A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri free essay sample

A Temporary Matter Thesis File Hassam Mairaj ? A Temporary Matter Introduction A Temporary Matter was originally published in the New Yorker in April 1998 and is the first story in Jhumpa Lahiris debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies (1999). The collection won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, a rare achievement for a short-story collection. The story takes place over five days, beginning March 19, at the suburban Boston home of a married couple, Nadia and Ali.During this week, when they must cope with a one-hour power outage each evening, the grief and alienation that the two have suffered since the stillbirth of their child six months earlier builds to a climax. Plot Summary The story opens with Nadia, a thirty-three-year-old wife, arriving home at the end of a workday. Her husband, Ali, is cooking dinner. Nadia reads the newspaper to find a news that the government has announced that load shedding will commence from the current day and lights will be out for one hour six times a day. We will write a custom essay sample on A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Six months earlier they went through a hard time when their first child was stillborn and till the present time could not get over that grief. Now, Nadia leaves early each morning for her job in an advertising company. After work, she goes to the gym. She also takes on extra projects for work that she does at home during the evenings and weekends. Ali stays in bed half the day. Because of the tragedy, he leaves his home rarely and works on his writing at home. Ali is a writer who spends most of his time reading novels and cooking dinner.When Ali remarks that they will have to eat dinner in the dark because of the power outage, Nadia suggests lighting candles and goes upstairs to shower before dinner. Ali notes that she has left her bag and sneakers in the kitchen and that since the stillbirth Nadia has treated the house like a hotel. Nadia had stocked their freezer with homemade foods. After the stillbirth, she had stopped cooking, and Ali had used up all the stored food in the past months. Nadia and Ali have been eating dinner separately, she in front of the television set, he in front of the computer. Tonight, they will eat together because of the power outage.Ali lights candles and sets the table . Nadia comes into the lounge and sits down to have dinner as the electricity goes off and the lights go out.. She tells Ali that at family dinners at her grandmothers house, when the electricity went off, they all had to say something—a joke, a poem, an interesting fact, or some other tidbit. Nadia suggests that she and Ali do this, but she further suggests that they each tell the other something they have never revealed before. Nadia begins the game, telling Ali that a girl they knew in college once told her that she liked Ali and she became jealous of her.Ali reveals that on their first date he forgot to tip the waiter, so he returned to the restaurant the next day and left money for him. The next evening, Nadia comes home earlier than usual. They eat together by candlelight again. Then, instead of each going to a different room, they agree on sitting outside on the terrace. Ali knows that they will play the game again. He is afraid of what Nadia might tell him. Nadia tells Ali that she once lied to him, saying that she had to work late when actually she went out with friends. Ali tells her that he cheated on an exam many years earlier.He explains that his father had died a few months before and that he was unprepared for the exam. Many other secrets are disclosed when Nadia takes his hand, and they go inside. The next day, Ali thinks all day about what he will tell Nadia next. Ali is disappointed when the light doesn’t go out at 9 but when Nadia arrives home she says, You can still light the candles if you want. They eat by candlelight, and then Nadia blows out the candles and turns on the lights. When Ali questions this, she tells him that she has something to tell him and wants him to see her face. His heart pounds.She tells him that she now will be moving to her mother’s house and it is nobody’s fault. Ali realizes that this revelation has been her planned ending for the game all along. He decides to tell Nadia something he had vowed to himself that he would never tell her. Nadia does not know that Ali held their baby at the hospital while she slept. Nadia does not even know the babys gender and has said that she is glad that she has no knowledge about the lost child. Ali tells Nadia that the baby was a girl and goes on to describe her appearance in detail, including that the babys hands were closed into fists the way Nadias are when she sleeps.Ali leaves the room and Nadia is shown with a teardrop falling from her eye. Characters Nadia Nadia is a thirty-two-year-old woman who is married to Ali. She is tall and broad-shouldered. She fell in love with Ali during college time and later married him and moved with him to a new house. Nadia works in an advertising agency and sometimes takes on extra work for home. She works out at a gym regularly. Six months before the time of the story, Nadias first child was stillborn. This tragedy has changed her habits and her relationship with her husband.While she was formerly a neat and enthusiastic housekeeper and cook, she has become careless about the house and has stopped cooking. She previously had the habit of being prepared for anything, ranging from last minute guests and daily life surprises. Now she likes spending more time at work and even keeps herself busy in work at home. Nadia’s character transformed immensely after the child incident of which she avoids talking about. She took a pride in her decision of not knowing the sex of the child for it enabled her to seek refuge in a mystery. AliAli is a