William Edward Burghardt Du Bois or W.E.B. Du Bois Essay -- William Ed

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois or W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois – known simply as "W.E.B." – was 83 when the government indicted him as a foreign agent in 1951. The only crime he had committed, however, was circulating the Stockholm Appeal, which said any government to use an atomic weapon against another country "should be treated as a war criminal." After spending six months in disgrace and paying $35,150 for his defense, the government dismissed its case against him. The old man was freed and declared himself a communist 12 years later at age 93, dying in Ghana, a country that loved him. It was a sad end for an intellectual giant whom Kim Pearson, a professor of journalism at The College of New Jersey who teaches a class on Du Bois, calls, "the premier African American intellectual of the 19th and 20th centuries." Born in Great Barrington, Mass. in 1868, during the era of Reconstruction, Du Bois’ maternal great-grandfather was born a slave and his father, Alfred, simply wandered away when he was a boy, never coming back. Du Bois was reared on a farm by his mother Mary and experienced little racism. He would later say that as a boy in Great Barrington, he had "almost no experience of segregation or color discrimination." Even though Du Bois was the only black student in his graduating high school class of 12, Principal Frank A. Horner encouraged him to prepare for college. Du Bois headed to Nashville, Tennessee to the halls of Fisk University, an all-black school. There, he declared, "I am a Negro. I glory in the name! I am proud of the black blood that flows in my veins †¦ (I) have come here †¦ to join hands with my people." He graduated in 1888 and headed to Harvard. While there, he received a grant and loan to study at the University of Berlin, where he experienced little discrimination and became fascinated by European grievances against Jews. Reflecting on his stay at Berlin, Du Bois would say, "I began to feel the dichotomy which all my life has characterized my thought; how far can love for my oppressed race accord with love for the oppressing country? And when these loyalties diverge, where shall my soul find refuge?" Du Bois earned his doctorate from Harvard in 1895 and his dissertation, The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870, was hailed as the first scientific work authored by ... ... to result in the exacerbation of prejudice and inner conflict here in America." The case against Du Bois was eventually dismissed. Du Bois did not declare himself a communist until he was 93. He finished his autobiography in 1960 and declared, "I now believe that private ownership of capital and free enterprise are leading the world to disaster. Democratic government in the United States has almost ceased to function. I shall therefore hereafter help the triumph of communism in every honest way that I can: without deceit or hurt; and in any way possible, without war; and with goodwill to all men of all colors, classes and creeds." Du Bois wrote a tremendous amount of material. Only a small number of his works have been considered in this short description of his life. In his final years, Du Bois spent his time working on an Encyclopedia Africana, which he had unsuccessfully tried to begin without financial backing in 1909 and 1931. Kwame Nkrumah, the first premier of Ghana, invited him to live out his life in Ghana and offered him funding for the final project. Appropriately, news of Du Bois’ death in 1963 reached America as blacks and whites peacefully marched on Washington.

Economics and Global Business Essay

A) Elasticity of demand is describes as the degree of percentage change in demand for a good or service due to variation in price. Elasticity measurements can be expressed by three types of demand; inelastic demand, unit elastic demand, or relatively elastic demand. To determine the percentage of change in demand for a product or service the price elasticity equation and coefficient are used. The coefficient Ed is defined as â€Å"the percentage change in quantity demanded of product divided by the percentage change in price of product X† (McConnell, Brue, Flynn, 2012, pg. 76) The three expressions of Ed are Elastic, Inelastic, and Unit Elasticity. Elastic demand occurs â€Å"if a specific percentage change in price results in a larger percentage change in quantity demanded† (McConnell, Brue, Flynn, 2012, pg. 77). For a product with inelastic demand Ed < 1. An example of elastic demand is when there is a 2% decrease in the price of chocolate that results in a 6% increase in quantity. Ed= .06/.02 = 3 Inelastic demand occurs â€Å"if a specific percentage change in price produces a smaller percentage change in quantity demanded.†(McConnell, Brue, Flynn, 2012, pg. 77) For products with inelastic demand Ed 0 .Inferior goods are goods that yield a negative income elasticity, Ei < 0. As consumer incomes increase, demand and purchases of these foods decrease. Examples of inferior goods are bus tickets, consignment clothing, and retreaded tires to list a few. D) Demand of a product will be elastic when there is a higher number of substitute available. This happens because consumers can easily swap one product for the other based on price. An example can be the purchase of soda. A consumer can go to the store to buy Pepsi but arrive and find a sale on Coke and buy Coke instead. The variety of soda a consumer can chose, makes the demand for Pepsi highly elastic. The same rule applies for inelastic demand of a product. If there is a limited number of substitute goods available the product or service is highly inelastic. An example would  be medical procedures or surgery. The alternative to surgery are very few, making medical procedures or surgery inelastic. E) The proportion of Income devoted to a good or service effects the elasticity of demand for that good or service. For goods that are of a higher proportion of income, a 15% increase in price would make the good highly elastic. But for goods that are of a lower proportion of income, a 15% increase in price would only slightly change the demand, making them lower in elasticity. An example would be a car priced at $13,000. If there is an increase by 15% the car now costs $14,950. This increase in price requires more of the consumer’s income making them highly elastic. Another example of how proportion of income devoted to a good effects elasticity of demand, is a pair shoes that cost $20.00. If there is a 15% price increase on the shoes, they now cost $23.00. The increase in the price of the shoes requires about the same proportion of income that the original price required. The lack of major proportional change to income makes the shoes elastic. F) Time is a factor that effects consumers demand elasticity of a product. â€Å"Short-run† demand for a product is often more inelastic than â€Å"long-run† demand since consumer have less time to find an alternative and normally don’t feel the effects of a price increase until â€Å"long-run.