted disciple â€Å"like a deflated craft held together within straps†, the world is so sweet he said that he could understands to wanting to live at least another century but he was fragile and exhausted he become ill at the village named Kushinagar near Nepal. Kushinagar is revered by the pilgrims where the Buddha finally left this world. It was in Kushinagar where he grew weak and has to laid on his side in a quite grove of Sal trees as near the end his disciples began to weep striking with grief. But the Buddha reassured them that all things change he said whatever is born is subject to decay. He was saying these is natural process he tells his disciples, use this time, use the energy here even this, for your own awakening , so he use even his own death and their sadness as a time to remind them of what they real task was. In short: Now, Buddhism is more than 2500 years old there are more than 350 million followers in the world who follows Buddhism. The gist is Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautam’s quest for Enlightenment in around the 6th century BC. There is no belief in a personal God in Buddhism. It is not centered on the relationship between humanity and god. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent- change is always possible. The two main Buddhist Sects are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayam Buddhism, but there are many more. There is not particular place where Buddhists can worships they can worships both at home or at a temple. The path to enlightenment is through the practice and development of morality, mediation and wisdom. â€Å"It may be that after I am gone that some of you will think that now we have no teacher but that is not how you should see it, let the dharma and the discipline that I have taught you be your teacher, all individual things pass away strive on untiringly† Buddha’s last words. The fundamental need for the peace is the peace in the individuals mind. We can give others only the values and idea that we possess. Only the happy and satisfied person, therefore, can provide the happiness and love to others and be able to unite people. The present world situation is the result of our way of thinking. World peace is possible only when all the people love each other. If everybody thinks about each other we would not have problems, but we are habitual in our thinking and define everything according to ourselves or group or community or country. If we steal from another, we steal from ourselves. Instead, we should learn to give and take care of things that belong to our family, to the school, or to the public. Proper conduct shows respect for oneself and others. Our bodies are gifts from our parents, so we should protect them from harm. Young people should especially keep their natures pure and develop their virtue. It is up to them to make the world a better place to live. Religion is religion only when it unites people and not if divides. We therefore, need conversation from leaders to masters, religious persons to spiritual persons to achieve a level of World Peace.

Peer groups dominate adolescent life

Peer groups dominate adolescent life There is so much change in society today, however the fundamental tasks of growing up still exist. An adolescent seeks to find a place in a valued group to have a sense of belonging, to identify and master skills that are recognized of having value and earn the respect to cope with them, to acquire some self-worth and to develop relationships with others. Adolescents have an enormous amount of pressure today and seek a place of acceptance. Peer groups are a place where adolescents can find that sense of belonging, negatively or positively. We each know from experience how compelling peer groups are. It is almost impossible to go against a peer group, whose rules are to conform or you will be rejected. If one tends to sway they become an outsider or an outcast. For adolescent children who are just learning their way in the world, unsurprisingly they get sunk into peer group rules. For boys their athletic ability, coolness, and physical strength gain them popularity. In girls, as long as they had a beautiful physical appearance and an ability to attract popular boys they gain popularity. Oddly enough if a boy succeeds academically his popularity would decrease and if a girl made good grades that would increase her standing among her peers. Standards of peer groups dominate adolescent life. If your fellow peers listen to a certain genre of music, it is almost inevitable that you will also prefer that kind of music, It is the same for clothing styles, movies, video games and dating styles. Peers can influence you other ways as well, if your peers Adolescent Peer Groups 4 are going off to college and striving in the world, it is more than likely you will be also. However, if your peers are using drugs, drinking alcohol, lying, stealing, you are also likely to do so. At an early age, children become less dependent on their parents and caretakers. Children become self-reliant and begin to prefer playing with their friends. At first, play is a time of independence, however later children interact with one another, modify one anothers behavior and exchange roles in play. At the school age period of development social interactions begin to follow set patterns and become more frequent. They participate in games with more rules. The play is more