thirty-five-year-old short story and poem writer who is married to Nadia. He is a tall man with a large build. After the birth and death of the child, he spends most of the time at home, writing to be published. He works in the nursery he and Nadia prepared for their upcoming child so that he has to spend less time with Nadia as she avoids coming to that room of the house because of the memories associated with it. He wakes up early and works mostly in the morning, doesnt leave the house for days at a time, and often spends the afternoons in bed.He has spent the past months preparing dinners for himself and Nadia using the foods she has stored in the freezer. Genres Drama: A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena. At the centre of a drama is usually a character or characters who are in conflict at a crucial moment in their lives.The conflict between the two people in a marriage at a crucial moment in their lives defines the genre of my film. The drama created by many situations arising as a result of the conflict and human psyche coming into action are the elements of my film. Themes Grief The story takes place six months after the stillbirth of Nadia and Alis first child, and the two are still overwhelmed by grief. Ali has withdrawn from the world and seldom leaves the house. He stays in bed half the day, unable to summon the energy and concentration to make progress on his writing. Nadia, on the other hand, stays away from the house as much as she can. She used to be an attentive housekeeper and enthusiastic cook, but the house seems to remind her of her loss. According to Ali, she treats the house as if it was a hotel and would eat cereal for dinner if he did not cook. The story also reveals that Nadia and Ali no longer go out socially or entertain at home. People who suffer the loss of a loved one often go through a period of not wanting to go on living themselves. They may feel unable to make the effort required to go about daily life. Sadness may drown out all positive emotions. This seems to be true for this couple, and especially of Ali. Alienation Nadia and Alis grief has led them to withdraw from each other. Until the nightly power outages began, they avoided each other. Nadia leaves for work early each morning, returns late, and often brings home extra work to occupy her evenings and weekends. When Nadia is home, Ali retreats to his computer and pretends to work. He has put the computer in the room that was to be the nursery because he knows that Nadia avoids that room. She comes in briefly each morning to tell him goodbye before leaving for work. He resents even this brief interaction, which Nadia initiates only out of a sense of obligation. Nadia and Ali do not attempt to comfort or support each other. Each withdraws from the relationship, and they endure their grief as if they were two strangers living in a boardinghouse. Deception Through the game that Nadia and Ali play of revealing secrets, viewers learn that deception has been a theme in their relationship. They have lied to each other, and the lies have been selfish ones—told not to spare the others feelings but to allow the person telling the lie to escape some discomfort or sacrifice.To avoid having dinner with Alis mother, Nadia lied and said she had to work late. Ali told Nadia that he lost a jacket she had given him, when in reality he gave it to one of his colleagues. As these examples of deception are revealed throughout the story, it is clear that Nadia and Alis emotional estrangement began before the loss of their baby. They have always dealt with difficult situations and unpleasant emotions by lying and keeping secrets. When Nadia breaks the stalemate that their grief has caused by initiating a deceptive game, she is following an established pattern.Throughout the week of power outages, Nadia appears to be reaching out to Ali. In truth, she is engineering her final separation from him. Treatment Use of dozens of everyday details to create a realistic context in which the story takes place. The realistic setting of the story and the characters in conflict, that is subtle supported by normal everyday dialogues revealing situations. Use of chiaroscuro lighting technique with high contrasts and deep shadows. Long takes and minimal close-up cutting supported by unjustified moves by the characters showing the discomfort of the characters and their incompatibility with each other.The whole story takes place at a single location which is a house, but scenes will be shot in different places of the house such as the lounge, terrace, bedroom and kitchen. Moonlight in the terrace, candle and indoor light in the lounge, kitchen and bedroom will be used. Tempo as suggested by the plot summary doesn’t show much variation apart from the climax situation, but has a smooth tempo which is gradually rises over the time span, not showing many ups and downs. Approach Feminism The story tells us about an interaction between active woman and a passive man.The world created is one in which woman are in charge. Woman act, man react. This state of affairs is a reversal of traditional gender roles in Pakistan. Freedom from tradition leaves Nadia and Ali to work out the terms of their relationship on their own. Individual personalities, free of cultural restrictions, shape their relationship and their lives. And in this marriage, that fact puts Nadia in the drivers seat. Although Nadia has been changed by the loss of her child, she has found the strength and determination to restart her life.She goes to her job, and she even works out at a gym. She still has the will to plan ahead and to take the initiative; she simply channels her energy in new directions. She initiates a game designed to gradually open a channel of communication between Ali and herself that is wide enough to accommodate the message she has to deliver. Her response to trying circumstances is to set about