The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ on the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products” Essay Example

The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ on the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products† Essay â€Å"The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ On the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products† Submitted By: SANUSI SANI BUHARI Student No: 200922R7018 The Dissertation has been submitted to the Skyline University College In partial Fulfillment of the Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration (International Business) December-2012 Acknowledgement The writing of this dissertation has been one of the most significant academic challenges I have ever had to face. Without the support, patience and guidance of the following people, this study would not have been completed. It is to them that I owe my deepest gratitude. * Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al Saed, who undertook to act as my supervisor despite his many other academic and professional commitments. His wisdom, knowledge and commitment to the highest standards inspired and motivated me. * My friends and whoever directly or indirectly helped me to during the course of the dissertation. * The authors of the various books and web sites as well as the facilities and university library that helped me gain various information for this dissertation. Abstract This research paper describes the buying decisions of ‘consumers’, as to whether they prefer Microsoft or Apple products. People have different choice according to needs. Business organizations and telecommunication sectors judge product on usability. Data analysis suggests many important elements impact the buying decision of an individual or any specific company. Data analysis also suggests Microsoft and Apple continue to push the envelope when it comes to developing software and hardware. The main objective of this research is- which product do people prefer? We will write a custom essay sample on The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ on the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products† specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ on the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Buying Decisions of ‘Consumers’ on the Use of Microsoft or Apple Products† specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer To find answers to the research questions of this research, data analysis and descriptive study has been used, because it involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way. This method is used to obtain a general overview of the subject, and answers who, what, and why of the study. The two giants pride themselves for producing cutting edge consumer and business products, and are leading the developments in software and hardware. But what about their websites how do they both compare, and more important, which one is better and more usable? This study will help reader to find all this answer. Chapter No. | Particulars| Pg No. | 1| Introduction * Aims of Independent Study * Objectives| 6-7| 2| Literature Review| 8-29| 3| Research Methodology| 30-32| | * Research Design| 31| | * Research Approach| 31| | * Research Instrument| 32| | * Sampling Design| 32| 4| Data Analysis| 33-37| 5| Conclusion| 38-40| | Bibliography | 41-42| | Appendixes | 43-46| Aims of the Study Technology has slowly started to rule our lives. No matter where we are, we have access to some sort of technological appliance such as cell phones, computers or televisions. Anything one could think of that might, in even the slightest way, make our lives easier is now available. So many different types of devices have been conceived and developed that is has become a complicated and confusing decision when trying to choose the right product. Computers and other forms of technology impact our lives daily. We encounter computers in stores, restaurants, and other retail establishments. We use computers and the Internet regularly to obtain information, experience online entertainment, buy product and services as well as communicating with others. Most of us carry a computer or a mobile phone with us at all times so we can remain in touch with others on a continual basis and can access internet information by the touch of a button. Businesses use computers to keep track of bank transactions, inventories, sales, credit card purchases and also provide business executives up to date information to make important decisions. Government’s use computers to support our nation’s defense system, for space exploration, for storing and organizing vital information of citizens, and other important tasks. Computers are used everywhere, and is a vital tool in one’s life. When you turn to your computer, it’s nice to think you’re in control. There’s the trusty computer mouse, which you can move anywhere on the screen, summoning up your music library or the internet browser by one click. Although it’s easy to feel like the director in front of your own desktop or laptop, there’s a lot going on inside, and the real man behind all these operations is the ‘Operating System’. The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware and software so that the device it lives in behaves in a flexible but predictable way. Most desktop or laptop PCs come pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows. Macintosh computers come pre-loaded with Mac OS X. The operating system (OS) is the first thing loaded onto the computer. Without the operating system, a computer is useless. When it comes to computer technology, the two biggest giants are ‘Microsoft’ and ‘Apple’. Microsoft and Apple are by and large the biggest producers in cutting edge consumer and business products. Between the two companies, they continue to push the envelope when it comes to developing software and hardware. Question is, which do people prefer? Prior to this, I’ve decided to base my study on ‘ The buying decisions of consumers’, as to whether they prefer Microsoft or Apple products ’ Research Objectives Research Objectives ascertains specific points that may aid in gathering information related to the main objective. The purpose of this research will be: * To know the factors that affect the buying decisions of customers * To determine the products and services provided to customers Literature Review As stated by (Allan 2001), Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions. While jointly developing a new Operating System (OS), working alongside IBM, Microsoft released Microsoft Windows. On February 26th 1986, moved its headquarters to Redmond, and decided to make the company go public. Microsoft worked closely with Apple during the development of Apples Macintosh computer, which was introduced in 1984. Revolutionary in its design, the Mac featured a graphical user interface based on icons rather than the typed commands used by the IBM PC, making its programs simple to use and easy to learn, even by computer novices. ( Iceboat, Daniel, and Susan L. Knepper 1991 p. 304) Apple INC was established on April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, California, and incorporated January 3, 1977; the company was previously named Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years, but removed the word Computer on January 9, 2007, to reflect the companys ongoing expansion into the consumer electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal computers. (Price 1987) On August 15, 1998, Apple introduced a new all-in-one computer important of the Macintosh 128K: the iMac. The iMac design team was led by Jonathan Ive, who would later design the iPod and the iPhone. The iMac featured modern technology and a unique design. It sold close to 800,000 units in its first five months. Through this period, Apple purchased several companies to create a portfolio of professional and consumer-oriented digital production software. On May 19, 2001, Apple opened the first official Apple Retail Stores in Virginia and California. Later on July 9 they bought Spruce Technologies, a DVD authoring company. The same year, Apple introduced the iPod portable digital audio player. The product was phenomenally successful  Ã¢â‚¬â€ over 100 million units were sold within six years. In 2003, Apples iTunes Store was introduced, offering online music downloads for $0. 