then just entertainment but a way to mature in social interactions with others. Play allows children to think of others, their thoughts and feelings. Social interaction does allow children to interpret others behavior and how to respond to different situations. Children learn physical and emotion self control too. When a child losses at a game, for instance, they learn to avoid hitting their playmate. (McWhirter, Newman 2007) Social interactions are healthy. Situations that provide an opportunity for a child to grow socially may enhance their social development. Through the developmental childhood years and adolescence, peer groups play an important role. Parents have a crucial influence on whether a child plays a negative or positive role in peer groups. If a family is not close or unsupportive, a peer group will become of more importance. If a childs parents work long hours, and rarely see their child, this can cause the child to look for emotional Adolescent Peer Groups 5 support within a peer group. Also, if a child is constantly arguing with his parents, this may drive them away for emotional support. Children and adolescents show no discrimination when finding a peer group. As long as the child feels some sort of acceptance they will join a peer group, even if illegal and negative activity occur within the group. A common antisocial, organized peer group is a gang. Youths in gangs is not a new concept in the United States. Gangs have been present since the 1800s. In 1791 the city of Philadelphia had a problem with adolescents roaming and disrupting the city. New York City has acknowledged gang activity as early as 1825. (Focus Adolescent Services) Unfortunately, gangs will always be around or at least hard to eliminate. Gang involvement is full of youths who come from broken families due to alcohol or drugs, financial burdens and broken relationships. Gang affiliation is more important then anything else for the adolescent because the gang creates a family image taking away all feelings of abandonment and isolation. Being in a gang provides adolescents with acceptance and security which is not provided from home or other peer groups. There are signs that a teen has been introduced to a negative peer group. If the teen no longer spends time with his old friends and hangs out with a new group of friends. If there is a drop in his grades at school or even skips classes, if there is a change in appearance, mannerisms or the child seems withdrawn and secretive. Phone calls at odd times and if a teen wants to go places that was Adolescent Peer Groups 6 never an interest to him before could all be signs of having negative peer group membership. A parent should have non-judgmental talks, encourage other interests, show love and support and to get help if grades are dropping. A parent should not ignore the problem at all. Make sure a parent introduces himself to friends and parents and do not restrict the teen from seeing friends. Forbidding contact with other teens will only attract the teen to want to see them more often. Peer groups can have a positive effect on adolescents also. Positive peer relationships have an effect on a childs academic motivation and performance, emotional well-being and their overall state of mind. A positive peer group member has a less likelihood of being bullied or harassed. In such a peer group children will look out for one another and they simply do not participate in such behaviors that are verbally or physically abusive. There are key principles that can promote an adolescent to steer towards positive peer groups. Making sure a youth has leadership, attends and participates in positive youth activities. Civic involvement and engaging in every element of the community; school , church, and home. (Find Youth Info) Adults and adolescents can work together and frame our communities. Preventing an adolescent from joining negative peer groups and having more positive roles with peers can occur with some key environmental factors. Any youth program can integrate factors so our youth develop positive development skills. Structure, creating the opportunity where youth can engage Adolescent Peer Groups 7 in healthy relationships, creating a respectful environment to implement diversity and culture in activities, having opportunities to explore workforce and personal goal settings, and creating an environment where adolescents can have a sense of belonging are key factors. More importantly, programs should develop ways to involve parents in considering the above factors in programs. Society has created adolescence, it is a social invention. Adolescents create their own subcultures with distinctive apparel, hairstyles, and music. In this industrialized world, adolescents must make an identity for themselves. Being that society is a social creation, it is a contemporary society, not a biological age, that makes the adolescent years a time of turmoil. ( Henslin, 2003) Peer groups assist children in becoming healthy adults. Having a reduction in risk and an increase of resiliency along with positive relationships can create positivity in our youth. Parents and communities have the power to play an active, loving and supportive role in our youths lives to steer them in a positive direction into young adulthood. We as a society can join together to make adolescence a period of positivity instead of negativity. Adolescent Peer Groups 8