changing them. Ali, on the other hand, is a passive victim of those same circumstances. He stays in bed late and does not leave the house often for days.He rarely initiates interaction with Nadia; instead, he reacts to her action. When she leaves her gym shoes and satchel in the kitchen, he moves them out of his way without saying anything to her. When Nadia suggests that they eat by candlelight, he searches out candles and lights them. When Nadia starts the game of revealing secrets, it becomes the focus of his days. He spends hours thinking about what she might say to him and what he should say to her that evening. While Nadia is out interacting with the world and creating a foundation for her future, Ali languishes.He is engaged with neither the present nor the future. In fact, he is paralyzed. These incidents and others set the stage for Nadias manipulation of Ali during the week of the power outages. Readers know that Nadia is leading and Ali is following long before it is clear where they are going. Ali, however, does not even realize that Nadia is leading him until the game has played out. What lies at the heart of this story is neither a conflict between cultures nor a power struggle between the genders. The two sides are not evenly matched enough to make for a struggle.Although Ali hurts Nadia in the end by revealing a devastating secret, he is like a wounded animal whose lashing out is impulsive and, ultimately, ineffectual. Given what has transpired between Nadia and Ali, viewers have no doubt that she will recover from the blow and make a life for herself. Alis fate is much more uncertain. Realism The use of realistic elements to create an unusual situation in a realistic marriage affair. It examines how a tragic loss can lead to indifference and a breakdown in communication between two people who once loved each other.The use of irony in various forms makes the transition even more emotional, for it underscores an element of suspense as it brings about the storys denouement. Ever since the loss of their child, Nadia and Ali have lived separate lives under the same roof. Within the span of only a few months, they have constructed for themselves a routine structured on the avoidance of each other and the horrible truth that has changed their married life forever. In an effort to delay her homecoming and an inevitable confrontation with her husband, Nadia spends long hours at work.Ali, on the other hand, remains at home working on his writing. Both husband and wife are depressed, and neither is willing to acknowledge that their marriage has lost something vital, something more than just romance. The load shedding gives the couple a chance to interact with each other once more and break this communication gap they have been living with for months. In the darkness, the couple is once more able to talk to each other. Synopsis Scene 1 (night) Introduction of the two characters. Nadia enters the house and greets Ali sitting in the lounge working on some literary project.The indifference is established among the couple through their body language and manner of greeting. Nadia, after reading the notice of load shedding, leaves the lounge and goes to her to freshen up, while Ali goes to the kitchen to heat up food where he finds some birthday candles which he takes out so they can be used when the light is out. Scene 2 (night) Nadia comes back and they both have dinner between which the light goes out and they dine in dark with the fast melting candles on the table. Nadia proposes a game they should play telling each other something they never old before. Nadia initiates and tells him about the girl she used to be jealous of in college because she had a crush on Ali. Ali reveals a secret about their first meeting and the conversation carries on until the light is back. Scene 3 (morning) Ali is working in the nursery which they both had set for their upcoming child who unfortunately was stillborn. Ali chose this room knowing well that Nadia avoids coming into that room. Nadia enters the room and informs him that she is leaving for work. Nadia exits followed by Ali turning around to see a wall in the room which they both over its color and goes into a flash back to a conversation in which they mutually decided that they won’t inquire about the sex of their child before the birth. Scene 4 (night) Nadia is home early and they eat together. After the light goes out, they decide to sit in the terrace. Nadia continues the game they had started the day before and this time the things told become more intense ranging from presents disliked, poems written for hated, lies told and truth hidden. The night ends with Ali holding Nadia’s hand.The darkness seemed to make the couple talk to each other once again and remove that communication gap they have been living with. Scene 5 (night) The next night after dinner both Nadia and Ali look forward to the lights being out so that once again they can share what else they had to with each other. To their surprise the light doesn’t go out that night to which Nadia suggests to Ali that he can always switch off the lights and light the candle. Ali after doing so sits down in front of Nadia in the lounge which is followed by a silence of some seconds. Nadia gets up and switch on the lights after blowing out the candles.Ali questions Nadia’s action to which she responds that she wants him Ali to see her face when she tells him what she is about to. Ali waits anxiously to what Nadia has to tell. To his surprise Nadia informs him about her long thought out plan that she is leaving him and this house and starts to move away from the room. Ali, shocked, reveals to het the secrets, a hidden truth about the sex of their stillborn child, which he had promised himself that he will never tell her and of which Nadia doesn’t know anything. Nadia struck hard with this secret, stops while Ali gets up and moves out of the room.