† An example would be an increase in the price of salmon. â€Å"Short-run† demand of Salmon is more inelastic since the effect if the price increase hasn’t been felt drastically by consumers. But, in the â€Å"long-run† demand for salmon will decrease making it more elastic as consumers find alternative to salmon. G) 1) Elastic demand range occurs when total revenue can be increased by decreasing price. The range for elastic demand on the graph is between $80 and $50. Total revenue increases as the price decrease. 2). Inelastic demand range occurs when total revenue can be increased by increasing price. The range for inelastic demand on the graph is between $40 and $0. Total revenue is decreasing as the price decreases. 3). Unit elastic range occurs when a  percentage change in price results in the exact same percentage change in quantity. When the price changes it does not affect total revenue on the graph. The unit elastic range for the given graph is $50-$40. References McConnell, Campbell R., Stanley L. Brue, and Sean Masaki Flynn. â€Å"Elasticity.† Economics: principles, problems, and policies. 19th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2012. 76-77. Print.

Good and Evil in Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm Essay

Good and evil themes, in some form, exist in practically every piece of literature ever written. It is found in literature as old as the Bible to newer stories such as The Hunger Games. It is no surprise to find this same theme in Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Golding and Orwell explore good and evil to show what effect morality, or the lack thereof, has on society. Both Golding and Orwell believe through their own past experiences that evil corrupts people. To portray this, Orwell and Golding use similar ideas with their characters and plot to show how fragile the idea of civilization is for us all. In Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm, the theme of evil is obvious throughout the development of the characters. In Lord of the Flies, the primary character, Jack, is truly evil. Jack is a brutal boy and he performs many violent acts during his quest for power. The best example of this is when Jack encourages his tribe to participate in the slaughtering of the angelic Simon (Golding, 140). While the tribe is having a wild, demonic ceremony, Simon crawls out of the woods disorientated after suffering a seizure. Mistaking Simon for the beast, the crazed tribe, including Ralph, brutally rips Simon apart with their bare hands and teeth. Simon falls off of the cliff and onto the beach below, where his body washes out to sea. In comparison, evil is also prominent in the story Animal Farm. The character Napoleon is the essence of evil in Animal Farm. He is the very manipulative and dictator-like leader of the farm. He performs many unspeakable acts against his fellow animals, such as taking the milk and apples for himself (Orwell, 24). After taking all of the milk and apples, Napoleon gets Squealer, a pig that he uses for propaganda purposes, to explain his â€Å"reason† for taking the milk and apples from them. Squealer states that Napoleon needs to take the milk and apples from the animals so that Napoleon has strong brain power. Squealer continues to explain that Napoleon needs to have good brain power because â€Å"the whole management and organisation of the farm depends on Napoleon† (Orwell, 32). Squealer then elaborates even more and says to the animals that â€Å"it is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples†¦ Jones would come back! † (Orwell, 32). These reasons are not true, as Napoleon just wants the milk and apples because he finds them tasty and not because he needs them to manage the farm. Meanwhile, the other farm animals are left to go hungry. In an effective display of pure evil, Orwell and Golding are able to use Napoleon and Jack as villainous characters in an effort to show what happens to someone with no morals. In contrast, themes of goodness are harder to find, yet evident in the characterization of Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. In Lord of the Flies, Simon is the epitome of morality. For example, he appears Christ-like as he helps the more vulnerable children of the tribe that the older boys call the Littluns. Simon helps the Littluns by performing tasks that they cannot do, such as â€Å"picking choice fruit from branches they cannot reach† (Golding, 50). In comparison, Animal Farm also has characters that reflect merit. Specifically, Boxer is one character that shows his goodness through his actions. For example, in the Battle of the Cowshed, he sees his fellow animals being injured, so he stops the fighting by kicking a stable-lad in the head. As a result of Boxer’s actions, the humans flee (Orwell, 36). Although Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm are both predominately full of evil themes, Golding and Orwell use themes of goodness in the characterization to give the reader hope that good just may prevail. Besides the themes of evil found in characterization, there are also the themes of evil in the plot elements of Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Towards the end of Lord of the Flies, Simon is murdered by the rest of the boys (Golding, 142). Simon’s death is specifically the point when the evil in the story triumphs over good . Up until the point of Simon’s death, Ralph and Simon are the only characters who still have good left in them. Since Ralph participates in Simon’s murder, all of the good that exists in Ralph is gone and the last of civilization dies with Simon. A similar evil is present in Animal Farm when Napoleon tortures and executes â€Å"traitors† of the farm. The animals that are accused of treason