99 a song and combination with the iPod. The service quickly became the market leader in online music services, with over 5 billion downloads by June 19, 2008. It can understandably be said that when it comes to computer technology, the two biggest names are ‘Microsoft’ and ‘Apple’. (Suhail 2009) It success has become so immense that a customer’s choice can either be one of the two. Other competitors are too far off, but what do these two giants give in return to society? To most people, Microsoft represents computing. Those with a dynamic interest in technology usually believe that Microsoft Windows is the computer. This kind of brand association you won’t see in other companies, which makes it a very powerful source in the world of technology. Apple computers have grown very popular in the last few years, and its simplicity and user-friendly attributes is what keeps customers captivated. Historically, Microsoft began the personal computer revolution with their Windows Operating System, which offered people a different platform for their computer needs. Apple also introduced, with their own line of Macintosh computers and devices, though it did have it ups and downs. Microsoft followed a general policy by marketing their computers with non-expensive hardware and software parts which allowed every house to have a PC (personal computer). People can afford their computers with no restrictions on the type of hardware. Apple had a different mind frame whereby they went for exclusivity and decided to sell their products at a much higher price than Microsoft PC’s. Its elite hardware and software is what makes it more expensive. (Admin 2010) Although where Apple has the upper hand over Microsoft is related to security. Apple Mac computers are generally more secure because of its OSX operating system. Suhail 2009) It has more protection built in against malware and viruses. Customers want to feel comfortable and safe, knowing that the product they are purchasing is protected against threat at all times. Windows (operating system of Microsoft) is more prone to malware and viruses, and requires expensive protection software to make the PC more secure . Another advantage of Apple computers is they are more efficient when it comes to graphics acceleration and games. Microsoft has problems with that. If one would buy a Microsoft based PC, they would need to spend an additional amount to handle graphics of that scale. On the other hand, Microsoft is committed in making its products and services easier for everyone to use. The Windows operating system has many in-built accessibility features that are useful for individuals who have difficulty in typing, using the mouse, seeing or hearing difficulties. Microsoft also produces other computer hardware’s such as Xbox, Zune, Xbox 360 and MSN TV. (MSJ 1986) Apple also offers a wide variety of products such as the iPhone, iPod, Apple TV and the newly introduced iPad. Factors affecting buying decision Homepage The homepage is one of the most important pages of the whole site because it’s the first, and in many cases the only chance you get to impress the visitor enough to keep them browsing. You’ve got a few seconds to convince them that the site has enough value for them to keep using it, because if it doesn’t, the visitors will leave. Apple’s approach to the homepage has been consistent throughout all the years that the site has been running. They use this page as a kind of advertising board that always shows a big ad of their latest product, followed by 3 other ads to another 3 products or news that is important at the moment. If you’re not interested in any of the 4 suggested items, you can use the large navigation bar at the top, which is split into their core businesses: Mac, iPod and iPhone, followed by a couple of other important links, such as the online store and support pages. The navigation bar also incorporates a search field. (Dmitry Fadeyev) One other thing to note is the lack of content. You’re not distracted by sidebars, notices or extra navigation items — there are only a few items on the page, focusing your attention and making the decision of where to go next easier. Microsoft has a different approach to their homepage. Firstly, they feature a similar style of ad at the top, designed to be attention grabbing. These are large images, but only one out of 3 ads is shown at a time — you have to hover over the other two to expand them. This focuses attention, but may potentially weaken the effectiveness of the two hidden ads since the visitor has to work to see them right at the top of the page is the navigation, together with search. Flow All of the content of Microsoft is extremely monotonous, especially the â€Å"Learn More† box with a list of 8 links. The dry presentation gives the user less incentive to click around. Some Microsoft sites use better layout to direct the flow of attention, but they generally all suffer from the same illness: too much content. When you present the user with too many choices, you make them work — they have to think about what they want and they have to process more information. By reducing choice, Apple directs the users through a more carefully designed funnel, which generally delivers a better experience. (Dmitry Fadeyev) Navigation Apple’s website has a large navigation bar at the top, which remains there consistently whichever section of the site you go to. The options available show the main sections split by its lines of business as well as a couple of essentials, such as support and the store. The bar also integrates search and branding as the home button displays the Apple logo instead of a label. Any extra sub-navigation is located on individual site pages and is placed within the context of that page, whether on a sidebar, or as a horizontal bar at the top. Microsoft has a similar navigation bar on the homepage, but that navigation bar is not consistent across the site. Actually, all of the sub-pages tend to use their own navigation bar, in style and in content. The homepage navigation thus acts as a site map to the rest of the Microsoft website sections. In a lot of the navigation bars, including the one on the homepage, Microsoft uses drop-down menus — unlike Apple. They don’t just use drop-down menus — they use huge drop-down menus. In some cases, the menu even has a scrollbar (in Firefox): Is this good or bad? In a recent Alertbox entry, Jakob Nielsen, a well known usability guru, has written that mega drop-down menus can work. They work because they present a lot of choices in groups, so they allow for easier scanning as you can jump to the group that you want and scan the items inside them. You have to get certain things right though, like the order of the groups and only mentioning each element once, for them to work well. In this case, it makes sense for Microsoft to go the route of the drop-down menus, but feel that they may have gone a little too far. For example, some options point to the same thing, like the ‘Office’ drop down and ‘Office’ option in the ‘All Products’ drop down. The drop-down also blocks the content below, so if you accidentally moused over the menu, you have to mouse off from it again to get to the content below — all the while being careful not to hover over other items. There are also a lot of options under each group — sometimes showing about 13 