Lenovo Brand Observation Portfolio Essay Example

Lenovo: Brand Observation Portfolio Essay Under the guidance of Prof. Ravi Shanker Submitted by: Ayush Goyal (17) Gaurav Singh(20) Karthik Raja(24) Nitesh Warke(33) Table of contents Introduction3 Understanding the market and competition4 STP Analysis5 Segmentation5 Demographic5 Psychographic5 Targeting5 Targeting Rationale5 Positioning5 Product Strategy7 Advertising11 Promotion13 Brands in the Lenovo space13 Promotion Strategy13 Impact of Promotion and Future Outlook13 Channel Strategy15 Channels of Distribution15 Physical Distribution16 Lenovo Customer Support17 Distribution Strategy18 Pricing Strategy19 Alternate Pricing Strategy20 Product Life Cycle and New Product Development Strategy21 References22 Shop Visits23 Introduction Lenovo is an ace Chinese computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures and markets desktops and notebook personal computers, workstations, servers, storage drives, IT management software, and related services has been a big player in the laptop and notebook market after acquiring the concerned business from IBM. Primary activities: Inbound Logistics; Operation; Outbound Logistics; Marketing and Sales; Service. Lenovo does all the operations from the cargo to the assembly production, from the product-sells to the post-sale service. This has helped company realize the large scale production and cost efficiency. In sales aspect, the company provides many kinds of purchases and the marketing channels. The customer can directly get the product through the on-line purchase and the store purchase way. Support activities: Procurement; Technology Development; Human Resource Management; Firm Infrastructure. Lenovo has formidable technical strength, especially in product research and development, and highly trained technical personnel. We will write a custom essay sample on Lenovo: Brand Observation Portfolio specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lenovo: Brand Observation Portfolio specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lenovo: Brand Observation Portfolio specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This superiority has guaranteed the company’s leading status in the market. Lenovos global research and development centers in China, Japan and the US have produced some of the worlds most important advances in PC technology. The company is rich in talent, with teams who have won hundreds of technology and design awards – including more than 2,000 patents – and introduced many industry firsts. And many more are on the way. Core competency After conformity with the PC department of IBM, the brand, the scale, the efficiency have become the new Lenovo the core competitive ability. In brand aspect, Lenovo continues to maintain IBM and the Lenovo brand inherent. High premium brand localization has helped the new Lenovo achieve higher profit levels. In scale aspect, Lenovo, the largest player in China and IBM have complementary strength. With the presence of IBM in various markets, the new Lenovo seeks to expand its foothold outside China in the other Asian markets and developed world. In efficiency aspect, The Lenovo at present has in the global first ten big PC merchant. Lenovo has the lowest core business running cost rate 6. 9%. Going into the future it will fully display the highly effective operation platform superiority which it has already established in China, in the purchase, supply chain, research and development and service. With the support area being strengthened with the coming of IBM, there are going to be further efficiencies resulting from economies of scale. Understanding the market and competition In China, Lenovo has a 30% market share and is the biggest player there. In India, its market share was 6. 7% last year and currently is at 7. 2% ending March this year. It is ranked 5th in the Indian market after Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and HCL Infosystems, according to research firm IDC In the laptop market there is a huge competition as Dell now has overtaken HP as the ace seller of laptop in India. The annual sales of PCs are expected to be in the range of 10 million by 2015, of which the laptop market is expected to occupy nearly 50% of the pie by 2012 alone. Lenovo, going forward sure wants a double digit market share in one of the largest market in Asia. The market itself is growing at a greater than 50% rate for the past couple of years. STP Analysis Segmentation: The segmentation for laptop market can be done on the following three parameters: * Geographic: North America, Europe, Asia. * Demographic: Size of the customer, region of the customer. * Psychographic: Preference of the User, basic or advanced usage. Demographic * Size of the customer: It can be divided as being further classified into the large users, the small and the medium businesses (SMBs) and individual users. * Region: The major region for a laptop comes from the big cities and educational and employment hubs. Apart from there, the upcountry markets are a major growth area. Psychographic * Preference of the User: The users can be further segmented on the basis of the high end models which are style and configuration conscious and users which are mid end users and use the laptops according to their needs. * Usage: This pertains to users who use laptops for advanced application development, network users and software professionals. The other user segment has a usage for fun purposes, net browsing, office applications and social networking purposes. Targeting Lenovo targets users based on the demographic segmentation. It targets in China and India users who belong to two segments * Relation: These are the large institutional users. * Transaction: Combining SMBs and individuals. Targeting Rationale The market in India is comparatively the same as that of China. Lenovo identifies India as China ten years ago. The strong relational business, accounting 60% in India is on the same lines as of China. The after sales spread that Lenovo enjoyed in China bodes similar prospects for the company in India. It currently is concentrating on consolidating the distribution network in India to take on the market. Positioning Tagline:†New World. New thinking. † The focus of the company in positioning its laptop can be gauged by their mission statement: â€Å"We are now one company with one goal: To build the best, most innovative products in the world. To use world-class economics to put new and better technology in the hands of more people, by innovating on cost the same way we innovate on technology. To focus our energy and our commitment on the success and trust of our customers. † The company positions itself as a manufacturer of computer laptops that innovate to suit the requirements of its users. This is further bolstered by the launch of its new range of laptop: The Ideapad, alongside its range of Thinkpad –positioned as business laptops and Essential Notebooks- positioned as laptops engineered for value. The main contention, says Amar Babu, is to provide power to consumers in terms of value, not cheap computers. Product Strategy Lenovo has a diverse range of computing products on offer. As our focus is on only Lenovo laptops, we are only considering the category â€Å"Notebooks Netbooks†. This category has three product types; ThinkPads, Ideapads and Essentials. Each of these product types has several product lines popularly known as series, each line trying to target a particular segment of consumers. Some business analysts consider Lenovo product lines to be improperly defined. To Quote Mac McCarthy of AllBusiness. com, â€Å"Lenovo prices are competitive, and the Web site is clean, but of course there are a confusing number of confusingly positioned and confusingly priced business product lines like the ThinkCentre A, M, E, and S lines. † This probably follows from each line having a very high variance in prices thereby confusing the target segment. The ThinkPad which IBM has targeted towards business users looking for high quality and reliability has now some product lines targeted towards small business users as well and low quality machines with low cost. This has diluted the