are tortured until they admit to their crime. Once they confess, they are executed (Orwell, 69). Most of the time, these animals are not even guilty. The animals live in a constant fear; they do not know when or if they will be accused of treason and then executed. By using themes of evil, both Golding and Orwell show that a lack of morality in society may eventually result in the collapse of civilization. In the same way, themes of good appear in the plot elements of Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Specifically, there is a time when Jack refuses to give Piggy any meat. Simon gives Piggy his share because he believes that it is unfair that Jack did not give Piggy any meat. When Simon does not give Jack the satisfaction of eating his meat, Jack then gets extremely angry with Simon and throws meat at Simon’s feet yelling â€Å"Eat, Damn you! † (Golding, 68). Simon still refuses to eat the meat. By his actions, Simon shows that even though they were living in uncivilized times, they could still remain kind to each other. Just like Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm also has themes of goodness in its plot elements. In particular, Old Major creates a spirit of kindness and enthusiasm at the farm during his famous speech. He uplifts the animals by singing them a song entitled â€Å"Beasts of England†. The song is about animals breaking free from human control and living independently. Old Major continues to show his concern for his fellow animals when he says in his speech that â€Å"all animals are equal† (Orwell, 11). As a result of Orwell and Golding using goodness in the plot elements of Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies, they are able to illustrate their point that one can choose to be kind, no matter their surroundings. Through characterization and plot elements, Golding and Orwell use good and evil in Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm to express their fearful feelings for society. They believe that if society loses their touch of purity and goodness then society will collapse. In other words, Golding and Orwell’s message to the reader is that it is human nature to sin and perform evil, and if society is not careful, it will eventually lead to the demise of civilization. Works Cited Orwell, George. Animal Farm;. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1954. (11, 24, 32, 36, 69). Print. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. (50, 68, 140, 142). Print. View as multi-pages

Office Depot Potter Analysis Essay

We strive to ensure that our customers’ needs are satisfied through various channel offerings. Our direct business is tailored to serve small- to medium-sized customers. * sales representatives contribute to customer loyalty by building relationships with customers and providing information, business tools and problem-solving solutions to them. * offering a broad selection of nationally branded office products, as well as private brand products and services. Our selection of private brand products has increased in breadth and level of sophistication over time. We currently offer general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture under various labels, including Office Depot ®, Viking Office Products ®, Foray ®, Ativa ®, Break Escapesâ„ ¢, Nicedayâ„ ¢ and Worklifeâ„ ¢ * office supplies specialty stores faced heightened competition from discount department stores, warehouse clubs, supercenters and e-commerce websites, which have undercut demand and eroded the industry’s sales. Threat of new entrants: Most office supplies are commoditized products, which have little brand loyalty. This, along with low end user switching costs, little government regulation, and easy access to suppliers and distribution channels, is conducive to the entry of new players into the market. Larger players benefit from scale economies that allow them to compete with high-volume office supply providers that lead the market. Larger players with greater financial muscle would be able to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and therefore achieve better profit margins. Entry can be achieved on a smaller scale by focusing on a specific product range (e. g. n ink cartridge specialty store) or by developing an online retail shop. Poor growth in recent years, with stagnant growth forecast for the 2010-2015 period, decreases the threat of new entrants into the market somewhat. Overall, the threat of new entrants is strong. * Staples, Office Depot and Office Max make up nearly $41 Billion of that total and Staples claiming one third of the market share. Thus, barriers to entry are high as these few firms dominate market share. * along with low brand loyalty and easy access to suppliers and distribution, also contribute to the high likelihood of new entrants Power of Buyer: The office supply sector has customers including corporate, government, small business, and individual households. While individual households hold relatively little buying power, corporate and government business partners can have significant impact on the market environment. * abundance and diversity of buyers weakens buyer power. However, it is strengths due to low-cost switching, low product differentiation, and high price sensitivity strengthen it. Suppliers: * Suppliers to this industry hold less power. Since retailers offer similar costing products and services, few manufacturers can differentiate themselves. There are at least ten major competitors in the paper industry alone, for example, and on top of this the individual office suppliers themselves often carry their own line of generic product. * there are a number of substitutes available to consumers. Discount furniture outlets such as Ikea offer desks and chairs for the home office. For businesses, companies like Steelcase can furnish entire buildings all under one contract, whereas an office supply outlet cannot. Major corporations often enter into purchasing agreements with the computer manufacturers themselves to order in bulk. Retail outlets such as Best Buy offer the same technology as the office suppliers, often at a very competitive price. Finally, Wal-Mart is a major†¦ * Suppliers range from multinational high-office providers to local stationeries. * Suppliers are numerous, and low differentiation, along with some backwards integration by players who sell their own branded goods, weakens supplier power. Rivarly