items, which makes processing the options much more difficult. Also, the inconsistency of navigation across the different sections makes it much harder to jump from one area of the site to another, e. g from the Office site to the Xbox site. (Dmitry Fadeyev) Readability Because most of the content on the sites is text, it’s vital to ensure that everything is readable and legible. Here are the main things to consider when working on readability of your site’s content: * Make the text large enough so that it’s easy to see and read. Ensure that there is enough contrast between the text and background. * Provide enough white space around the text to keep other content and graphics from distracting the reader. * Provide plenty of headings or highlighted/bold text to allow users to quickly scan the content for key information. * Add images and icons to make it easier to focus on indivi dual sections of the text, i. e. product or feature descriptions. * Keep the text short and to the point. Apple does a great job of keeping everything easy to read. The text is generally small, but never too small so as to be a problem. Headings are set in heavier type and stand out, allowing you to quickly get the gist of each section. Apple also makes heavy use of white space to separate everything apart and adds images to make each text blurb more interesting. It follows the general usability guidelines by breaking things down into small bite size pieces of text that are easy to digest. It looks a lot busier than the Apple site because there is more content on one page and there are many different treatments for headings and highlighted words. Dmitry Fadeyev) Too much variety causes visual chaos on the page, with each different colored or bold item competing for your attention. In this case, the page really needs to be simplified to make it easier for the viewer to process. Search Apple’s search is integrated into the navigation bar. When you type something in the search box you actually get live search results with AJAX, by way of a l ittle box which pops up, showing you the results as you type. It’s very well done — there is no lag when typing, the results are grouped in categories and are fetched very quickly, usually before you finish typing your full query. If you want to see more results you can just hit Enter when you’ve finished typing and you’ll be taken to the standard search results page. It’s very clean and organized by categories. You can drill the results further down by category, selectable from the menu on the right. It’s functional and clean, and works well when you’re trying to find any products that they sell. Aesthetics Apple’s website aesthetics closely mirrors that of its product line. The navigation bar looks like it’s crafted out of aluminium and features gentle gradients and indented text. There are also plenty of reflections and minimalist design elements. Apple has always worked on unifying the look and feel of its interface across its entire product line, from the hardware to software, and their website is no exception. Do aesthetics have anything to do with usability? Actually, they do. Research shows that people perceive better looking interfaces as more usable. The site follows a faint Windows theme with the light blue clouds, but there is little else to say that this is a page for Internet Explorer or Windows. The look and feel is very generic and doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself or build a coherent brand. The designs are overall pretty good, but pretty good just isn’t enough. There are plenty of inconsistencies and a lack of polish, which puts Apple ahead in this area. Consistency Consistency is important because it allows you to develop usage patterns. This basically means that if your site has a consistent interface throughout, your visitors will quickly learn how it works and will be able to use this knowledge in any of the new pages that they visit, since they’ll all be using the same, or very similar, interface. Apple does a great job of keeping the interface consistent. All of the product pages feature very similar aesthetics and are structured in the same way. The whole site looks and feels the same throughout and the global navigation bar at the top is always there, on every page. This means that the entire experience is very unified and coherent — you know you’re on the same website wherever you go. Could you tell that this is a Microsoft page if you took away their logo? Custom graphics, styles and colour palettes across all the Microsoft sections help little to maintain a coherent brand image on the web. Microsoft really struggles here. There are many different sections across Microsoft. com and they all feature their own look and feel, including their own navigation. So once you go to a section on their site, be it the Microsoft store, the Office site, or the Security pages, they will all look and feel like separate websites. What’s worse, the global navigation bar is also gone, meaning that you have to go back to the homepage, or the site map, to see an overview of all of their sites. It’s really an ecosystem of websites hosted under the same domain and therefore it doesn’t get the benefit of consistency that Apple has. The brand image is also terribly fragmented making it impossible to define what a Microsoft site looks like. (Dmitry Fadeyev) Marketing Nobody will argue that Apple is the kind of viral marketing. You might find some PC ads/commercials on local magazines and newspapers, but you will not find great Mac vs PC / Get a Mac / Buy a Mac / Hello, I am a Mac, and I am a PC commercials like Apple produces. Security When it comes to Mac vs. PC security concerns, many experts think that Windows has caught up with Apple. Before Microsoft Windows 7, we have all heard that Windows operating system is a targeted platform for malicious attacks. Of course it is true, but the question is. Does the operating system has the right tools to defend itself? With Mac computers, you wont need to worry about viruses as you do in Windows operating system. The real problem is not only about viruses, but about security breaches that allow hackers to penetrate into your computer, and steal your valuable art works, photographs and important (and sometimes secret) media assets. It was proven that both Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard have their own glitches. DailyTech. com posted an article, saying that one prominent Mac hacker has pointed out that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is less secured than Microsoft Windows 7 OS. Well, if a Celeb hacker says so, we should probably take it pretty seriously. So it seems, at least when making a business decision, that you shouldnt pick a Macintosh over a PC, just because people are telling you that Macintosh doesnt have viruses, or they are more secure. Apple OS X Snow Leopard is based on the UNIX core. That fact alone doesnt make it more secure than Windows 7 as you can see. We just couldnt ignore the fact that viruses are real pain in the axe. As a power PC user, with all those pop-out windows saying You have been infected with a Virus † I would probably be very happy knowing that I can work quietly, without worrying about viruses and all that crux horrors that the Internet brings with it. You just cant blame Windows operating system for being more popular. Financial Analysis Its important to step back and examine just how close each of these companies really are in terms of revenue and earnings. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Apple to report approximately $2. 85 billion in net income ($3. 07 in EPS) on about $14. 62 billion in revenue when it releases its results. Yet, its well known that Apple regularly beats consensus estimates by quite a large margin and that actual results will come in well above the consensus. Just last quarter, Apple not only beat revenue estimates by over $1 billion, but it annihilated EPS estimates by reporting $0. 