Intention Plus Action Will Get Your Resolutions Fulfilled

Intention Plus Action Will Get Your Resolutions Fulfilled â€Å"Intention† is a big buzzword nowadays. In my leadership group, one woman in particular uses the word in almost every one of her communications. Sometimes I find myself responding: â€Å"I get your intention. And what ACTION are you going to take on that intention?† Intention is important and can be a huge motivator. But without action to follow it up, intention is just a nice thought. Telling my friend I intend to spend more time with her this year is actually hurtful if I don’t do it. Telling myself I intend to lose 5 pounds won’t get me far if I eat a box of cookies every day. As entrepreneur and author John Maxwell says in a recent interview about his book Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters, â€Å"No one has ever been successful with good intentions alone. There has to be action.† I set out in 2015 with an intention to accomplish many things- my new year’s â€Å"Ressaylutions.† Here’s the list and how I did: Roll out a new â€Å"responsive† (mobile-friendly) website.†¨ Goal achieved! TheEssayExpert.com has launched in its new form and is mobile-friendly! I have a new home page as well which launched just last week and is almost the way I want it! Implement Infusionsoft.†¨ Goal achieved. My e-lists are now on Infusionsoft, as are our client communication and tracking system. Thank you to my new Infusionsoft virtual assistant, Anastasia Barre, who is just fixed our affiliate program and unsubscribe process! Serve 250 clients.†¨ Total clients for 2015 was 141, in part due to changes in the number of clients coming to me through my e-book. I also had some personal challenges that slowed things down over the summer and fall, but business picked back up nicely at the end of the year. I’m keeping this goal for 2016. Publish a print version of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile.†¨ Done! Yay! Next step is to market the book. Implement a robust referral program. This project has been on hold with all the activity around Infusionsoft and my website, but people who refer paying clients to The Essay Expert can expect a gift from us! And I’m going to look at making the program more consistent in 2016. Increase college essay / personal statement portion of my business to 25% of business. †¨I upped  my number of admissions consulting clients from last year, but still have not reached this goal. I realized that one thing stopping me was that I did not feel I had a good consultant in place to serve these clients. Recently I did bring on a consultant, a Yale alumna who is perfect for working with college applicants, so I feel more confident in marketing this service! I have a few resume writers sending me clients and I just got contacted by someone in China who might also be a source of referrals. I will continue to work on this one! Create more internal systems/guidelines. I have made progress in this area, adding and clarifying items in my agreements with my writers and also revamping some of the terms of service for clients. This is an ongoing project and will never end! It’s clear that the resolutions where I made the most progress were the ones where I took the most action. Are you finding the same thing as you look back at your resolutions from the beginning of last year? Here’s what I’ll be up to in 2016: Infuse my WHY statement throughout The Essay Expert’s website. †¨I learned from Paul Dunn, in a talk he gave to a group of ActionCOACH clients in Madison, that the more I can communicate my WHY to potential clients, the more they will respond to what I offer. I’ve put my WHY statement on my new homepage at TheEssayExpert.com. It reads: At The Essay Expert, we don’t go to bed until we know we’ve captured your essence on paper. That’s what gets each one of us up in the morning, because that’s what will excite the right company or school about you. Not the person next to you. Not a list of bullet points. You. I will be looking for ways to communicate this WHY on my services page and every page of my site. Provide better information on services on my site.†¨ I’ve heard from many people that they would more easily accessible information about each of my services and how it works. I’ll be working on putting more valuable information on my website in 2016! Serve 250 clients.†¨ I still believe this number  is achievable and I’m going for it! Publish 2 new editions of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile.†¨ I just published the 12th edition of the book and expect to release 2 more updates by the time 2016 is done. Get How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile in front of colleges and universities. If anyone has ideas on how to do this for low or no cost, please let me know! I think if college bookstores and career centers knew about my book, they’d want to make sure to have copies on their shelves. Increase college essay / personal statement portion of my business to 25% of business.