among firms: * Players range in size and product diversity; they include high-volume office supply providers (e. g. Staples), warehouse clubs (e. g. Costco), copy and print businesses (e. g. FedEx Office), online retailers (e. g. Amazon. com), ink cartridge specialty stores, discount retailers, as well as several local and regional contract stationers. The large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst incumbents. This is ameliorated somewhat by the diversity displayed in the product portfolio of some players, such as online retailers and discount retailers, who operate in other markets and are therefore not solely reliant on the revenues generated from the office services and supplies market. Relatively low storage costs and the non-specificity of players’ assets lowers barriers to exit and eases rivalry. Overall, rivalry is strong. * * The large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst incumbents. http://360. datamonitor. com. ezproxy. fau. edu/Product? pid=4CA55D31-18F9-44E1-BB86-D1E5E5306887 http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Office_Depot_%28ODP%29/Filing/10-K/2010/F46736398#toc38397_1 COMPETITION: We operate in a highly competitive environment in all three of our segments. We believe that we compete favorably on the basis of price, service, relationships and selection. We compete with office supply stores, wholesale clubs, discount stores, mass merchandisers, food and drug stores, computer and electronics superstores, internet-based companies and direct marketing companies. These companies, in varying degrees, compete with us in substantially all of our current markets. Other office supply retail companies market similarly to us in terms of store format, pricing strategy, product selection and product availability in the markets where we operate, primarily those in the U. S. and Canada. We anticipate that in the future we will face increased competition from these chains. Internationally, we compete on a similar basis to North America. Outside of the U. S. and Canada, we sell through contract and catalog channels in 17 countries and operate retail stores in four countries through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities. Additionally, our International Division provides office products and services in 34 countries through joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, cross-border transactions, alliances and other arrangements. Competition — We compete with a variety of retailers, dealers, distributors, contract stationers, direct marketers and internet operators throughout our worldwide operations. This is a highly competitive marketplace that includes such retail competitors as office supply stores, warehouse clubs, computer and electronics stores, mass merchant retailers, local merchants, grocery and drug-store chains as well as other competitors including direct mail and internet merchants, contract stationers, and direct manufacturers. Our competitors may be local, regional, national or international. Further, competition may come from highly-specialized low-cost merchants, including ink refill stores and kiosks, original equipment manufacturers, concentrated direct marketing channels including well-funded and broad-based enterprises. There is a possibility that any or all of these competitors could become more aggressive in the future, thereby increasing the number and breadth of our competitors. In recent years, new and well-funded competitors have begun competing in certain aspects of our business. For example, two major common carriers of goods have retail outlets that allow them to compete directly for copy, printing, packaging and shipping business, and offer products and services similar to those we offer. While they do not yet have the breadth of products that we offer, they are extremely competitive in the areas of package shipping and copy and print centers. Recently, the so-called warehouse clubs have expanded upon their â€Å"in-store† offerings by adding catalog and internet sales channels, offering a broad assortment of office products for sale on a direct delivery basis. In order to achieve and maintain expected profitability levels in our three operating divisions, we must continue to grow by adding new customers and taking market share from competitors and using pricing necessary to retain existing customers. If we fail to adequately address and respond to these pressures in both North America and internationally, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. HIGH EXIT COSTS: The company has been adversely affected by the downturn in the global economy in recent years and has taken actions to adapt to the changing and increasingly competitive conditions including closing stores and distribution centers (â€Å"DCs†), consolidating functional activities and disposing of businesses and assets. Exit costs related to these activities recognized during the year-to-date 2011 totaled approximately $25 million. Of this amount, approximately $17 million is included in Store and warehouse operating and selling expenses and approximately $8 million is included in General and administrative expenses on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/800240/000119312511279497/d241553d10q. htm BUYERS: Government Contracts — One of our largest U. S. ustomer groups consists of various state and local governments, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Our relationship with this customer group is subject to uncertain future funding levels and federal and state procurement laws and requires restrictive contract terms; any of these factors could curtail current or future business. Contracting with state and local governments is highly competitive and can be expensive and time-consuming, often requiring that we incur significant upfront time and expense without any assurance that we will win a contract. Our ability to compete successfully for and retain business with the federal and various state and local governments is highly dependent on cost-effective performance. Our government business is also sensitive to changes in national and international priorities and U. S. , state and local government budgets. SUPPLIERS: Product Availability; Potential Cost Increases — In addition to selling our private brand merchandise, we are a reseller of manufacturers’ branded items and are thereby dependent on the availability and pricing of key