Friday, November 29, 2019

The Growth of Juliet Essay Example For Students

The Growth of Juliet Essay Both Romeo and Juliet obtain much growth throughout the play Romeoand Juliet. There are many different kinds of growth, whether physical,emotional etc. Yet Juliet obtains the most growth that is significant tothe play. The play is about many new experiences occurring to a familythat is used to old, die-hard violence, therefore experiential growth ismost important. Juliet is the central protagonist of the play because sheobtains more experiential growth than Romeo does. Juliet obtains the most growth mentally because she is a thirteen-year-old girl who has not yet escaped the protective wall of her family,unlike Romeo, who is already a free-minded roamer in a sense. For example,Lady Capulet says, Well, think of marriage now. Younger than you, here inVerona, ladies of esteem, are already made mothers. (I iii 75-77) This isshowing that the mother is forcing the issue of marriage upon Juliet whenshe is only thirteen. Also, Capulet says, Doth she not give us thanks?Is she not proud? (III iiiii 147-148) This shows that Juliet has grownmentally, or has started making decisions on her own, since Capulet isangry with her for refusing Paris. We will write a custom essay on The Growth of Juliet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Juliet also gains more growth than Romeo does physically. Most malesin that time have much uncontrolled sexual activity. An example is whenSampson says, I willthrust his maids to the wall. Romeo, being maleand a few years above puberty, has experience already with sexual activity,(not sex, just activity) Juliet is completely new at the entire concept,just having reached puberty. Also, Romeo has had physical feelings forother girls before. For example, he says, Show me a mistress that haspassing fare; (I i 243) Here he has already fallen in love with Rosalynand is soon to find Juliet. Juliet had not experienced physical attractionthat we know of before Romeo. Juliet has also gained more spiritual growth than Romeo has spiritualhaving to do with religion, good or bad. Neither Romeo nor Juliet seemedto be devoutly religious in the beginning, yet the closer to the end of theplay, the more spiritual Juliet becomes. For example, Juliet says Whatdevil art thou that dost torment me thus? This torture should be roared indismal hell. (III ii 49-50) Now this may not be very good spiritually,yet Juliet has gained a little non-holy spunk after meeting Romeo. Also,when the Friar says, Come. Ill dispose of thee among a sisterhood ofholy nuns. Stay not to question for the watch is coming. (V iii 161-163)Juliet responds negatively, refusing to become a nun. This is a spiritualdecision made by Juliet. While both Romeo and Juliet gain much growth, Juliet gains moreexperiential growth, which is more relative to the play. Since a centralprotagonist is the character that gains the most growth, and Juliet gainsthe most experiential growth, Juliet is the protagonist of the play.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Hot desert biome essays

Hot desert biome essays The hot desert biome is exactly as it sounds, hot and dry. The desert biome consists of 1/5 of the world. Most hot deserts are found towards the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Most hot and dry deserts do not have many plants. The plants they do have are mostly low down plants. These plants include some shrub and cactus like plants. The desert climate is different from other biomes as well. The desert is a very unique biome and has many characteristics that other biomes do not possess. The animals of a desert usually are nocturnal, meaning that they come out at night because the hot sun is too much to bear. Some animals have to live in caves for shelter from the sun as well as animals that must borough in the sand to stay cool. Some of these animals include the armadillo lizard, bobcat, rattle snakes, coyote, javelina, and the thorny devil. The vegetation of a desert is unlike any of the other biomes. Some of this vegetation includes cacti. Cacti are different because the actual plant holds the water inside itself for a long period of time. It also has spikes surrounding it for protection from predators going after its water supply. These plants also have a thick waxy covering itself protecting itself from water loss. The desert usually has cryptobiotic soil meaning that the soil is poor. Other plants include desert ironwood, Joshua tree, barrel cactus, and the creosote bush. The climate of a desert is also quite different from all other biomes. Dry desert climates are formed by high-pressure zones in which cold air descends. Then the descending air becomes warm but, instead of releasing rain, the heat from the ground evaporates the water before it can come down as rain. The ground is hot because the suns rays beat down on it directly overhead. There is not a lot of atmosphere to protect it from radiant energy. There is approximately one inch of rainfall in a dry desert per year. The ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Project scope mangement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project scope mangement - Assignment Example This scope statement gives an analysis of the details deliverables, product, explains the project approach, produces estimates, lists stakeholders and lists project controls (Kassab, Ormandjieva, Daneva, & Abran, 2007). Thirdly, the work breakdown structure (WBS) is created. This is a graphical representation of all work that requires to be done in the lifecycle of a project. It helps in for easy task assigning and action items. Once the WBS has been made, all scope statement updates should be made. Fourthly, scope verification is done by gaining acceptance of the scope statement by the project stakeholders. Information included in scope statement, the scope management plan, and WBS is analyzed and verified in order to avoid surprises in the project lifecycle (Kassab, Ormandjieva, Daneva, & Abran, 2007).Lastly, scope control is executed. Scope control methods entails change management policies, re-planning policies, scrutiny of variance of the project scope as implemented from the project scope, and management of the conditions of the deliverables employed. Scope control assists in assuring that scope creep, a large threat to project management achievement, does not