ThinkPad identity as a high quality business machine. Below is a brief analysis of the Product types and the associated lines. Lenovo * Desktops * Notebooks Netbooks * Thinkpads Originally an IBM Brand of Business notebooks, Lenovo overtook it in 2005. This was brand addition for Lenovo. Entire range of notebooks was retained and the name as well. Gradually new products were introduced under the same brand name. Laptops designed for businesses, schools and power users everywhere. ThinkPad notebooks are exceptionally engineered to boost productivity, enhance mobility and reduce the total cost of ownership. * SL Series Small Business Tool. (~ 32k) [All figures from Lenovo India portal as on 2010-08-08 in INR] * R Series Cost Effective Enterprise productivity. (~ 53K) * L Series Cost Effective Enterprise productivity. (~ 63K) * Edge Series Simple and low priced. (~ 28k) * T Series Portable business powerhouse. ~ 59k) * X Series Extreme mobility, lightweight. (~ 60k) * W Series Ultimate Mobile Workstation (~ 107k) * IdeaPads This brand of laptops was basically a rebranding of the existing product line of the parent Lenovo company created to integrate all the multimedia and entertainment based notebooks into one category. It also helped Lenovo to align the existing products with ThinkPad without overlap in targeted segments. These are designed for home/home office, with distinctive designs and features for entertainment and multimedia. * S Series Tiny, Supercompact. * U Series Ultraportable Y Series Multimedia * V Series Small business Home Office * Z Series Ergonomic comfort * Essentials This was the original key focus notebooks from Lenovo targeting the low price segment of users looking value for money. This was aligned into three product lines each in different price range. These are the Laptops that have been customized to suit any budget category. The Lenovo Essential offers well-equipped, smartly designed notebooks for business, home or home office. * G Series Reliable Effordable. No frills. * E Series Thoughtfully designed with human engineering * B Series Small business Budget friendly * Workstations Servers * Peripherals * Printers * Televisions * Scanners * Storage Advertising Lenovo’s Beijing Olympics 2008 Campaign: Lenovo Groups purchase of IBMs PC division gave the Chinese company global scale overnight, yet it didn’t have a strong global brand. So the company used its sponsorship of the Beijing 2008 Olympics to elevate its reputation worldwide, and design played a crucial role in its efforts. Lenovo won the design competition for the Olympic torch, and used some of the same design elements on a limited-edition notebook computer. Deepak Advani, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Lenovo India had quoted, â€Å"Our Olympic tag line Powering the Worlds Biggest Idea reflects Lenovos belief that the Olympic Games are one of mankinds great inspirations and that Lenovo is proud to be a driving force behind them. Every element of our marketing programme underscores Lenovos integral role at the Games and reinforces the fact that Olympic values are Lenovo values global goodwill, the pursuit of excellence and world-class performance. Visual elements featured in the Lenovo Olympic marketing programs include PC product images that convey the companys core mission, a stylised light bulb that embodied the then current advertising campaign, and the cloud motif used in the Lenovo-designed Olympic Torch, appearing in the five colours of the Olympic rings. Lenovo advertised through pervasive billboards, buses, bus stations and other out-of-home venues across Beijing. Advertising leading with the IdeaPad P C line highlighted the ability of Lenovo PCs o support and originate ideas everywhere and included a yellow light bulb recognised by cultures worldwide as a symbol for ideas. Lenovo’Saif Face Recognition Campaign:- The TVC features Saif in a Tom Hanks Castaway setting being rescued by a chopper. On reaching home, his wife fails to recognise him, his appearance is that of a bedraggled and unshaven man and the wife is just on the point of dialling the cops for reporting an intruder, when Saif rushes to his Lenovo notebook and the camera on the computer does a face match and accepts him as an user. This was the first campaign run by Lenovo in India and sought to convey the launch of Lenovos new series of laptops targeted at the consumer market. It also sought to create awareness in the Indian market about Lenovo as a youthful brand and drill home its innovation. This ad is meant to harp on the face recognition feature that comes bundled with the 3000Y series units that have an inbuilt camera. It is an example of Attribute positioning. Banking on the success of his roles in popular movies like Dil Chahta Hai ,the choice of Saif Ali Khan is meant to portray an image which the brand wants to associate itself with young, innovative, experimental and exciting. Promotion Brands in the Lenovo space The retail store in Delhi we visited has been stocking high selling brands of Lenovo, i. e. Thinkpad and the Ideapad G450 and G550 series. Promotion Strategy Traditionally, since its coming to India in the middle of this decade, Lenovo concentrated only on the push strategy. It has a sales training program with Intel and Microsoft called iLAMP across six cities for 600 partners. In Delhi, the retailers for Lenovo admitted the offering on extra margin per computer based on the sales figure and plans for dealers and retailers’ foreign trips based on the yearly sales(mostly or franchised stores). Recently there has been a shift from the push strategy to the pull strategy for Lenovo. With its launch of Y300 and Y500 notebooks in the last fiscal year, Lenovo launched a promotional offer called Face to Face wherein lucky buyers of the 3000 product line would get an invite for dinner with Lenovo Brand Ambassador, Saif Ali Khan . Promoting its product in the youth, from 15 May 2010 to 15 June 2010, Lenovo’s ‘Fun on Campus offer’ gave goody pack including a Sling Bag, Lenovo Optical Mouse, a Multimedia Headset and One-year Protection of McAfee Anti-Virus. Lenovo G Series and Lenovo IdeaPad S Series customers could avail of a goody pack worth Rs 2,660 at a discounted price of just Rs 499 plus taxes. Similarly, Lenovo IdeaPad Y Series customers could avail of a goody pack worth Rs 4,459 at a discounted price of just Rs 749 plus taxes. Running on an equal ground was the Lenovo’s ‘Fun Online Offer’ which coupled the needs of laptop and net surfing. The collaboration with Tata Tele in providing cheap Tata Photon connections ran from May 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010. Impact of Promotion and Future Outlook The market share of Lenovo ending March has jumped from 4. 75% to 7. 2% in the Indian market. With its new promotion schemes in the first quarter of FY11, the company eyes a double digit market share ending this fiscal year. The growth in the volumes was estimated at 33% ending March 2010. The schemes which the company has offered target basically the range of Ideapad computers and targeting the youth. The low range affordability, style and the usage targeted schemes are selected carefully by the company. The company which has a market share of 17% in the enterprises segment has about only 10% share in the consumer. The volume sales are skewed in the ratio of 60:40 to the commercial segment. The company enjoys a large presence in commercial segment, thanks to the legacy of IBM; so a conscious move to engage in promoting the consumer categories is directly in line with the company growth strategy. The company has schemes in pipeline for the four verticals it has. Although the exact nature of the promotion schemes was not disclosed, the schemes would increasingly be targeting youth and revamping its online sales. The company has coupons available online with future expiration aimed at providing discounts online to the users. This again is a conscious strategy at the youth segment which has a registration in the online buying space. Channel Strategy Channels of Distribution With the deal with IBM, Lenovo got access to its 160-country-strong distribution and sales network, skilled staff, advanced