products, including ink, toner, paper and technology products, to name a few. As a reseller, we cannot control the supply, design, function or cost of many of the products we offer for sale. Disruptions in the availability of raw materials used in production of these products may adversely affect our sales and result in customer dissatisfaction. Further, we cannot control the cost of manufacturers’ products and cost increases must either be passed along to our customers or result in an erosion of our earnings. Failure to identify desirable products and make them available to our customers when desired and at attractive prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. PRODUCT IDENTITY: THREat of NEW ENTRANTS Global Sourcing of Products/Private Brand — In recent years, we have substantially increased the number and types of products that we sell under our private brands including Office Depot ® and other proprietary brands. Sources of supply may prove to be unreliable, or the quality of the globally sourced products may vary from our expectations. Economic and civil unrest in areas of the world where we source such products, as well as shipping and dockage issues could adversely impact the availability or cost of such products, or both. Moreover, as we seek indemnities from the manufacturers of these products, the uncertainty of realization of any such indemnity and the lack of understanding of U. S. roduct liability laws in certain parts of Asia make it more likely that we may have to respond to claims or complaints from our customers. Most of our imported goods to the United States arrive from Asia, and the ports through which these goods are imported are located primarily on the U. S. West Coast. Therefore, we are subject to potential disruption of our supplies of goods for resale due to labor unrest, security issues or natural disasters affecting any or all of these ports. Finally, as a significant importer of manufactured goods from foreign countries, we are vulnerable to security concerns, labor unrest and other factors that may affect the availability and reliability of ports of entry for the products that we source. Any of these circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. STAKEHOLDERS: Unionization — While our management believes that our employee relations are good, we cannot be assured that we will not experience pressure from labor unions or become the target of campaigns similar to those faced by our competitors. The potential for unionization could increase if the United States Congress passes federal legislation that would facilitate labor organization. The unionization of a significant portion of our workforce could increase our overall costs at the affected locations and adversely affect our flexibility to run our business in the most efficient manner to remain competitive or acquire new business. In addition, significant union representation would require us to negotiate wages, salaries, benefits and ther terms with many of our employees collectively and could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our labor costs or otherwise restricting our ability to maximize the efficiency of our operations. Regulatory Environment — While businesses are subject to regulatory matters relating to the conduct of their businesses, including consumer protection laws, advertising regulations, wage and hour regulations and the like, certain jurisdictions have taken a particularly ag gressive stance with respect to such matters and have stepped up enforcement, including fines and other sanctions. We transact substantial amounts of business in certain such jurisdictions, and to the extent that our business locations are exposed to what might be termed a challenging enforcement environment or legal or regulatory systems that authorize or encourage private parties to pursue relief under so-called private attorney general laws and similar authorizations for private parties to pursue enforcement of governmental laws and regulations, the resulting fines and exposure to third party liability (such as monetary recoveries and recoveries of attorneys fees) could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations, including the added cost of increased preventative measures that we may determine to be necessary to conduct business in such locales. Product differentiation: Office Depot has made efforts to increase its profitability by offering copy and print services, company has integrated copy and print services into retail and commercial businesses. Staples provid es those services as well= intense competition among rivals. Threats: Low confidence among the small and medium scale businesses and high office vacancy rates indicates sluggish spending The economic trends in the US indicate sluggish spending on office products and supplies. The optimism index (the index determining the spending inclination of the businesses) of a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, representing small and independent businesses in the US, dropped to 89. 9 in July 2011 from 97. 6 in July 2007. The drop in July 2011 was the fifth monthly decrease in a row. With low levels of optimism, the small businesses are expected to cut costs. Additionally, in the Office Depot Small Business Index released in August 2011, 66% of the small and medium scale businesses (SMBs) said that the economic downturn has affected their business. Nearly 79% of businesses surveyed indicated no plans to hire or add to their staff in the near future. Another negative trend is witnessed in the office vacancy rates in the US. According to industry estimates, the office vacancy rate was 17. 6% in the last quarter of 2010, and decreased slightly to 17. 5% in the first quarter of 2011. Office Depot has high correlation to macro economic trends which was reflected in the sales decline of its business segments, North American retail, and North American business solutions during FY2008–10. During this period, the revenues from North American retail segment decreased by 18. 8%, and revenues from the North American business solutions segment decreased by 20. 