88 above the $2. 45 consensus – a 36% beat. In fact, Apple has regularly beaten consensus estimates by well over 35% each quarter over the past year. (Andy M. Zaky) Financial Alchemists Turley Muller, who is currently the most accurate analyst on Apple, offers a more realistic view of the company. Muller believes that Apple will report about $3. 1 billion in net income on ($3. 35 in EPS) on $15. 15 billion in revenue. And while I think Muller has left some room for upside surprise, its clearly best to use his numbers rather than the consensus as a measure of comparison. Microsoft, on the other hand, is expected to earn $4. billion in net income ($0. 46 in EPS) on $15. 26 billion in revenue when it releases its results – just a hair above Mullers revenue estimates for Apple. And while Microsoft regularly reports upside surprises itself, the gap between consensus estimates and Microsofts actual results is nowhere near as wide as it is with Apples results. Thus, if Apple reports at the higher end of Mullers estimates, and if Microsoft reports closer to the consensus, its quite possible that Apple might have a shot to beat Microsoft in revenue for the first time in its history this quarter. The chart (Appendix 2(A) details a quarterly revenue comparison of Apple and Microsoft over the past few years. As one can see from the chart, Apple is within striking distance of surpassing Microsofts quarterly revenue. Since Microsoft and Apple are on a different fiscal year, the chart realigns their results based on the calendar year. (Andy M. Zaky) So the big story in tech earnings is whether history will be made in the decades-long battle between Apple and Microsoft, or whether Microsoft will postpone the inevitable and maintain its dominance over Apple for at least one more quarter. Even if Apple doesnt beat Microsoft in sales this quarter, it will almost certainly do so next quarter and by quite a large margin. For the September quarter, analysts expect Apple to generate approximately $16. 81 billion in revenue compared to a projected $15. 16 billion in revenue for Microsoft. So even conservative estimates, which have yet to be adjusted to account for iPad sales, already put Apple ahead of Microsoft by nearly $1. 2 billion next quarter. My estimates put Apple ahead by $3. 2 billion as I expect Apple to record nearly $18. 9 billion in revenue. Whats even more surprising is that Apple will likely far surpass Microsoft in revenue for the entire 2012 fiscal year (Appendix 2(B). Im looking for Apple to record $81. 6 billion in revenue, well above the $70 billion Im expecting out of Microsoft for the year. You can view my track record on Apple at Philip Elmer-DeWitts column Apple 2. 0. Even the analyst consensus puts Apple well ahead of Microsoft next year, with revenue estimates of $72. 6 billion (AAPL) versus $67 billion (MSFT). The chart below compares Apple and Microsofts annual fiscal revenue for the past several years. While quarterly data must be compared on the calendar year to show a side by side comparison over a particular 3-month period, yearly data can be analyzed on the fiscal year. And, what about other metrics? Net income growth, total net income, total net cash, cash flow, book value, total assets and the economic sensitivity of each companys primary operations are just a few of the other key factors to consider when comparing the two companies. While Apple will surpass Microsoft in revenue in the near future, that doesnt necessarily mean that Apple automatically deserves a larger market capitalization. But it does appear that Apple will not only record more revenue than Microsoft, it will also eventually (within the next few years) earn more in net income, generate a larger amount of cash, and outpace Microsoft in terms of growth in net income and revenue. The earnings beat wont come easy for Apple. Due to Microsofts extraordinarily high operating margin, the only way Apple will beat Microsoft in earnings is by simply outpacing it in sales. Since Microsoft pushes more of its revenue to the bottom line, Apple will have to significantly outpace Microsoft in revenue to win on the net income front. The chart below compares Apple and Microsofts net income for the last several fiscal years (Appendix 2(C). Though these two companies no longer really operate in the same space as they once did with Apple turning its focus on the consumer and Microsoft on enterprise spending, both companies are dominating their respective industries. Update 7/20: As expected, Apple has once again crushed the consensus estimates on the top line, beating analyst revenue expectations by over well $1 billion when it reported $15. 7 billion in revenue Tuesday afternoon. In fact, Apple even surpassed my lofty expectations of $15. billion by $100 million in sales. Unless Microsoft far surpasses analyst expectations of $15. 24 billion in revenue, it appears that Apple has already won the race. Microsoft primarily makes its profits from business to business, which mainly consists of selling licenses to its operating system to computer manufacturers and office suites for enterprises. That’s not to say t hat they don’t sell to consumers — they do, and they have consumer only product lines as well, such as the Xbox gaming console, and of course home users also buy Windows and Office. This means that their business targets pretty much everyone, from home computer owners to developers and enterprises; which in turn stretches the purpose of their website to try and serve everyone. On the other hand, Apple is primarily a consumer company, and makes most of its profit selling hardware, like its iPod music players and Mac computers. This makes the target of Apple’s site much clearer — marketing, selling and providing support for its products to consumers. They don’t have to worry about selling licenses to manufacturers because they’re the only manufacturer, so the key purpose of the website would be to advertise and promote their multiple product lines, as well as selling them through their online store. (Andy M. Zaky) Cost Analysis Other factor that affects buying decision is cost. People have been arguing online about how much more expensive Macs are than PCs or not for more than a decade (and in print for years before that). These discussions usually involve some hard facts but also some persistent myths. As a longtime Windows guy who has recently migrated to the Mac, I think Im in a retty good position to try and sort out reality from fiction. Lets take a look at what you can really get for your money these days. Hardware For those of you who are left, what I have found in my research is that neither side has a lock on good value. If you start with Apples relatively short list of SKUs (three or four model variation s for each of its lines, such as MacBook Pro, MacBook, and iMac) and then look for comparable Windows machines, youll find that Apple bests the competition in some ways and not in others, but the pricing, overall, is surprisingly on par. Only a few years ago, it seemed like a no-brainer that Windows hardware was much cheaper. But if youre talking name-brand hardware, thats just no longer the case. On the other hand, if you search the Windows side first, youll quickly discover machines that in features and price fit in between the Mac SKUs. And in those niches, they represent very good values. So theres one answer to the question of whether Macs or Windows represent a better value: If one of those in between PCs suits your needs best, youd be paying an unnecessary premium to get a Mac instead. Lets look at some hard numbers. I started my research with top-of-the-line notebooks I spent an hour on Dells site trying to find the cheapest notebook that offered everything Apples $2,799 MacBook Pro 17 provides. That