technology. The primary target was enterprise customers. Post acquisition Lenovo moved into the highly competitive consumer business. Internally, it has been categorized into four verticals: Lenovo exclusive stores, multi- branded showroom, regional distribution model and large format retailers (LFRs). Regional Distribution model: A large chunk of consumer business comes from metros and A-class cities. To penetrate into tier-II, III and tier IV cities it has adopted regional distribution model. The company has instituted a three-tier model consisting of four national distributors at the top who serve the seven regions India is split into. To address conflict of interest among distributors, as a rule not more than three Tier 1 distributors are allotted to a specified region. It has appointed Redington, Ingram Micro, Iris Computers and Neoteric Infomatique as its four national distributors; Lenovo is now finalizing the names of regional distributors in metros and in upcountry market across the country. that each of the regional distributors will have to select a respective national distributor of their own choice and that partner will be logged in with the same national distributors for at least a year. This implies that a regional distributor has to do business with that particular national distributor only. In North India the company had already announced Kopal Computers, San Infotech and Park Computers as its regional distributors. Lenovo has also signed up with Modern Computers and Royal Vision in Punjab; Aakriti Enterprises in Ghaziabad; KI Solutions in Gorakhpur, Libra Technocorp in Allahabad; Computer Shoppe in Varanasi; Chandra Infosystems in Lucknow; Strutech Computers in Panchkula, Haryana; and Balaji Lifestyle in Rajasthan. So far, the company has not appointed any regional distributor in Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh. In East, Lenovo has appointed Bit Infomedia for West Bengal and Siliguri; Eastern Logica and Computex for Kolkata and South Bengal; Xeoni Infotech for South Bengal; Trade Technology, Nextech and Universal Computers for Guwahati; Peripheral Engineers for Patna, Bihar and Computers India for Jharkhand. They are yet to sign up anyone for Orissa. In West, the vendor has appointed Megahertz, Impetus and Galaxy Infotech for Mumbai, Care Office Equipments, Aegis Infotech in Ahmedabad and Paras Trade Link in Rajkot for Gujarat, Data Care Corporation, Venus Infotech and Monarch Technology in Pune. Data Care has also been appointed for Nasik and Nagpur region. In Madhya Pradesh, AP Distributors has been appointed in Indore; Latest Technology in Bhopal and Geeshal Sales Corporation for Jabalpur. Siddharth Marketing and Hi-Tech Solution have been appointed for Chattisgarh. Lenovo is yet to close the deal with a regional distributor in Goa. Down South, the company is still in the process of negotiating with the channel partners. Margins Based on our findings from retailers at Delhi’s Nehru place, the business is volume driven. The margins in this business are very low and fluctuating. A typical retailers earns anywhere between Rs. 200 to 1000 per laptop. On achieving a pre determined target offers like foreign trips etc are available. In special cases when the company needs to clear inventories, an additional margin of Rs200-300 is offered Retails Partners (franchises),Multi Brand retail: Lenovo drives its products in the retail sector through Lenovo Exclusive and multi-branded stores. It has a different take on retail partners Partners who enrol for the retail segment will sell the products only through retail stream and would not be authorized to do business through channel network. Physical Distribution In House Manufacturing Suppliers Component Lenovo PC Assembly Dealers,VAR,Retailers Distribution Large Business Customers(Think pad),Small business and consumers(Idea Pad) Final Sale,Service,Support A facility at Pondicherry became part of Lenovo after its acquisition of IBMs (IBM) PC business in 2005. It has a capacity of 1 million units. Lenovo announced factory in Baddi,Himacahal Pradesh in 2007 it said it would eventually have a production capacity of 2 million units. It was designed to save on freight costs and shipment time to customers in north India. The facilities support regional customer requirements including product assembly, distribution services, and reverse logistics. They also offer additional value added services such as product configuration including custom imaging, and bundled and over packed orders Lenovo may have over-estimated demand for its products in India, when it created new manufacturing capacity . Lenovos market in the north of India was not large enough to require a large factory there . In the quarter ended Dec. 31 last year, Lenovo shipped about 155,100 laptops and desktops in the country . Lenovo is in the process of completing the required regulatory formalities for closure. From April last year, all production for Lenovo has been undertaken at its second plant in Pondicherry in south India, which has sufficient capacity to meet customer demand. Bulk of the transportation in the entire process takes place through land transport. Company owned/leased trucks transport requisitioned stock on a weekly basis to the 5 major nation wide distributors. Regional distributors in turn use a combination trucks and mini vans to transfer stock to the regional centers. Local retailers mostly collect the stock as and when the order is made. Bulk of the transactions made the mid levels do not involve cash and payment is made as and when the final purchase is made Lenovo Customer Support Lenovo offers a comprehensive suite of customer service and support is everywhere you need it: on the system, on the Web, on the phone and on the way. * On-the-system: Expertise at your fingertips The Lenovo Care portal is a preloaded set of tools on Lenovo desktop computers which can resolve most common system problems and help save time. * On the Web: Online support thats always there Lenovo drivers, downloads, maintenance manuals and technical support documents for your Lenovo personal computing products. Web-based eSupport is available 24/7 On-the-phone: International support Lenovo works with IBM to provide the worlds most comprehensive service and support. IBM customer contact center technicians help provide quick diagnosis and repair support for warranty-related matters. * On-the-way: Bringing powerful support to any size business Exceptional local service and support relationships with 3000+ Lenovo-authorised service, providers and a comprehensive, worldwide service. Lenovo I ndia has introduced drop off-pickup centers and a Rapid Replacement Service scheme for customers. Drop off-pickup centers have been established with a facility for customers to drop off their notebooks that need servicing and pick them up from the same locations. Customers can call the Lenovo SmartCentre at 1 600 44 6666 and will be directed to one of these centers if a hardware fix is required. Distribution Strategy Post its acquisition Lenovo is moving towards a direct model of distribution. Cross-functional collaboration between supply chain executives and sales is the centrepiece of a two-year effort by Lenovo to overhaul internal processes to make its supply chain more demand-driven. Like other manufacturers in high-tech markets, the maker of desktop and notebook computers needs to make frequent additions and enhancements to its product lines in order to keep up with rapidly advancing technology. To do that, Lenovo needs a highly flexible supply network to keep pace. In addition, because many of its products feature cutting-edge components, supply shortages are common, creating added incentive to manage demand to avoid delivery delays and maintain customer satisfaction as well as maximise profitability. In an effort to leverage their understanding of sales and perations planning, Lenovo has set up marketing teams responsible for demand management and maintaining margins across its product lines. The teams monitor the supply chain and meet daily with members of the company’s fulfillment department to ensure availability of components and products, and to recalibrate pricing and