6%. With the declining optimism and spending by the SMBs, the demand for Office Depot’s merchandise Opportunities: Portfolio of environment friendly products In the recent times, sustainability and energy efficiency have gained in popularity owing to the increase in energy costs. More and more organizations have been adopting sustainable ways of doing business to reduce costs and remain competitive. In order to cater to the growing demand for sustainable and energy efficient products, Office Depot offers a range of environment friendly products. The company offers a Green catalog, which features products that are recyclable, energy efficient, or have a reduced impact on the environment. The company also operates a separate section on its website, officedepot. com, to sell its green products online. In 2010, Office Depot, in partnership with EarthEra, introduced Greener Shipping solution. The solution allows business customers to earn rewards and product discounts for reducing the carbon footprint associated with their office supply orders. In February 2011, Office Depot launched new assortment of energy efficient lamps under the Realspace brand. Furthermore, in August 2011, Office Depot started offering its customers the option to receive their supplies in a paper bag instead of a cardboard box. Office Depot’s increased focus on providing environment friendly products amidst growing demand for eco-friendly and energy efficient products would increase the company’s revenues from the product line. Broadening computer assortment by offering tablets Tablets are similar to PC’s and were previously used in only niche professional areas as they were bulky and had poor processing power and suffered from battery life problems. However, with technological advancements, tablets have increasingly become more sophisticated and are finding applications in many industries. According to the industry estimates, the global market of tablet computers such as Apple iPad, Galaxy Tab Samsung and BlackBerry Playbook is expected to increase from $16 billion in 2010 to $46 billion in 2014, registering a CAGR of 30%. In 2010, North America was the leading market for tablet computers. To tap the growing market for tablets, Office Depot too has been taking various initiatives to increase the assortment of tablets offered at its stores. In April 2011, the company started offering BlackBerry PlayBook tablets at its stores. In the following month, Office Depot started offering the Acer Iconia Office Depot, Inc. Page 25  © Datamonitor Office Depot, Inc. SWOT Analysis Tab A500 at its stores. Further in June 2011, Office Depot announced the pre-sale availability of the Toshiba Thrive tablets on its website. The latest tablet to be added to the company’s assortment of tablets was the Lenovo IdeaPad in August 2011. Besides these, the company also offers tablets from various brands such as HP TouchPad, ASUS Transformer, ViewSonic G-Tablet, and Velocity Micro Cruz. Office Depot also offers various accessories needed for these tablets. By increasing its assortment in the tablets category, Office Depot can drive incremental comparative store sales and facilitate top line growth. Improving store efficiency The company has taken up several initiatives to improve its store efficiency in the recent times. Office Depot plans to remodel nearly 50 of its traditional stores with the M2 format in 2011. There are two versions of this format, M2M and M2S. A typical M2M store is spread across an area of approximately 20,000 square feet, and a M2S store across an area of 15,000 square feet. These two formats will help the company to improve product display with updated signage and lighting. It will also lower overall operating costs for the company. Additionally, Office Depot has been testing a new smaller concept store. These stores are spread across an area of 5,000 square feet. These smaller stores would offer only half the items found at a regular Office Depot store, but that would encompass more than 90% of the product categories regularly sold. Smaller stores would not only reduce Office Depot’s operating costs but also facilitate its quick penetration in urban areas where it is difficult to find appropriate space. http://360. datamonitor. com. ezproxy. fau. edu/Product? pid=DBCM6748;amp;view=d0e340 http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/800240/000119312511041599/d10k. htm

Brothers Grimm

Intro: Fairy tales are things we know to be true. We are believed that if we have a hard life to grow into, a â€Å"prince† one day will come and give us a kiss and make it all better. â€Å"bring us back to life† if you will, as we grow up we open our eyes to the possibility of landing flat on our face and throwing up a poisonous apple and dealing with life on our own before our â€Å"prince† comes to save us. Thesis: Betrayal and Jealousy may throw a pity party for the step-mother. The betrayal of a husband and insecurities in yourself will bring out the worst in you.Meaning of the poem: The poem â€Å"The Envious Heart† was written by Helane Levine Keating, was written in inspiration by the quote portraying the tale of Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm, â€Å"Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have rest. † written by the Brothers Grimm. This poem is how negativity ruins us all. How broken promises and wanting to be en ough of something or perfect at anything will destroy our once kind hearts. As betrayal was showed in the quote â€Å"He said he rarely saw her, although she was his daughter. Giving a fair meaning of how she thought it would just be her king and her and no one would interfere, her jealousy was shown when she stated â€Å"When they're together she's his queen, the black-eyed slut, calling him daddy. † letting the worse of her become her words. The mirror held great representation throughout the poem, she said that the mirror made her feel invincible; all she sees in the mirror is â€Å"her sneering face, her wide lips mimicking mine. † No matter how pretty the step mother may have been she never acknowledged herself but rather the step daughter.She felt disrespected and less then what the king had promised her. She was a step mother coming into a new family and her insecurities ate at her until it became her. To better understand where she is coming from, I’ll tell you about the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White. The Brothers Grimm story of â€Å"Snow White† tells a tale about a queen’s wish for blood red lips, black as ebony hair and white as snow skin. Sadly after her wish was granted, the Queen and newly mother passed away. Her kind married a new queen after a year of her death. The new queen who could not tolerate anyone else who