Southport Minerals essays

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An Unforgettable Experiences - Essay Example Watching a movie together is always fun, we sat holding hands, watching each other more than the movie. He said, After dinner, we went to the Johns bull store so that he would buy me a gift of my choice. This is the quality I value most about him, his acceptance. He never ever imposes his choice on me, be it clothes, or the movie we are going to watch or anything else. He always puts me first and then thinks about himself, what else could I ask for? Seriously, I never expected him to propose me, even though we are going around for some years and we enjoy each other’s company a lot. But whatever happens, happens for good, so, I thanked god in my heart for such a pleasant surprise. Hence, in order to mark this day I chose a promise ring for my self and a David Yurman jewelry set. We walked together hand in hand towards the car both of our hearts full with love and hope. Although I still couldn’t believe he proposed to me, really proposed? We never talked about it before. â€Å"He is going to set up a new branch in Paris as an expansion of his business, and he needs someone whom he can trust, to help him. He has even promised me that if I gain a good understanding about the branch’s operations and management he may make me the manager.† That was the last sentence I spoke that night. He held me while I continued to shed my tears on his shoulder. He assured me that everything will be alright and we can hope for a bright and beautiful future ahead. Then he took my hand and kissed the promise ring, which I was wearing and told me to have faith in our love. In this way, my birthday which has stared with a note of happiness and hope, ended with a note of promise and faith. And now, I can never forget that day, as the memory inspires me to keep going, with faith and makes me strong. Our love grows with each passing day and each passing

Historic Preservations Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historic Preservations - Annotated Bibliography Example Recent studies however show that historic preservations do not hinder economic development but instead can be a powerful economic tool through tourism, entertainment and environmental management (Laurie 38). The book summarizes on the positive impacts historic preservations can make to the economy and different approaches to enhancing the economy through historic preservations. This book can be a useful guide to states and nations that view historic preservations as a hindrance to the growth of their economy. The book was issued six years ago and had recent studies and information on ways to improve the economy through historic preservations. The author has included scholarly publications for reference which can be used for the purpose of more research and other academic works. The book is a viable source for this research because it has information in determining if historic preservation affects the economy of the country. Historic preservation and sustainability are the key concepts of this book. The author has put together works of different authors who attended the National Forum on Historic Preservation Practice, which was held in March in the year 2009 (Longstreth 1). The forum aims at making historic preservations sustainable. The author summarizes on how nations and states can involve the community and its people in the sustainability of historic sites and heritage. Many nations enacted laws, regulations and policies to preserving the environment and historic sites. The author looks at how setting up schemes like irrigation schemes, urban waterworks and agricultural lands can bring sustainable growth to the nation and what consequences can arise from using alternatives that are thought to bring sustainable result. The author wrote this book five years ago and has discussed on the limitations and benefits of historic preservation laws to the public,

A Critical Essay on Raimondo Pannikar Essay Example for Free

A Critical Essay on Raimondo Pannikar Essay Raimondo Panikkar is a Roman Catholic Priest who specializes in the study of comparative philosophy of religion. He was born in Barcelona Spain on November 03, 1918. Perhaps, the mixed inter faith marriage of his mother, who was a Catholic from Catalonia Spain, and his father who was a Hindu from a highly situated caste Nair from South India, accounts most for his interest in comparative religious philosophy. His education also contributed much in this. He was educated in a Jesuit school and he took up chemistry and philosophy at universities in Madrid, Barcelona and Bonn. After being ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest in 1946, and holding doctorates in Philosophy and Science (Complutense University, Madrid 1945 and 1958) and theology (Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, 1961), he left for India in 1953 to undertake studies in Indian philosophy and religion at the University of Mysore and at the Banaras Hindu University. He authored 40 books and almost a thousand articles dealing with comparative philosophy and religion and has deliberated on principles and practices of multi-faith, which includes among others, dialogues between Christian-Hindu, Christian-Buddhist and Christian-Secularist. In the book Intrareligious Dialouges, Panikkar said I left as a Christian; found myself a Hindu; and I return as a Buddhist, without having ceased to be a Christian. (Panikkar, Paulist Press; revised edition, July 1999. ISBN 0809137631). Panikkar’s contributions are widely quoted and heavily used to support the theory of (your family name 2) religious pluralism, interfaith and multi-faith studies as well as religious comparative philosophy. THE WEBSITE HTTP://WWW. RELIGIOUSTOLERANCE. ORG No matter how you describe yourself, you should find your beliefs and practices accurately represented in this website. – (ReligiousTolerance. org) This site is a copyrighted side by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. In their Statement of belief the web masters said that they are a multi-faith group. As of 2008-FEB, we consist of one Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Wiccan and Zen Buddhist. Thus, the OCRT staff lack agreement on almost all theological matters, such as belief in a supreme being, the nature of God, interpretation of the Bible and other holy texts, whether life after death exists, what form the afterlife may take, etc. (ReligiousTolerance. org) They proceed to enumerate key points in their belief system in a bullet style, and among others, said that they In working towards a culture that is relatively free of discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, physical disability, age, etc. (ReligiousTolerance. org). On the left hand side of the website there are clickable links of articles and essays that list among others, the major religions of the world, Non-theistic articles such as Agnosticism and Humanism. There are also articles on Spiritual Ethics, Peace and Conflict, â€Å"Hot† Topics as well as Laws and News. Over-all the website is plain and straightforward. The interface is very easy to (your family name 3) use and very user friendly. The website has sponsors ads, but none of the usual annoying pop-ups, and/or annoying background music and other widgets that are found in other websites. The articles in the website presented in a logic way, are easy to use and topics are indexed clearly for easy referencing and retrieval. It is also peppered with nuggets and quotes from religious leaders and other notable personas. One such example is on the bottom part of the web page, from Mahatma Gandhi â€Å"The need of the moment is not one religion, but mutual respect and tolerance of the devotees of the different religions. (Ghandi). The website is a valuable resource for information in the major religions of the world. It is an excellent source of in depth religious comparative articles as well as current issues affecting faith and practice. WORKS CITED Pannikar, Raimondo. Intrareligious Dialouges: Paulist Press; revised edition, July 1999. ISBN 0809137631). Raimon-Panikkar. org Fundacion Vivarium Raimon Panikkar – Tavertet (Catalunya) Retrieved February 25, 2009. http://www. raimon-panikkar. org/index. html ReligiousTolerance. Org. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved February 25, 2009. http://www. religioustolerance. org/