promotions as necessary. In addition, the company has installed a range of new s oftware tools to help analyse and correlate data from various sales channels and the supply chain, creating instant visibility for teams in sales and marketing, advanced planning, fulfilment and procurement. The systems allow the company to make real-time decisions on pricing and order fulfilment—all the way back to parts procurement—by integrating all the relevant information. In addition to the traditional benefits of demand-driven supply chain management—better inventory management, more accurate order fulfilment and better cash utilisation—Lenovo’s improvements have delivered a boost to the bottom line, improved customer satisfaction, and accelerated the development and delivery of new products and services.. A key goal of Lenovo’s supply chain organisation is to fulfil all orders within eight business days (four days for building and four for shipment). A little more than two years ago, before it launched its demand-driven initiative, the percentage of Lenovo’s laptop shipments, for example, was only hitting the eight-day target somewhere between 34% and 37%,. Today, more than 70% of Lenovo orders are filled within eight days. The initiative has also paid off on the cost side of the supply chain equation, which is particularly critical for technology companies such as Lenovo that switch frequently to newer, more advanced components. Pricing Strategy Lenovo has been very aggressive in their pricing strategy and they constantly offer substantial discounts e. g. via their web site and in addition there are loads of coupons/codes around, which add to the total discount- often making you able to get a ThinkPad for about 20-35% under MSRP. In India there, are different series laptop with each having an entry level model, a mid-range model and a high end model. Pricing of some of the models are as follows: * Lenovo Y Series Laptop are priced from Rs. 32000 to Rs. 54000. Lenovo G Series Laptop are priced from Rs. 24500 to Rs. 34500. * Lenovo N Series Laptop are priced between Rs. 30000 and Rs. 40000. At a certain press event, Lenovo’s CEO Yang Yuanqing detailed his firms strategy to break into rising economies with low-price products before moving its focus to mature markets. In the short term we are pursuing higher market share rather than profits, Yang said. Lenovo’s head for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Duijl said,† We will enter the low-end price cells and we will add our netbooks and lower-end price-cell models†. Lenovo may perform well in emerging markets, but the entry-level products it sells will bring low profit margins, said an analyst at UOB Kay Hian, a brokerage. In Indian context, following have been the steps to identifying and setting the Lenovo products. 1. Pricing Objective- Capturing Market Share: As is the objective of the company, the company wants to capture a substantial market share going forward. The pricing strategy of the company hence has been to attract more and more consumers to buy its products. 2. Determining Demand-High Price Sensitivity: Indian consumers are very price sensitive. The sales of Dell have shot up in the recent years ahead of HP because of the low pricing model. High end brands like Sony have to skim their prices to nearly half in the last five years to match the consumer expectations. Due to a presence of a thriving grey market and the options available, the consumer in India has a tendency to get the maximum quality for the price paid. 3. Knowing Competitors’ Pricing: The pricing strategy of Dell has been to offer the lowest possible pricing based on the configuration chosen. The consumer has the flexibility of choosing the laptop configuration and assembled components, and gets a desired configuration at the competitive prices. HP follows a perceived value pricing for its Pavilion range of laptops, and a low cost pricing strategy for its Compaq Presario range of Laptops. Sony basically follows a price skimming strategy in all its models. The following table compiles the current market rates in Delhi for the various players in the market. | Lenovo| Dell| HP Pavilion| Compaq| Sony| Dual Core, 320 Gb, 3 GB Ram| 27000| 31200| 40300| 29900| 35000| Core 2 duo 2. 2 GHz, 320 GB, 3 GB Ram| 30500| 34500| 43500| 32500| 37500| Core 2 duo 2. 2 GHz, 320 GB, 4 GB Ram| 32500| 36500| 45500| 34500| 39500| Core i3, 500GB, 3 GB Ram| 35800| 38500| 44900| 32000| 41000| Core i5, 500GB, 3 GB Ram| 39000| 41000| 48000| 35000| 45000| 4. Pricing Strategy: Based on the competitors’ price vis-a-vis market position, the company had two options of going for pricing. * Value Pricing: Offering the customers high quality offering at a lower price. Going Rate Pricing: Following the pricing strategy of the competitor and pricing the laptops at a rate just lower than that of the market leader. 5. Selecting the final Pricing Strategy: Lenovo in India has gone for value based pricing. It has not gone directly into the price wars with its nearest competitors. It instead has offered high quality products with a substantially lower price in the Indian market. The rationale has been gathering fi rst the market share and then substantially go for alternative pricing strategies. Alternate Pricing Strategy The largest market for Lenovo laptops has been China which is also its birthplace. But since 2001, Dell has been steadily eating away its market share owing to its low pricing strategies. Dell priced its laptops below Lenovo’s and offering similar features. This resulted in a drop of Lenovo’s market share and subsequent increase in that of Dell. In order that Lenovo maintain its market share and remain competitive in the Chinese as well as global market, it is imperative that the company adopt different pricing strategies for the different segments of the market. Some of the following strategies can be useful: * For the developing markets of Asia, the company can adopt a going rate pricing strategy after it has established itself in the Indian market and achieved sufficient economies of scale. Since in most of the countries, including India, Lenovo is a market follower after Dell and HP, this simple strategy can ensure that the product makes an impact on the market as most consumers will not go upon the value of the product only but the price of the product too. For the developed markets of Europe, the company can adopt a perceived value based pricing. As Value-based pricing is dependent upon an understanding of how customers measure value, there is good chance that customers from the developed European economies will have a good understanding of the product value. * For the Chinese market, the company can adopt a competition-based pricing. As the Chinese market is flooded with number of competitors, it is essential that the prices of Lenovo Laptops are in the comparable range of the competitor’s. Product Life Cycle and New Product Development Strategy The Laptops and netbooks developed by lenovo mainly concentrate on the home users and small or medium businesses. Lenovo lacks a product, specifically a laptop, which attracts gaming enthusiasts. Similar products are currently being offered by rival companies like HP and Dell. Hence it becomes imperative for Lenovo to come up with a new product which can perform under extreme conditions and give the ultimate gaming experience. The new laptop which can be developed will be powered by the new intel Core-I3/i5/i7 processors. It will also have a dedicated graphics memory for the high-end gaming graphics. The user will be given the option to increase the memory accroding to his or her requirements. The laptop will be shipped with a minimum hard drive space of 500 GB. As stated above, the laptop will target the niche segment of gamers and casual gamers. The laptop laptop will also be targeted at businesses and industries concerning graphical development applications or any kind of animation industries whose graphics requirement are quite high than what the existing line of laptops can offer. The laptops will be distributed using the existing References 1. Lenovo India portal: http://www. lenovo. com/in/en/ 2. http://www. livemint. com/2010/04/13001711/Acer-p