might rival her beauty†. The story shows a mirror which claimed to be magical. â€Å"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this realm is the fairest of them all. † which would make her so happy when the mirror replied with â€Å"You, my queen are the fairest of them all. † The Brothers Grimm, Snow White's step mother grew so much hate towards her step daughter and the envy in her heart â€Å"grew so dense that she no longer had any peace, day or night†, she hired a huntsman to kill her, and that huntsman who didn't want to kill, let Snow White go as she promised to nev er go home.That's where in the tale the seven dwarfs come in. Snow White found their home and stayed in the seventh dwarf’s bed. When they found her they were stunned by her beauty, Snow White told them about the huntsman trying to kill her and of her step mother. So the dwarfs told her to be their house lady, doing all their chores (Cooking and cleaning) the secrets of her life was kept. Until her step mother asked her â€Å"Magical mirror†, if she was pretty and it replied â€Å"†¦ eyond the mountains, where the seven dwarfs swell, Snow White is thriving, and this I must tell: Within this realm, she's still a thousand times more fair† leading the step mother to set out to kill Snow White once and for all. She disguised herself and sold a lace to Snow White, and then tied the lace around Snow White; she tied it so tight Snow White fell down as if dead. When the dwarfs found her later on, they untied her lace and Snow White began to breathe again.The queen found out from her â€Å"Magical mirror† that Snow White recovered and thought of another plan to rid of her. She got a combed and made it poisonous. She went out to the house once more and set out to comb Snow White's hair. Snow White fell unconscious. When the dwarfs came back and saw her they removed the comb from her hair and Snow White lived. Once again the queen asked her mirror and once again Snow White was the fairest. Finally, leading to the famous poisonous apple.Leading to Snow White's death and her Magical Mirror finally said â€Å"You, my queen are the fairest of them all. † The dwarfs set up a grave above the ground. Clear so, that everyone could see and her name in gold with â€Å"princess† written on it, the placed it at the top of the mountain. Many years passed and it looked like Snow White was only sleeping. Later a prince found her, saw her beauty and had to have her. While his servants were transporting her back to his kingdom the piece of a pple stuck in her throat fell out and she was unpoisioned, and alive.The prince rushed by her side and told her his love for her. They got married and at their wedding, the step mother put on these shoes that made her dance until she fell down dead. The Brothers Grimm's version of Snow White starts off so similar in comparison to Snow White the Walt Disney adaptation. I mean it sounds familiar right? Snow White and the 7 dwarfs, step mother obsessed with being the â€Å"fairest of them all†, there's a difference between the â€Å"love will solve everything† we were all told to believe in and the story written by the Brothers Grimm.In Disney, the prince kisses her and they all live happily ever after. This poem is a representation on the story, but in a different point of view, see; the story that has always been told weather it's the Grimm Brothers or the Walt Disney story the step mother is the villain. Yet in this poem you see more than the one sentence of â€Å"a y ear later, the king married a new queen†. You see the jealousy for Snow White in a different light and betrayal from the king.

Frankenstein The Modern Prometheus Essay

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein also referred to as ‘The Modern Prometheus’ was written in the dark times of 1816. The novel indulges in the work of man playing God and the acts of galvanism; Victor Frankenstein dreams of one day being able to save the ones he loves from illness and maybe even death; but swiftly his dreams tarnish and soon turn to a horrific nightmare when his beloved monster turns on him. Mary Shelley gets her themes and ideas across in a variety of different ways throughout the novel, such as an in depth look towards the immortal soul and the duality of self but also subconsciously Mary spilt out her own feelings into her work adding minor themes into the novel of her life and parental neglect. Even before she was born, Mary Shelley was destined to become one of the most prominent figures in English literature. Both her parents were revolutionaries and writers: Her father William Godwin was an English journalist and novelist and one of the major proponents of anarchist philosophy Mary’s mother Mary Wollstonecraft on the other hand was renowned as being one of the earliest feminists. Shelley’s life and times effected how she illustrates the birth of Frankenstein’s monster in an immeasurable way. The environment and time Shelley grew up in really does have a huge impact on the novel due to the techniques she uses and in the way she uses her language. A vast amount of scientific breakthroughs were made at this time helping dub the early 1800’s as ‘The Age of Enlightenment’. Shelley arguably has many monumental events in her life, but in my opinion none bigger the visit to Lord Byron’s house which sparked her enthusiasm for this epic novel. She was originally given a task (along with a few other people) to individually come up with something more teeth chattering and nail biting than his poem. Shelley managed to come up with what we now know as chapter five of the novel or more commonly referred to as the birth of Frankenstein. The gothic text used in this novel is very relevant to Mary’s life at this early stage; she is right in the midst of a very dark time where unnatural practices are taking place. As well as her life and times Shelley’s parental neglect also manages to tangle itself into this colossal web of a novel. As many people well know Shelley grew up in a much upheld household but suffered from relentless disregard. Although she was cast aside for many things, she was brought into all the family discussions which at this time where souly based around the graphic and gruesome public displays of galvanism. This clearly had a major impact of Mary’s novel as a whole â€Å"I might infuse a spark of being into this lifeless thing. † This directly links towards the acts of galvanism but not only that, if