Italo Calvino :: Essays Papers

Italo Calvino b. Oct. 15, 1923, Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba--d. Sept. 19, 1985, Siena,Italy), Italian journalist, short-story writer, and novelist, whose whimsical and imaginative fables made him one of the most important Italian fiction writers in the 20th century. Calvino left Cuba for Italy in his youth. He joined the Italian Resistance during World War II and after the war settled in Turin, obtaining his degree in literature while working for the Communist periodical L'Unità   and for the publishing house of Einaudi. From 1959 to 1966 he edited, with Elio Vittorini, the left-wing magazine Il Menabà ² di letteratura. Two of Calvino's first fictional works were inspired by his participation in the Italian Resistance: the Neorealistic novel Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (1947; The Path to the Nest of Spiders), which views the Resistance through the experiences of an adolescent as helpless in the midst of events as the adults around him; and the collection of stories entitled Ultimo viene il corvo (1949; Adam, One Afternoon, and Other Stories). Calvino turned decisively to fantasy and allegory in the 1950s, producing the three fantastic tales that brought him international acclaim. The first of these fantasies, Il Visconte Dimezzato (1952; "The Cloven Viscount," in The Nonexistent Knight & the Cloven Viscount), is an allegorical story of a man split in two--a good half and an evil half--by a cannon shot; he becomes whole through his love for a peasant girl. The second and most highly praised fantasy, Il Barone Rampante (1957; The Baron in the Trees), is a whimsical tale of a 19th-century nobleman who one day decides to climb into the trees and who never sets foot on the ground again. From the trees he does, however, participate fully in the affairs of his fellow men below. The tale wittily explores the interaction and tension between reality and imagination. The third fantasy, Il Cavaliere Inesistente (1959; "The Nonexistent Knight,"in The Nonexistent Knight & the Cloven Viscount), is a mock epic chivalric tale. Among Calvino's later works of fantasy is Le Cosmicomiche (1965; Cosmicomics), a stream-of-consciousness narrative that treats the creation and evolution of the universe.

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan Essay

Amy Tan begins by announcing, â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†¦I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in this country and others.† How does this opening set up your expectations for the rest of the essay? Why do you think she chose to begin by denying her own authority? The introduction Tan decided to use presents the reader with a strong sense of the kind of individual she is. By saying â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†, Tan is revealing how humble she is. Amy Tan has written many novels and essays (some of which have been nationally recognized). Yet, she starts off her essay by stating that this is just a product of her opinion and that it is in no way superior to any others opinion. This manner of denying her own authority shows her strong belief that everyone can have their own interpretation of the value of the English language, much like she does. Her opening draws the reader in; it intrigues us. We are pleased with the idea that Tan is going to bring a new perspective to the â€Å"personal opinions on the English language†. Her opening also causes to reader to have a moment of self-reflection. We start to wonder what our opinion on the English language has been, momentarily stunned because, truly, we have never thought about this in-depth before. Therefore, our expectations for the rest of the essay increase. Tan writes about the different â€Å"Englishes† she speaks. What categories does she divide English into? Why are these divisions important to Tan? How does she say they affect her as a writer? At the beginning of the essay, Tan herself questions how to put a label on the complex â€Å"Englishes† that she has grown up with. To Tan, these â€Å"Englishes† do not just represent a way of speaking; they are multi-dimensional and a big part of her journey to find out who she truly is. Through self-reflection, at the end of her essay, she is able to come up with four categories of the English she uses: the kind of English she speaks to her mother (considered a â€Å"simple English†), the English her mother uses with her (considered a â€Å"broken English†), her translation of her mother’s Chinese (considered a â€Å"watered down† version), and the kind of English Tan aspires to capture (her mother’s internal language- the translation of Chinese if her mother could speak English  perfectly.) These divisions matter to Tan because each of these â€Å"Englishes† uniquely contribute in forming who Tan is. As a writer, this exposure to all of these â€Å"Englishes† has affected her greatly. She no longer focuses on writing to the readers who can understand English perfectly. Tan’s understanding of the multifaceted â€Å"Englishes† present in our nation allow her to get her message across to a larger audience. How does writing for a literary audience affect the language Tan primarily uses in the essay? What kind of English do you think she believes her audience speaks? Why? Support your answer with quotations from the text. Tan is aware that the literary audience will have a higher expectation of her writing. Therefore, she does not write in the manner in which her mother would speak (â€Å"broken English†). However, throughout her essay, any reader, whether an English scholar or student would easily be able to understand what Tan is trying to convey through her writing. In her essay Tan states: â€Å"Fortunately, for reasons I won’t get into today, I later decided I should envision a reader for the stories I would write. And the reader I decided upon was my mother.† Tan’s writing fully expresses the nature of her thoughts and ideas, but she writes in a way that will allow anyone to read her essay. Tan knows that there are people full of thoughts and emotions as complex as hers but are hindered by their lack of knowing English perfectly. She does not want her complex English phrasing to stop them from being able to gain something from her writing. How does Tan’s title – â€Å"Mother Tongue† – affect the way you read her argument? What other titles might she have chosen? Tan’s choice of title-â€Å"Mother Tongue†- allows the reader to understand Tan’s relationship with her mother. Although at some points, Tan was critical and embarrassed of her mother’s English, she has grown to understand and accept the idea that everyone can have their own kind of English. As a reader, the title allows you to have an open mind to the concept that â€Å"broken English† is not necessarily broken. People may not be able to speak English perfectly, but that does not mean you can label them as uneducated nor does it mean you are superior. Tan could have used a title that was patronizing or condescending. Her title could have swayed the reader to let go of whatever English they use and to start using â€Å"proper†/†formal† English. But as Tan said in her essay: â€Å"Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions..† Tan embraces the kind of English her mother uses because it plays a big part in who she is and how she speaks her own English and the title â€Å"Mother Tongue† is a testimony of that.