Adoption Rights for Gay Couples Essay Example

Adoption Rights for Gay Couples Essay Example Adoption Rights for Gay Couples Essay Adoption Rights for Gay Couples Essay Adoption Rights for Gay Couples Gay couples live lives just like any other couples, except with more limitations and challenges. Unlike straight couples, gay couples cannot marry, visit their ill partner in the hospital, or adopt children. This is outright wrong and unfair. Same sex couples have the potential to be just as adequate parents as straight couples, if not better. Ultimately same sex couples deserve the opportunity to adopt children. To start with, gay couples make great parents just like straight couples, and in some cases, even better parents. Still, regardless of a couple’s parenting abilities, they are less likely to be able to adopt children. Same sex couples are capable of giving love, making a living, providing a home, and all of the other aspects that a parent must obtain. It is downright wrong that same sex couples often get denied the privilege of adopting a child in need. â€Å"A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that children who grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual† (Perrin). There are so many children in the world needing a home and a loving family. It is horrible to think that same sex couples are believed to be incapable of providing just that. Generally, when a child has same sex parents, that child has the potential to be introduced to a much more diverse upbringing than most children. Gay couples face ridicule every day, knowing that they do not have the rights and privileges of straight couples, such as marriage and legal rights. They are a minority, making them more sensitive to diversity. Most same sex couples end up adopting children from foreign countries. Therefore, the children are often of a different race or religion. America is known as a â€Å"melting pot†, so then diverse families should be included. Gay couples have to face diversity challenges every day. So if their child witnesses what their parents go through, they are more likely to want to change that in their future. As a result, America would be a much more tolerant country, with less racism and other discrimination. With that in mind, it is obvious that same sex couples are discriminated against in adoptions. They are often turned down simply because they are homosexual. This is morally wrong and unfair. America has improved on discrimination immensely in the past, but we still need to come farther. People are being turned down because of their sexual orientation, which they were born with, and thus cannot change. African Americans were born with dark skin; yet, we allow them to adopt children. Gay couples are born homosexual, yet they are punished in so many different ways. We need to stop this hurt, and give them the same opportunities as everyone. Nevertheless, there are some people who propose reasons why same sex couples are denied the opportunity of adopting children. Those individuals would say that families are headed by a mother and a father, and same sex couples would not be able to offer that aspect of parenting. Also, they cannot be married, so the children would have unmarried parents, another common trait of a family. Although it is a valid statement, that does not mean that gay couples should be denied the ability to adopt. Regardless of the sex of the parents, the important thing to remember is that a child will have a home, with two loving parents. There is no legitimate reason why they should be overlooked and turned down for adoptions. In the long run, same sex couples are used to being treated unfair, and deal with diversity every day of their lives. If a gay man or woman is in a relationship with either the biological parent, or an adoptive parent, they have a better chance of being able to adopt their partner’s child; a same-sex couple has a very small chance of being able to adopt on their own (Cusick and Kranz 79). There is no logical reason why they should be denied the opportunity of adopting a child and having a family. Yes, a stereotypical family has a mother and a father; but stereotypes are broken often, as our society constantly changes from what our ancestors were raised in. â€Å"All of the research to date has reached the same unequivocal conclusion about gay parenting: the children of lesbian and gay parents grow up as successfully as the children of heterosexual parents. In fact, not a single study has found the children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged because of their parents sexual orientation† (Gay Adoption). There is absolutely no excuse to discriminate against these couples. Same sex couples deserve the right to adopt children just like any other couple. Gay Adoption. Political debates. You Debate. 8 Dec. 2008 lt; youdebate. com/debates/gay_adoption. htmgt;. Kranz, Rachel, and Tim Cusick. Gay Rights. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York City, NY: Facts On File, Inc. , 2005. 1-362. Perrin, Ellen C. Technical Report: Coparent or second parent adoption by same-sex parents. Pediatrics. Feb. 2002. American Academy of Pediatrics. 8 Dec. 2008 lt;http://pediatrics. aappublications. org/cgi/content/abstract/109/2/341gt;.

A Range Of Problems In The Future Essay Example for Free

A Range Of Problems In The Future Essay Communism (145) , Winston Smith (53) ? ‘The world will have to grapple with a range of problems in the future’ The world will inevitably change as time continues to expose the past’s perception of the future to the now. As the earth ages, generations to come adapt to the new world they perceive to be as It is near impossible for every parent to educate their young on everything they have ever learned; thus attitudes and morals are continually fluctuating. It is undeniable that it has already affected society it is evident throughout today’s problems that were never pondered upon by older generations such as the rapid advances in technology. The future can only change, and will encounter many dilemmas along the way. Earth already has an overwhelming number of human inhabitants, and the world’s population continues to increase. Many people do not want to acknowledge the problem, but ignorance will not change the inevitable consequences of overpopulation. No animal species can exist without adequate food, water, shelter and other essential resources and humans are not exempt from this rule. When the human population exceeds the resources needed to sustain it, the same thing that happens to any overpopulated species; nature will reduce the population through famine, disease, interspecies fighting or a combination of either one. That reality has already affecting people in some Third World countries. Because of cultural, political and religious attitudes, almost no world leader is willing to acknowledge the problem, much less take the necessary steps to resolve it. The underlying cause of almost every environmental problem in the world today is human overpopulation. Air pollution, water shortages, habitat loss, extinctions, and invasive species all are caused or intensified from having too many people in the world. Humans are unique among all animal species in having the ability to solve even a monumental problem like overpopulation. This awareness is existent in George Orwell’s ‘1984’, the effects of extreme totalitarian society have stripped society’s resources and forced them to live in a dystopian environment full of pollution and overpopulation. Such a situation of local overpopulation has existed since the dawn of humanity and is slowly becoming a global existential problem. Technology today has transformed the world and changed how people live in their day to day lives. As advances in technology are generally perceived to be an advantage, it can enable the most malevolent evil. The realm of communications has likewise seen immense change. People are provided with new ways to communicate with each other, such as email and instant messaging which can pose as a breach of privacy if used for the wrong intentions. Documents placed on the internet are sources of information for the rest of the world, and will forever leave a digital footprint. Global positioning satellites allow us to track our exact location and find our way to various destinations; such accessible conveniences can alter the future in foretelling ways. George Orwell’s ‘1984, illustrates a dystopian society ruled by a totalitarian government. This extreme realization portrays a government with absolute power, in which controls every aspect of human life using a number of dehumanising techniques. Orwell’s dark vision poses as a foreshadowing notice, which thoroughly explores the consequences of advanced technology and its misuse. As Oceania’s mechanical citizens are constantly monitored using microphones and surveillance, expunges their right to privacy and to make choices. It is clear that the innovations of technology could escalate out of control, leaving society with no defence against it. Thus, it will ultimately destroy humanity in the pursuit of absolute power. The discovery of DNA has the possibility to lead to major social and scientific issues in society. With new advances in technology, there are increases in the consequences that the new technology will allow. It is evident in Andrew Niccol’s film ‘Gattaca’ that the more powerful genetic engineering becomes the more helpful and harmful it develops. The film depicts a society ruled by ‘genoism’, where your genetics decide your social class in the world with a stressed need for perfectionism. This depressing image where there is no determinism for fate or influence for ethical standards eliminates the right for freedom of choice, that people freely and obliviously exhaust today. The consequences of selective breeding solutions are frequently addressed in past and modern literature. In ‘Jurassic Park’, a scientist exhumes and modifies dinosaur DNA to then create an island inhabited by dinosaurs. Consequently, the impact of unnaturally producing a breed that has been extinct for a long period of time threatened the rest of  the human race’s existence. It is clear that such meticulous science created in the wrong hands has the potential to impact the world permanently. Similarly, a frightening futuristic concept that threatens to dominate society is totalitarianism. The objective of totalitarian government is to limit and regulate every aspect of public and private life. George Orwell’s novel, ‘1984’, exemplifies a society lacking in freedom and expression. His fictional society in the year 1984 stands as a metaphor for a totalitarian society. Communication, personal beliefs, and national loyalty are controlled by the inner party which governs the people of Oceania in order to keep society from rebelling. The concept of also controlling the personal beliefs of the citizens promotes totalitarianism by limiting the form of any emotional or individual expression. The citizens of Oceania were forced to work long days which limited self-expression because they were too exhausted to do anything else. Oceania, where protagonist Winston Smith lives, is ruled by the INGSOC. â€Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU†, the main party slogan of Oceania which makes clear that every action you make is all seen by Big Brother, the big leader. The Inner Party, controlled by Big Brother, dictates several aspects of the people’s life. As a society, Oceania are completely brain washed by the continuous propaganda which is based on false news, a new language which reduces the capacity of using words in a double sensed way named Newspeak and indoctrination, this newborn dialect empowers and respects INGSOC. The overall concept is designed to control personal beliefs of the citizens by limiting their form of expression. Essentially, controlling the communication aligns with the Totalitarian aspects of governing. George Orwell envisioned the lack of communication could possibly result to total dominance and control of the people. As civilization moves toward the point where human life will be irreversibly transformed, it will also have to overcome the potential problems that are carried along with any advancement in technology and government. All of these possibilities portray a pessimistic view of the future which has the potential to accrue into tremendous issues of whom the world will have to grapple. A Range Of Problems In The Future. (2016, Sep 11).