†¨ Yep I’m still gonna go after this one! Find an editor to do some of the editing of resumes and LinkedIn profiles that I’m currently doing. Doing all the editing at The Essay Expert limits the number of clients we can serve, so I’m looking for someone to take over the bulk of the editing work for resume and LinkedIn projects. I’m already taking action on this goal and am reaching out to some promising candidates. If you know someone you think would be a great match, please send them my way! (Note I used the singular â€Å"they† in that sentence, which has been voted the Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society!) Have you chosen your goals for 2016? As you refine them, remember you don’t have to change everything. John Maxwell reminds us that if you pick the areas you want to get control of or change, and if you give intentionality even an hour a day, you will get results. Let’s get intentional together for 2016 and grow our intentional-living muscle! Who’s in? Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinJanuary 11, 2016 1 Comment Vladimir Starov says: January 15, 2016 at 4:14 am Congratulations on your 2015 achievements, very impressive!! And best of luck for 2016!!! Log in to Reply

SODIS in Winter Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SODIS in Winter - Lab Report Example The plastic bottles were then shaken for a period of twenty seconds followed by filling the bottles completely. One bottle was directly taken to the lab for the initial E.Coli count of the available raw water sample. The remaining eight bottles were labelled as 1, 1F, 2, 2F, 3, 3F, 4, 4F with the numbers on the bottles corresponding to the number of days of heat and sunlight exposure. In this case, F was used to mean foil. Then the F bottles were all wrapped in a foil in ensuring that the samples were prevented from receiving sunlight and thus limited to receiving heat. After being exposed in the heat in the first day, the one and 1F bottles were brought to the lab for purposes of carrying out a E.Coli analysis. This procedure was repeated for the second, third and fourth subsequent days of exposure. In this experimental set up the control experiments were water without the UV-A exposure or sunlight and water without heat or solar reflector. In essence, this was just but raw water sa mple Observations In this experiment the observation were noted following a certain chronological order. In the first day in which the experiment was carried out outside for a period of 2 hours and thirteen minutes, starting at 12.17pm extending to 2.30 pm with the conditions of the day characterized by a cloudy sky with light snow furries along with a little sun shine, it was such that from 1pm to13:40pm, a cling wrap was inserted on the opening in helping prevent snow from interfering with the solar reflector. It was observed that the cling wrap inside surface steamed up necessitating the removal of the cling wrap. In day two in which the experiment was carried out inside and behind glass given that snows were falling outside. In this second day of experiment, the experiment was carried out starting at 12.28 pm extending to 4.40 pm conditions being such that there was no direct sunlight or SNOWING. On day three of the experiment, the experiment was carried out behind glass. From 1 1 am extending to 1 pm, there was a cloudy sky. However, the experiment was not facing the sun’s direction since the direction of the sun could not be determined. From 1 pm extending to 1:30 pm light rain was observed and the experiment was halted at 3.30pm following heavy downfall. On the last day of the experiment, which was on day four, the experiment was carried out from 12:30pm extending to 4:30pm and it was behind glass given that it was slightly snowing outside. As was observed on this day, the bottles had a green/brown colouring sediment and was not attached on the plastic bottle, though as observed it was somewhat denser than water. Results The data wereplotted in table 1 Table 1showing number of E. Coli (in Colony-Forming Units or CFU) and the exposure time (sunlight and heat) for the SODIS Method Experiment E.Coli J+1 J+2 J+3 J+4 Traite UFC/100ml 202 95 96 18 Controle UFC/100ml 427 418 205 241 Discussion According to the graphical representation of the experimental results in F1 above, it was clear that the heat treatment group had fewer E. Coli relative to the raw water sample (control group). More evidently, the sunlight, as well as the treatment group h

The Success of Apples iTunes Download Service and the iPod Developing Literature review

The Success of Apples iTunes Download Service and the iPod Developing - Literature review Example The evolution of the Internet model has produced significant downturns in CD sales and the global recorded music market is in steep decline and the empirical data demonstrates a continued trend in falling physical CD sales in significant major markets. In contrast, the new digital business model has fuelled a sharp increase in digital sales, which whilst offsetting part of the decline in the physical CD sale market, has not managed to entirely redress the balance in stabilising sales. It is evident that the recorded music sales are in steep decline and rising digital sales are offsetting in part the physical market decline, which could potentially offset part of the physical market by the end of this year, with analysts estimating the figure to be around $23 billion. However, this is in stark contrast to the peak of $45 billion in 1997 and leading analysts Enders Analysis posit a negative forecast for global recorded music sales figure of 4.4% for the period of 2006-2012. Moreover, i t is submitted that the contemporary marketplace, the evolution of the internet business model has forced the music business in particular to rethink corporate marketing strategy and this is further highlighted by the proliferation of the multi-channel retailing paradigm as required retailers to â€Å"innovate† in order to maintain position in the marketplace. On the other side of the spectrum, the digital revolution has resulted in multiple distribution streams, challenging pre-existing methods of information dissemination.