Drug Abuse in Modern Day Society

Drugs: Positives And Negatives In Our Society Imagine a man who is in his late 20’s, a recent graduate of medical school, happily married to his high school sweetheart. He is about to have a child right when his addiction to heroine flourishes. Due his inability to quit the addiction, he loses his job and his wife no longer wants anything to do with him, which leads him to have nothing left. He is thrown out on the streets, without any will to change his life around and get back on track.While one will argue that the effects of drugs bring good things to the people, a lot of others will look down upon the use of drugs. This depends on which type of logical conscience you are discussing with. In modern day culture, we are a little more accepting to the use of specific drugs as compared to previous eras. Drug use is not beneficial because it causes a loss of motivation, social isolation and an increase in criminal behavior. Drug use causes a loss of motivation, which prevents th e user from achieving his/her goals.Due to drug use, addicts let drugs take over their lives and as the addiction continues, using becomes their main focus. Further more, devotees generally forget about crucial aspects of their lives, such as: family, friends, work, school, and other important factors. When a user is addicted to a specific drug, they scare of their friends who don’t agree with their addiction. Friends have a tough time understanding, especially if they are not using themselves. This can be very crucial because these friends do not want to be there for the user and make it harder for them to recover.Any given drug can lead these users to let the controlled substance interfere with their abilities to build upon their careers. This influences the junkies to lose their jobs by being unproductive and unsatisfying to their employers, which leads to a lack of will to succeed. In other cases, drug fiends give up on improving their lives. Juveniles are especially vuln erable to drug addiction because of immaturity and peep pressure. This carries over to them dropping out of school and making it harder for them to develop a future.Users ignore their dream of having their own family, which distances them from any potential partners. When humans don’t have anyone left, no money, no job and nothing to care about, they just give up even more and have a state of mind that discourages them completely. At the point of total loss, an addict gets cut off from society and thus, ruins his/her ambition to get back on track and start a new chapter in their lives. Social isolation results from drug addiction. When addicts fall into the habit of abusing drugs, they alienate themselves from their loved ones.This ultimately leads to a contrast in priorities between the two parties. Families do not sympathize with the situation of the addict, which leads to the user being kicked out on the streets and being financially and emotionally cut off. When this occu rs, it abolishes communication and may possibly lead to further difficulties for potential recovery. At this point, it is hard for the user to seek aid. Junkies tend to look to their friends for help and a little more understanding, but often, the devotee pushes his or her friends away through paranoia.The drug user sometimes thinks that their friends are trying to hurt them or do bad things to them, so they no longer trust their friends. Other times, the user is in a state of mind, which leads them to do anything necessary to obtain their desired drugs, which results in the addict to steal money or the drug from them. While getting used to this particular pattern of stealing, this act continues until the friendship comes to an end. When two or more friends do not continue to view things on the same level anymore, then the friend ship is in danger.Mainly when connection is lost them the tolerance of the user is non-existent. Users do things in ways where friends find it completely n ot acceptable and run away from the addict. Social isolation between the addict and the general public continues. The user often abuses until they get caught. Once getting cut off entirely by their families, the user continues to hide their addiction from people who’s goals are to potentially help overcome the addiction. Overall, social alienation is crucial to one fiend’s life, but sadly, occurs too often.Drug use fuels criminal behavior as a means to supply one’s addiction. When an addict is tied to the constant need for drugs, he/she will do whatever it takes in order to supply themselves. The easiest way to obtain these drugs is by either stealing the drug itself or money to buy it. Addicts will start to commit violent acts to get money once they are homeless and have no way of getting the drug. One of the most popular tendencies is to rob houses and stores. Drug fiends will go around stealing from stores and robbing people of their money to go buy drugs.Aft er the crime is committed, many of these victims of violence will be greatly against these devotee’s and not accept them into society. Leading people to turn away from wanting to help the addicts. One of the most common outcomes of committing a crime is getting into trouble with the law. When the users get caught for stealing, they get arrested and sentenced to jail time depending on the severity of the crime. Once in jail, the addict will most likely not even be able to get their hands on the drug ever again and cause serious risks to their health, in terms of withdrawal’s.When an addict steals the drug itself, they feel as if they can get away with anything, which is not what we would want as a society. When citizens see homeless people who look like they have seriously abused drugs, they are turned away from them completely and at this point there is nobody left to help them. Despite their abundance in our culture, drug use is not something that should be practiced. Although it may make one feel better in the short term, the long-term affects can be devastating.The long-terms affects could be a threat to your future because you can be held back from achieving your goals and education. It can also greatly depend on a user’s power of will. If the user can control themselves and not let the addiction get in the way of their lives then drugs wont be a problem, but rarely being the case. Drug use causes one to lose motivation, socially isolate themselves and engage in criminal behavior. These are the reasons why drug use is overwhelmingly negative.