Facilities Management Programmes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facilities Management Programmes - Essay Example At the same time, the government has also been committed to the provision of better services in the health, transport, education and other key sectors. In addition, the economies of scale have forced many companies to outsource the services of other companies, and have been observed across the board, for both the private and the public sectors (Wood 2007). The emphasis here of course, has been a need to have growth in such sectors as education, healthcare and utilities. The government too has largely been credited for the outsourcing programmes in the public sector, in a quest to improve and upgrade accommodation, housing and other related services. To this end, the design, finance, build and operate contracting has especially found use in hospitals and schools (CFM 2002). The upgrading and support services provision of outmoded facilities has also not been left out. Given the needs as well as the projected growth of the facilities market in the united kingdom, it is only in order that there be qualified and well trained property managers who will comfortably handle such issue as space design and management, the procurement of facilities, the computation and analysis of facilities costs, as well as the handling of taxation of the same (Chapman 2008). With the rapid rise in technology, and the bar in the ma... rs, it is also important that those managers receives the latest training on computer-aided management of facilities, so as to keep abreast with the dynamic changes in the sector. The onus is on the administrators of the institutions of higher learning in the United Kingdom that offers course if facilities or property management to ensure that their graduates receive training that in s in line with the market requirements (CFM 2002). Otherwise, there is every possibility that they will not only be overtaken by technological changes, but also that they may not impact positively as future property managers. 2. Problem statement The prevailing global credit crunch has especially handed the property market a serious blow. Owing to the numerous losses that these clients may have suffered, there is every need for the industry to ensure that they win back the confidence of the consumers. At the same time, the housing market and the real estate businesses are progressing fast against a backdrop of reducing building space (CFM 2002). This has thus ensured that the property procurement protocols have become more compels by the day. Globalization has also ensured that investors put their money in diversified locations whose property rules differ, and this means that a property managers has to keep abreast with the advances in development of the industry. For this reason, there is a need that the institutions of learning are able to tailor their programmes to suit the need of the market (Nutt & McLennan 2000). Furthermore, clients are becoming sophisticated by the day, while competition in the facilities management demands astute management skills, prompting the industry to seek out shrewd property managers who cab be able to wither the storm (Graham & Price 2000). The

Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony - Research Paper Example In simple words it can be said that using VoIP applications a caller will be able to avoid paying long distance international call charges and also save expensive telecommunication hardware and infrastructure (Hallock, 2004, pp.5-8). The principles of VoIP are similar to traditional digital telephony in that the former also involves channel setup, signaling, conversion of analog voice signals into digital signals, encoding and decoding. The difference with traditional digitized telephony is that the encoded VoIP digital signals are transmitted over packet-switched networks as Internet Protocol or IP packets instead of being transmitted over circuit-switch network. This concept of packet-switched data transfer is based on the principles of time-division multiplexing networks. The early business service provider models of VoIP were based on traditional telephonic networking only with difference on how the data would transfer across channels. The second generation providers of VoIP incl uded the concept of closed networks for enabling private communication between secured user bases. The Skype is one of the most popular second generation VoIP service providers whose technology offers their users free calls. But the business model of Skype charges connection or access charges to customers to use private networks or public switched telephone networks (PSTN). The advantage of such model is that user’s requirements for hardware or software compatibility would be minimized and independent. The third generation of VoIP, mainly popularized by Google Talk, allows dynamic interconnection between any two user domains on the internet (Bianco, 2006, pp.365-367). Analysis of Existing Applications and Market Trends The main reason for the growth of VoIP over the years is due to its popularity as a business data networks application. With the application of VoIP a business enterprise will be able to reduce its service and hardware costs by increasing productivity through c ustomized telephony applications. VoIP technology ensures secured and consolidated telecommunication network for business enterprises. As the prices of bandwidth are falling, the internet telephony is increasingly becoming popular and more accessible to global customers. With the help of VoIP business critical information could now be telecommunicated without any significant delays (which were more prominent in traditional international telecommunications) and hence increasing the efficiency of the company. Thus, one of the major reasons for quick acceptance of VoIP was cost efficiency that the companies could realize from the implementation (Bergstrom, 2004, pp.17-18). (Source: Tele Geography Research, 2008) The traditional telephone lines are replacing the medium of communication between business enterprises as well as households. A research has found that only the North American residential VoIP services has grown over 31% CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) and it was a $1.25 b illion VoIP service industry in the year 2005. (Source: Word Press, 2011) The main drivers for the tremendous growth of VoIP can be attributed to some important VoIP characteristics including cost savings, reliability and easier functionality. SWOT Analysis The VoIP technology allows customers to make