John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry Research Paper

John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry - Research Paper Example Following his execution after the raid on Harpers Ferry, Brown was hailed as a martyr among the opponents of slavery. Moreover, his actions were deemed as one of the causal factors of the American Civil War. John Brown disgust for slavery stemmed back during his childhood. Evidently, he was conceived in Torrington, Connecticut on 9th May 1800 (West Virginia Archives and History). Furthermore, he was brought up with strict religious values in which his father taught him that slavery was against God’s will and sinful. Moreover, after Brown’s family relocated to Ohio, he witnessed the brutality meted against slaves by their masters and became a strong opponent of slavery. To this end, Brown passion of eliminating slavery grew to the point of advocating for violence as an end to slavery. Brown believed that the roots of slavery had grown so deep in society and only violence offered the best solution to its end. Interestingly enough, John Brown gained support from other oppo nents of slavery who had grown frustrated of the peaceful method. His first violent exploits against slavery were established on Kansas which became known as bleeding Kansas. In 1856 of May, Brown is reported to have led his sons in an attack against proponent of slavery at Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas. Consequently, Brown set his objectives his anti slavery war higher by contemplating to start a slavery uprising in the South. To this end, Brown commenced his plans of a raid and capture of a federal armoury at Harpers Ferry in Virginia. To accomplish this, he moved into a farm in nearby Potomac River, Maryland (Lieutenant Green & Major Russell). He was with his sons and loyal followers where they were trained in military tactics. Brown’s option to attack Harpers Ferry was founded on two notions. Foremost, he believed that he would be able to gain access to weapons that would be used in violent revolts against the southern slavery proponents. Second, he aimed to distribute the weapons among the enslaved negroes and eventually succeed in ending slavery. To this end, Brown conducted a night raid on Harpers Ferry on Sunday, October 16. His group was composed of 5 Negroes and 16 whites. Evidently, Brown’s initial raid was successful as they began by slashing off telegraph wires. This was a tactical moved aimed at cutting off communication between the town and the outside world. Moreover, Brown and his men seized the rifle manufacturing plant, arsenal and local armoury. They further proceeded to hold up 60 hostages from the town. A key hostage in the raid was George Washington’s great grand nephew, Colonel Lewis Washington. However, the efforts to isolate the town by cutting of communication were not successful. The apparent blunder was caused by the detention and release of a B&O train passing through the town. Upon the train’s arrival in Baltimore, the federal troops led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, were notified and sent over to Harpers F erry. Meanwhile, the local militia had barricaded the town and blocked any possible escape routes for the raiders. Consequently, John Brown marshalled his small contingent and hostages to tiny engine house next to the armoury. Upon the arrival of the federal forces, they raided the fire engine, overpowered Brown and killed most of his men. To this end, 15 insurgents and 5 citizens were killed, 3 insurgents were wounded while 5 insurgent

Environmental factors faced by dell and its competitors business essay

Environmental factors faced by dell and its competitors business essay The Dell Computer Company so far is been considered the most successful business company in the world among those that are in market for the past twenty years. In 2005, the company was titled the Number 1 Personal Computer vendor in the world besides being an unknown start-up in 1984.With its unique strategy of doing business, it has enabled itself to be the highlight of the computer industry comprising of some big giants including HP, IBM and Microsoft. Dell has maintained its sustainability and competitive advantage by using its superior customer service and market leadership and strong financial results. Environmental Analysis Internal Environment Dell has developed its structure on the concept of 3-m model. As Dell is a multidivisional company with different operating divisions