Italian Prepositions Tra and Fra

Italian Prepositions Tra and Fra The book is BETWEEN the couch and the wall. There’s a big difference BETWEEN say something and doing something. BETWEEN all of the girls, Giulia is the nicest. In English, the best definition for the prepositions â€Å"tra† and â€Å"fra† is â€Å"between,† but it can also be understood as â€Å"among.† Luckily, these two prepositions are simple to use in comparison to their counterparts, like â€Å"di,† â€Å"da,† or â€Å"in.† Here are some usages along with examples. How to Use â€Å"Tra† and â€Å"Fra† Between two objects Il libro à ¨ tra il divano e il muro. - The book is between the couch and the wall.un ponte tra una riva e laltra del fiume -a bridge between one bank and the other of the rivertra due monti si stende una vallata - between two mountains lies a valleyuna casa tra gli alberi - a house amidst the trees FUN FACT: The popular proverb â€Å"Actions speak louder than words,† can be loosely translated as, â€Å"Tra il dire e il fare c’à ¨ di mezzo il mare,† which literally means, â€Å"Between saying and doing there’s an ocean.† Movement to a place or particular location Torna tra noi. - Come back between us.Un raggio di luce passava tra le imposte socchiuse. - a beam of light passed through the half-closed shutters. Distance Tra due chilometri cà ¨ un benzinaio. - Within two kilometers, there’s a gas station. Time Arriver tra due ore. - She’ll arrive in two hours.Sono libero tra le otto e le nove. - I’m free between eight and nine oclock.Tra una cosa e un’altra abbiamo fatto tardi! - This and that and we’re late! Connection or relationship una discussione tra amici - a discussion between friendsSi consultarono tra loro. - They conferred amongst themselves. Companionship or alliance Ama stare fra gli altri. - He loves to be among others. To highlight one part or person Sei il migliore tra i miei amici. - You’re the best among my friends.Alcuni tra i presenti protestarono. - Some of those present protested.Fra tutte le ragazze, Giulia à ¨ la pià ¹ simpatica. - Between all of the girls, Giulia is the nicest. Tips In some sentences, the phrase tra tutti means throughout, overall: tra tutti saranno un centinaio - overall there will be a hundred.In certain expressions, the preposition tra (fra) has a causal value. For example, Fra la casa e i bambini non ho mai il tempo di uscire - Between the house and the children, I never have time to get out. The Difference Between â€Å"Tra† and â€Å"Fra† There’s no difference in meaning between the two forms. Which one you choose to use is governed by sound; It’s much preferred to say fra travi and tra frati to avoid groups of identical sounds (other examples include tra fratelli and fra tre anni). Even so, tra is the more common form. Tip: If â€Å"tra† precedes personal pronouns, its often followed by the preposition: tra di noi.

That Annoying New Verb disrespect

That Annoying New Verb disrespect That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† That Annoying New Verb â€Å"disrespect† By Maeve Maddox Reader Erica Richards, commenting on the post about the abomination â€Å"a few stuff,† was not so sanguine as I about teenagers outgrowing appalling usage: The trend Im seeing is that poor grammar habits are not only perpetuated into adulthood, but can be treated as an accepted form of speech used on TV or the radio. I suspect that eventually it is accepted as proper grammar . . . The most notable example is the current vernacular use of â€Å"disrespect† as a verb, as in he disrespected me.   Sounds like nails on a blackboard to me, however, its all over the media. Well, I feel the same way about disrespect used as a verb. It flies all over me when I hear it and I was about to write a post about how ridiculous, unidiomatic and unnecessary the usage is. Before I did, however, I looked it up in the OED. I didn’t expect to find it or, if it was there, I expected it to be labeled an Americanism. This is what I found. disrespect: v. trans. The reverse of to respect; to have or show no respect, regard, or reverence for; to treat with irreverence. Hence disreï ¿ ¼spected ppl. a., -ing vbl. n. Not only is disrespect in the OED as a verb, its use as a verb goes back to the seventeenth century. 1614 WITHER Sat. to King, Juvenilia (1633) 346 Here can I smile to see..how the mean mans suit is dis-respected. 1633 BP. HALL Hard Texts N.T. 11 If he love the one he must disrespect the other. 1683 CAVE Ecclesiastici 231 (Basil) To honor him, and dis-respect his Friend, was to stroke a mans head with one hand, and strike him with the other. 1706 HEARNE Collect. 26 Apr., He was disrespected in Oxford by several men who now speak well of him. 1852 L. HUNT Poems Pref. 27 As if..sorrow disrespected things homely. 1885 G. MEREDITH Diana I. 257 You will judge whether he disrespects me. Some of us may feel that â€Å"disrespect† as a verb is a despicable neologism, but it isn’t. Erica, your observations about the way incorrect usage filters into the media are valid, but it looks as if we’ll have to bite the bullet on disrespect as a verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You"Owing to" vs "Due to"15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Ethical Investments Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Investments - Personal Statement Example Due to sheer volume and popularity of his firm he was able to earn huge profits while giving almost a penny or less to other brokers per share. He mostly made his business strategy public through interviews to reputed journals, due to which his huge earnings did not raise suspicion. For example he used to compare his profits with Standard and Poor’s who had a history of earning 14 to 16 % profit per annum. His strategy was simple; due to huge volume of trading he would buy shares of MNCs (multinational companies) and strong stock holders. He would then take option contracts on good terms and earn profit. He also made calculated buying and selling with respect to fluctuations in share market index. He would manipulate share prices by advance knowledge, artificial shortage and later flooding of shares. He also minimized losses by limiting his downside portfolio in stocks. The Ponzi scheme took advantage of a ruling in Federal law which requires firms to annually pay minimum 5% o f their funds. Since he largely dealt with charities his fraud went unnoticed over decades.