you submerse yourself deeper into Shelley’s life it can also be linked towards her nightmare where she dreamt she has a stillborn which she had to rub and rub constantly to get it too live and breathe. Another thing that struck me is where the monster held is arms out like a little child would to there mum its said â€Å"Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. † Which shows Victor basically brushing him aside and running like the coward that he is? This is another major notch on the belt of Mary Shelley’s subconscious parental neglect. On top of all that the major theme in the novel is the brutality and fact of the immortal soul. Mary Shelley constantly questions the prospect of the soul all the way throughout the novel from start to finish, which really does help give the reader a very influential and emotional response. Gothic text also goes very much hand in hand with the pathetic – fallacy and juxtaposition to give back a sort of airy feel to it, using words like â€Å"wretched†, â€Å"Bed Chamber† and having the colours black and white place so closely together they almost contrast each other right on the page. These words and techniques really do give you a clear indication of the sort of time this novel was written. Dante’s Inferno (a poem about sins and the seven circles of hell) also is placed into the novel to help get the readers true reaction to what they are reading; â€Å"it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived. † This also relates to the soul due to the way Dante had his major beliefs of the good and bad sides of the soul and what happens to them. After all that Shelley also manages to create a void and show how the duality of self effects the book. In dictionary the duality of self is described as â€Å"the composition of two parts† whether it be the body and soul or the fact Frankenstein’s monster is joined together by many different body parts; â€Å"Catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demonical corpse which I had so miserably given life. † The point I’m trying to make is that in the novel the duality is shown in a vast amount of ways, and the main way is how the monster is treated less than something you would step in words like â€Å"the wretch† used over and over help get the point across very well, Victor sees the monster as inhuman, heartless and that it has no soul. Overall it’s clear to see that Shelley has got all the ingredients for the perfect novel: the language, themes, techniques, man playing god, duality of self and the immortal soul all executed flawlessly. She shows throughout her fantastic novel the there is still a little mystery in the world, and this is a key reason why she is one of the most idolised women in gothic fiction. With the discovery of DNA and cloning pressing the issues in the world today, this novel can relate to them hands down which really shows this novel can withstand the test of time. In all of Frankenstein’s attempts to disregard the monster and his responsibilities to the beast as his creator, the monster punishes Frankenstein in the forms of murder, illness, and disruption in Victor’s life. The consequences to man’s attempt to master life and death are evident and the monster symbolizes the unpredictable element to controlling human life. Man is frequently too preoccupied with the possibility of creating life to realize the responsibility and results consequential to generating what could be a monster.

Quiz on Engineering Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quiz on Engineering Design - Essay Example Assessment of use - decide on the purpose into which the building falls affects the calculation occupant capacity, especially where the actual population density is not known, an has implications for allowable travel distances and width of escape stairs. Calculation of occupant capacity - it is necessary to assess the number of people who are likely to be present in the different parts of the building. Assessment of escape routes and travel distances - check maximum travel distances from scaled floor plans. Assessment of number and widths of storey/room exits - Check that assumed numbers and widths of exits can cater for expected occupant numbers at each level. Access the need for protection and/or separation of escape routes - Establishment of the identified horizontal escape route need to be fire protected or separated form other parts of the building. 6. Why is it important to perform fire tests Answer: A fire test is a means to determine if a fire protection product would meet the minimum performance as set out by the building code. The consideration of fire testing is very important for the applicable intentions for product specification and product certification. It is also a prudent act to test products to ensure ease of use and the broad, economical applications with regards to its listing and approval use and the compliance. Fire test is also a means to gather data and information in order to understand a specific Hazard such as construction or storage configuration. 7. Why is it important to carry out more than one experiment to test the same parameter Answer: It is very important to carry out more that one experiment to test the same parameter In order to make sure that the object... B5 Access and Facilities for the Fire Service - This defines the requirements which ensure Adequate access to, and within , the building in order to fight fire. This makes no specific requirements relating to glazing, although it does refer to B5 5588. Assessment of use - decide on the purpose into which the building falls affects the calculation occupant capacity, especially where the actual population density is not known, an has implications for allowable travel distances and width of escape stairs. Access the need for protection and/or separation of escape routes - Establishment of the identified horizontal escape route need to be fire protected or separated form other parts of the building. Answer: Trench Effect is a combination of two well understood but separate ideas. The trench effect occurs when a fire burns next to a steepy-inclined surface. The flames are down along the surface, and it heats up the material farther going up. These will emit gases, reach the auto ignition temperature, then start burning. The flames from these area are subject to the Coanda effect and blow a jet of flame up to the end of the inclined surface. Answer