Why do people help Essay Example for Free

Why do people help Essay Helping behavior is an important topic in social psychology. It is important to understand why people help, when they help and reasons for helping others. According to Kassin, pro-social behavior is an action intended to benefit others. The author also describes several factors of why people help. Among them, one is kin selection which is preferential helping of genetic relatives, which results in the greater likelihood that genes held in common will survive ( 2010, page 392). Another one is altruistic which is motivated by the desire to improve another’s welfare ( ). The author also describes the bystander effect in which the presence of others inhibits helping in an emergency indicates why the five steps necessary for helping—noticing, interpreting, taking responsibility, deciding how to help, and providing help. People are most likely to help others in certain circumstances: when they are not in rush. People who are in a good mood are more likely to help. Good mood makes people interpret events in a sympathetic way and it gives them more positive thoughts about helping behaviors. Also people in a bad mood can often increase helpfulness because they feel guilty about something and they may be motivated to help others in order to improve their mood. According to the article, â€Å"People help save man trapped in burning car† the author mentions how the residents in southwest Houston were helping to save a man’s life after he crashed his car into a tree, causing it to catch fire. The vehicle apparently hit a speed bump at a high rate of speed, and the driver lost control. The vehicle slammed into a tree head-on, and the car caught fire with the driver trapped inside. It was shortly before midnight Sunday in Houston. People were helping to save the man’s life. In this article, people were noticing the event, and interpreting it as an emergency. It also shows that this is not a diffusion of responsibility because people were taking the responsibility for proving help. They were taking the decision for providing help, and provided help. They started putting water on the blaze to keep it under control until firefighters arrived. The smoke was so intense that they had to take a brick and bust the window. The Houston Fire Department was able to put out the fire and cut away the vehicle’s door to get the driver out (Khou, April 15 2013). Khou believes the people in the community helped save the driver. The  situation can influence helping. When two explosions occurred along the stretch of the Boston Marathon on Boston street in Boston on April 15th, three people were killed and more than 170 people were injured. People and communities came together to respond and help the best they could. According to the article â€Å"6 Examples of Awesome People Helping Boston Marathon Victims† the author wrote about the heroic people who were helping Boston Marathon victims. Carlos Arredondo is one of them. Carlos was there and he jumped over a fence and ran towards the people lying on the ground and where he found spectator Jeff Bauman with his shirt on fire and the lower parts of his legs gone. Arredondo beat the flames out with his hands, tied a t-shirt around the stump of one of Bauman’s legs, and kept him company until emergency responders arrived (Olivia, April 17, 2013). Joe Andruzzi carried an injured woman to safety. Joe also had carried a man covered in blood to the medical tent. 15 National Guard Members who were assembled at the medical tent near the finish line. They had water, extra uniforms, and first-aid with them on their backpacks. Alyssa Carter raised more than $220,000 on the crowd funding website to help pay her cousins’ medical bills. Boston Restaurants have been donating food and letting people use their establishments as places to regroup (Olivia, April 17, 2013). All above the examples clearly shows that the norm of social responsibility is powerful situational factors that lead individuals to help others. The norm of social responsibility dictates that people should help those who are in need of assistance. This norm creates a sense of duty and obligation to which people respond by giving more help to those in greater need of it. The helpers who were helping after the two explosions noticed the event first and subsequently interpreted it as an emergency. As a result, they took the responsibility and provided help the best possible way they could. Jason said there are countless stories of selfless people who risk their lives to save others after the Boston Marathon explosion. Jason mentions how much people are willing to help. This clearly shows of altruism. Helping the victims could possibly harm the own life of the helper and not helping keeps away from harm. So it was altruistic because the cost outweighed the reward. It is important to understand pro-social behavior and how helping behavior can be increased. Understanding why people help may help to understand how helping behavior can be increased. Elaborate using examples  of where pro-social research can be applied in the real world and what information acquired through research can do to further the understanding of helping behavior?

The Theme of Saints in Robertson Davies Fifth Business Essay -- Saint

The marvelous story of saints is one of the leading themes in Fifth Business. As the author Robertson Davies develops this theme through Dunstan’s journey into hagiology, he often uses certain saints such as Saint Dunstan, as allusions. Among the Saints that the novel refers to, Saint Paul is the perfect allusion that portrays the character of Paul Dempster since the two share strong similarities in their lives. Additionally, Saint Paul foreshadows Dunstan’s encounter with Paul Dempster. Saint Paul’s life is similar to Paul Dempster’s life in many ways. Both of them develop their hatred from an early age. Saint Paul was a Jewish student who hated Christians whom he believed to be infidels. As he grows in status, he assists in persecuting them. Similarly, Dempster has an abhorrence for his mother and her inanity which made him the laughingstock in his town. He penalizes his mother for causing him to endure such ignominy by running away. Furthermore, their display of hatred also leads them to attain and sustain a second life. Saint Paul and Paul Dempster are both reborn in their life...

Rights and Responsibilities

When I think of America, I think of freedom and citizenship. The right to vote, or the right to freely speak are things that we, as citizens, posses. We as citizens have rights, and then we have responsibilites. Citizens are expected to know and understand the rules that the government has presented to us, and abide by these rules for our freedom. In 1791, the Constitution of the United States was amended and we were given the ten amendments, which is also known as the Bill of Rights, to protect our freedoms. The Bill of Rights is a list of the rights citizens have and value. The purpose of the bill is to protext against any infringement from the government, so the citizens can live in a free nation and have control over their communities and lives. As citizens we should know what the government is doing and to voice your opinion when we feel strongly about something the government has done or has failed to do. Being informed also means knowing your rights and exercising them when you feel it is necessary. Voting is one of your most important responsibilities as a citizen. By doing so you exercise your right of self-government. When you vote you are choosing the people that are going to run our government. Taking the responsibility to vote ensures that leadership is changed in an orderly manner. Another responsibility we as Americans have is to participate in the community and govrnment, if we had no one to run our country it would be pretty caotic, and if no one would ever speak out, no problems in the community would get solved. If we have people involved in the community its more likely to be well run. To enjoy your rights to the fullest, you must be prepared to respect other people's rights as well. For example, as a hairdresser, you are taught to only ask certain questions so that way you don't offend anyone. Of if you live in an area with a lot of neighbors, be respectful and keep the volume on your television down, or on your stereo. You should expect they would do the same for you. Also you have the responsibility to show respect to the public, and the publics property. For example, a lot of kids write on the picnic tables at the beach, and that is vandalism, they have yet to be caught so they haven't learned but thats disrespectful to the other people that come to sit there and eat. Especially when they write or draw innapropriate things.

Globalizare

I live in a country with a relatively young democracy. I experienced times when freedom of speech was prohibited and the access to information was strictly forbidden. And now I live in great times when bounds can be formed without the limits placed on humanity by the authorities, religion or race. The freedom that Internet gives us is wonderful, we can change Ideas, share information, enjoy art.Now, the access to information means power and I would like to give an example of n event that took place in Romania and which the International press named It â€Å"Romania autumn†. Thousands of people all over the country, with no leaders and organized mainly on social networks, protested against the open cast milling project that would use cyanide and destroy four mountains In the area, project that Is proposed by a foreign company In partnership with our country government.For this course project, I used an Image that represent one of the most valuable resource the earth has  œ gold, an Image that represents a great work of art – â€Å"the table of silence† made by the great Romania sculptor constantly Branches and an Image that represents a masterpiece of late Stone Age art, The Thinker, believed to be the oldest known prehistoric sculpture that reflects human introspection. We, the viewers, must reflect about the true values in our lives.We must think about the proverbial â€Å"Golden handcuffs† and about the possibility that there may be a truth behind this concept that can be easily translated in to a money language. The viewers must realize the huge responsibility that we humans have in order to preserve the natural resources for future generations, to live in harmony with all the species that inhabits the earth and, most important, to find a common language with nature because, like it or not, globalization affects the entire planet, sadly, not always in good ways. Internet gives us is wonderful, we can change ideas, share info rmation, enjoy art. N event that took place in Romania and which the international press named it organized mainly on social networks, protested against the open cast mining project that would use cyanide and destroy four mountains in the area, project that is proposed by a foreign company in partnership with our country government. For this course project, I used an image that represent one of the most valuable resource the earth has – gold, an image that represents a great work of art – â€Å"the table of silence† made by the great Romania sculptor Constantine Branches and an image that