representing separate profit centers, it implements the cooperative form of related constrained strategy. Dells corporate utilization consists of sharing of RD, finance, marketing, human resources, manufacturing, and information systems. This combination is possible because Dell pride itself on a flat corporate structure that encourages each worker to contribute innovative ideas (Martinsons). Core Competencies Cost Differentiation strategy Dell has remained consistent in being a cost leader in the industry and yet provide high quality PCs by using its Direct Business Model approach. This model helped Dell to keep just- in-time manufacturing, built-to-order products, low inventory and direct customer relationship with manufacturer. It also enabled Dell to cut out the intermediary costs. Build-To-Customer Order Dell has enabled to excel in another advantage over its competitors by including in its operating system the build to customer order strategy to sell PCs directly to customers. This has resulted in Dell being able to understand the customers needs better and providing the solutions that are most effective for meeting customers need. Dell has a direct dealing with its customers, suppliers and communicates directly with employees. Companys market penetration is sustained by this simple concept. Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory The third core competency of Dell operating system or internal environment is its JIT inventory system using which has enabled Dell to meet the customers requirements within time and by using fresh inventories (less than five days old). This inventory period saves time and money for Dell. Surplus supplies cause extra costs so Dell saves this extra costs for its customers with the added advantage of custom designs for the customers. SWOT Analysis External Environment Dells external environment can be classified under three components: The Remote Environment The Remote environment is made up of economic, technological, ecological, social and political, factors. Dell faced healthy economic conditions in US till 2008 but after the crisis due to the recession in US markets the sales revenue was affected by decreased demand. This impact later affected the global revenues as the impact of crisis spread globally to other markets. There are no significant political pressures faced by Dell. Its technological environment is a rapidly changing one where its important to cope up with the advancements. The Industry Environment   The industry environment is composed of bargaining power of customers, supplier power, and threats of the substitute availability, entry barriers and competitive rivalry. Dells industry structure is highly competitive and is explained through Porter 5 force analysis. The Operating Environment The operating environment is made up of competitors, customers, labor, and suppliers. Fir the customers of Dell, it is a quality brand at a good price. Its competitive environment is intense with major brands like HP, Sun and IBM fighting neck to neck globally with Dell with very less price and quality differences. This has raised the effort for Dell to provide its customers with a unique value package that others dont offer. One of such efforts made by Dell is not using Microsofts operating system which other computer brands do, but this is considered a weakness compared to the rest. Other factors where Dell has enabled to manage the lead are: Price for Performance Dells procurement, distribution and manufacturing processes allow the company to offer powerful systems and services at prices better than competitors. Customization Every single order is built according to the individual requirements of the customers as customization is always been an asset for Dell. Service, Support and Reliability Dells services that are provided directly to the customers have allowed company to give high customer satisfaction before and after the sale. Latest Technology Latest technology is an essence of Dells strategy and this strategy has enabled Dell to stand out among all the competitors who are still relying upon indirect distribution channels. The inventory turnover of Dell is on average of six days which helps in keeping low inventory costs. Porter 5 Forces Model Summing up the External Environment of Dell, it can be said that with the operating system implemented by Dell, which includes its direct selling and build to customer order, Dell has managed to increase its sales each year and is among the top competitors of computer market. Its different approaches have allowed Dell to enter into this highly competitive market in a unique way. Dells sales are increasing dramatically which shows it is moving in the right direction However, threats from market rivalry, intensity of competition and bargaining power of suppliers and buyers is an acute issue and thus requires Dell to keep formulating hard core and sustainable operational and selling strategy in terms of the value it provides to its customers (Byrnes, 2003). Dells Business Level Strategy The market was already much fragmented when Dell entered in 1984 and had reached the maturity limit. At that time, Dell entered with its unique direct selling model which gave it a competitive edge through its low selling price. Dell has always looked to the market trends as an aid for the development of new products as the overall market for IT and related products is influenced by trends. Now customers are more aware and educated about their purchases ad so they want increased customization, portability and durability, creating a constant need for Dell to meet their demands. The competitors are also much efficient in responding to changing trends of market and to any strategy opted to get part of their market share. Thus Dell also needs to take care of this issue of intense market competition. From start till yet, the base of Dells Business Strategy is giving its customers a superior feel in what they are buying by providing them with made to customer order products at low prices and fast delivery. This strategy, although tried to be replicated by many others, has enabled Dell to sustain the intense and changing threats from market and be able to increase the scope of its operations from US to almost everywhere globally (Byrnes, 2003). Recommendations for Dell Improve few features in Dells product differentiation strategies. Control RD patents: Dependency on extreme standardization and outsourcing must be reduced. Innovative services must be introduced instead of services based on packages without patents. Affiliate with other players in market to achieve better advantages and compete using combination of huge range of products. Its simple website e-business presence might not be enough. Rethink its Virtual Network by moving from the short term outsourcing in value chain activities to lessen prices to a more appropriate long run effective idea to be better able to meet competitors. Moving from Hardware to Software would be another good option which can allow Dell to start developing proprietary software. Functional Strategies Some functional level recommendations are: Enhance customer experience by making corresponding products available at its website. Another improvement to be made can be of increasing the market share in educational market by exploring ways to generate attention from education markets particularly college students by either using product differentiation through more aggressive sales marketing. (Cuizon, 2009) Dell may use social networking sites for advertising. Conclusion Dell is working in an extremely intense market for personal computers, particularly laptops now. The industry is driven by ever changing consumer needs and demands and thus for companies like Dell, it requires constant effort to keep up with the adaptation so as to satisfy the changing needs of customers. Dell, with the help of its strengths, keeping close eye on weaknesses and investing properly in opportunities while coping with threats from macro-environment can enable itself to position and sustain itself as a significant player in the intensely competitive market.

Now and Then :: Technology Media Essays

Now and Then Once upon a time, there were friendly places near and far... Boy is that an understatement in today's society! Today's society depends upon fighting for you and you alone. Not caring what the other person wants, needs or deserves. Fifteen years ago a small community, such as the one Jen's grandmother lives in today, was very friendly. Small communities pulled together in times of need. If your neighbor ran out of sugar, she didnt care to come knocking on your door with a measuring cup, instead of going all the way to the store to get more, simply because you were her friend. In todays society, if you run out of sugar, you hop in your car and drive 25 minutes to get 5lb of sugar in order to drive 25 minutes back home. You dont know your neighbors, and your neighbors dont know you. There is no hope in wanting to know them and vice versa. Our society has changed drastically over the past twenty years. We have become an information society. Relying on our televisions, radios, and computers to obtain information that was once obtained by going to the local beauty parlor or stopping for a cup of coffee and chatting with the judge executive of your town. Cell phones have also become a major source of information. Instead of going out and having a nice serene sit on your front porch in the afternoon of a warm day, people would rather sit in front of their television and watch Oprah, Judge Judy, and The John Walsh Show. Could the reason that we dont leave our homes as much as we used to, be because of all the violence that today's society has brought with it? The local news on television has publicized roughly five murders in the past week. All these murders have been in the state. Is the television shaping societys view of the world, causing citizens to become couch potatoes? Television is one of the biggest society shaping effects that there is in todays world. There are various cable companies and numerous channels within each company. The view you take on life all depends on what channel you are going to watch on television. If you watch the presidential debate on one channel, that channel may make Mr. Snuggles, whose platform is terrific, and who is an all out good guy, look like a cruel and evil villain in a bad comic book, while another channel shows his true identity.