The Conflict Between Happiness and Intelligence †English Essay

The Conflict Between Happiness and Intelligence – English Essay Free Online Research Papers The Conflict Between Happiness and Intelligence English Essay Today’s world is set up in a way that makes most people blind to the truths of life. People are too busy living to notice what in reality is going on around them. But does that make them less happy than the people aware to the reality? The conflict between happiness and intelligence is very well illustrated in the book The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. Humphrey Wan Weyden, a gentlemen and a writer, gets into a shipwreck while taking a trip on a ferry-steamer. He is picked up by a sealing schooner, dictated by the strong and brutal captain Wolf Larsen. It turns out that he is a well-read thinker and a philosopher. While both characters are intelligent, Larsen has been exposed to the facts of life, while Humphrey, also known as Hump, lives in world of illusions. Larsen’s philosophies that are revealed in the book, bring out the miseries of being intelligent. It is not possible for one to become as happy as they could have when exposed to the facts of life. Every person’s goal is to be happy, throughout their lives. Many refuse to admit it and maybe think they live for a higher cause. But really, what is the point of living if you will not be happy? The way Wolf Larsen put it, â€Å"delight is the wage for living. Without delight, living is a worthless act. To labor at living and be unpaid is worse than to be dead.† (The Sea-Wolf by Jack London, p.177) Being happy is all we strive for, it is the nectar of life. It is also important to understand this, because otherwise one will live their whole life striving to be â€Å"successful†, subconsciously thinking that money will bring them happiness, and be disappointed. If a person lives to themselves, and at every choice they make, consider if it will make them happier or not, they will make much more rational decisions. Unfortunately it is hard to come to this conclusion about happiness without separating what is real and what is not. The society tells us quite a differ ent thing: If you live for yourself, you are an egotist, and if you live for others, you are Mother Theresa – bullshit. One does what one has to, to be happy. Today’s society is purely an illusion. People live their lives according to what the society tells them to. It is merely a game, in which one plays only a small part in. This is impossible to truly recognize, without understanding the facts of life, the realities, the truths. All a person is, is what he thinks, and what he physically feels. â€Å"Cogito ergo sum,† was the way Renà © Descartes worded it. How can one be sure of anything else but themselves thinking? The universe is indifferent, and that is not so hard to prove, anybody that believes otherwise has convinced themselves of just another illusion. After accepting the realities, one can not resume to the life of illusions. When once a person was made happy by making money or being with their loved ones, their reason now tells them that it is quite meaningless. Mind dictates the feelings more than the feelings dictate the mind. One can never extract as much joy out of intelligence, as they could out of feelings. â€Å"He who delights the most lives the most, and your dreams and unrealities are less disturbing to you and more gratifying than are my facts to me.† (London, p.177) It is upsetting how the human mind works. Search for the knowledge only reveals that one is better off without it. Although one has to admit, it pays off a little bit in a certain superiority it gives the person, above all dreamers. The human mind is always under question by those who have enough intellect to question it. But to address the question if it makes one happier, the answer is a big NO. It is much more rewarding to just play along with the game, for the emotions gained, good or bad, are a thousand times more satisfying. And when realizing this, all that is left is a thought well expressed by Wolf Larsen: â€Å"I envy you, I envy you.† (London, .178) Research Papers on The Conflict Between Happiness and Intelligence - English EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayHip-Hop is ArtTrailblazing by Eric AndersonComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on Children

Influence of US Marcellus Shale exploration & production on Russian Thesis Proposal

Influence of US Marcellus Shale exploration & production on Russian LNG export in Shtokman_proposal - Thesis Proposal Example The increasing supplies of shale gas in the US have substantially reduced US needs for Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), and this shift in demand has resulted in several geopolitical implications. This paper will examine the effects of US Marcellus Shale exploration and production on Russian LNG export in the Shtokman area of Russia. Russian is among the world’s largest natural exporter. The Shtokman fields are some of the largest gas fields holding more than 3.8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, as well as slightly more than 37 million tons of condensate gas (Barker 1). The Shtokman field, discovered by Soviet geophysicist Vladimir Shtokman in 1988, has not been explored due to the extreme climatic conditions in the Artic, as well as the depth of the sea as it varies from 1,050 to 1,120 feet. Russians scientists also warn that the development of Shtokman field will encounter problems as global warming sets free icebergs into the Arctic. In order to counter this challenge, the Shtokman Development Company will utilize floating removable platforms that can easily be removed in emergency situations. Knowledge about the existence of shale gas in the US is not new as geologists have known of the existence of shale formations for quite a long time. The principal hurdle has, however, been the issues of costs and technology. These have diminished over the last decade by the advent of new technologies that yield substantial cost reductions, hence making shale gas production in the US a reality. The net production of shale gas in the US has increased from a low amount in 2000 to more than 10 billion cubic feet each day in 2010. These figures will quadruple by the year 2040 and meet the requirements of natural gas in the US. It is paramount to note that without the constraints of government policies, as noted in other fuels such as coal, natural gas will play a significant role in the US energy market, as well as the entire

Introduction to Hinduism Caste System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to Hinduism Caste System - Essay Example People belonging to Brahmin caste are assigned the duties which are considered as sacred by Hindus. Duties like studying religious texts, performing religious rites and acting as a link between humans and God. The role of a priest in a temple is performed by Brahmin. This caste is regarded as the highest class of in the Hindu Caste system. The next caste is Ksatriya; Ksatriyas are allocated the duty of protecting the people. They are considered as warriors. They are allowed to study religious studies but they cannot perform religious rites. The third caste is of Vaishyas, people of this caste are expected to engage in agricultural activities, trade, and money lending business. Vaishyas also can study the religious texts. The lowest caste in the Hindu society is that of Shudras. The only duty dispensed to the Shudras was that of service. They serve the people belonging to other three castes. Shudras are prohibited from studying religious texts. The Hindu caste system reflects the noti on that duties of an individual are determined by the caste to which he belongs.   A person born in a particular caste has to perform the duties, assigned to his caste. People belonging to one caste cannot perform the duties of people belonging to another caste. The only duty that is shared by these cases is the study of religious texts but that also among the castes of Brahmin, Ksatriya, and Vaishyas.  Hinduism also displays tendencies, according to which God is considered as one Supreme Being and the universe is created from one basic matter.