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Investment strategy for the Brighton office Essay

Investment strategy for the Brighton office - Essay Example Turnover 400,000831,609831,609831,609831,609 Profit 60,000166,322166,322166,322166,322 Design and Build Turnover 840,0001,440,0001,440,0001,440,0001,440,0001,440,000 Profit 100,800172,800172,800172,800172,800172,800 Project Management Turnover 350,000420,000504,000 Profit 70,00089,250113,400 Affordable Rural Housing Turnover 240,000600,000600,000600,000 Profit 24,00072,00072,00072,000 Speculative Developments Turnover Profit ------ Total Turnover 5,840,0007,440,0008,374,1099,359,7349,719,14010,107,017 Profit 525,800740,300892,9341,034,3621,078,2121,128,191 Turnover Per Annum in the 5 Years Beyond 2006: 9,000,000 Table 1.2 Expand Speculative Development and Forego Shopfitting 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Current Business Turnover 5,000,0005,250,0005,512,5005,788,1256,077,5316,381,408 Profit425,000446,250468,563491,991516,590542,420 Domestic Repairs and Maintenance Turnover 350,000350,000350,000350,000350,000 Profit -61,25061,25061,25061,25061,250...Also, expansion in the affordable rural housing sector is justified by the low supply in this sector. The difficulty in obtaining the necessary land and approval only makes the barrier to entry higher making this sector an attractive one. The outlook for the shopfitting market is bleak and is expected to pick up only in the medium and long term, amidst poor consumer sentiments (AMA Research 2005). However, moderate amount of investment is justified by the patronage of a regular client. Expansion in the speculative development market is justified by the low market supply (CPAT 2004). However, this segment is risky and therefore only moderate amount of investment is justified. The three tables below show the three feasible programmes, (1) expand shopfitting and forego speculative development, (2) expand speculative development and forego shopfitting, and (3) moderate amount of investment in both shopfitting and speculative development. As discussed ab ove, the third programme of moderate amount of investment in both shopfitting and speculative development is proposed. Product mix has been discussed previously as the earlier section has identified the most lucrative opportunities that the company can take advantage of. This paper recommends that the company infuse moderate investments in shopfitting and speculative development in order to maximize turnover.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Argument Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Benefits of Legalized Marijuana - Research Paper Example The evidence demonstrates that legalizing cannabis for medicinal in addition to general purposes would prove a benefit to society, evidence which is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena but this collective knowledge has yet to be acted upon. The economic feasibility of decriminalizing marijuana has become a much-discussed subject in recent years. The federal government presently spends a lot of capital on law enforcement to combat distributors and producers of drugs. By legalizing drugs this could eradicate much of the profit, bloodshed, and corruption of that trade. If legalizing drugs is to have a positive effect on the crime rate, drugs must be made both inexpensive and available. Studies have repetitively suggested that prohibiting marijuana in the U.S. has not shown to be efficient or effective. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, â€Å"U.S. ... â€Å"Many critics argue that the increased toughness of that policy has done more harm than good. Some go so far as to suggest that drugs should simply be legalized† (Caulkins, et al. 2005). If marijuana were legalized, governments would have the ability to regulate quality and, like alcohol, the ages allowed to purchase and the ability to add safety warnings to help educate users. People in this country who only use small amounts of marijuana have routinely been arrested and jailed for mere possession; actions that don’t take drugs off the streets or persuade more people to quit using them. At the same time, imprisoning those who possess marijuana creates a burden on society as tax dollars must be increased to support these people who are no longer free to secure employment outside prison. The domino effect of this circumstance puts more children and their families onto the welfare role, contributing to their consequential failure and dependence on society. (â€Å"En gland.† 2006) â€Å"In the United States, drug use is illegal and the police hunt down drug users to throw them in prison. Four thousand people died from illegal drugs in the US last year and we now have more than 600,000 people in prison on drug charges.†Ã‚  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Define The Word Digital Forgery

Define The Word Digital Forgery According to Merriam-Webster, forgery is defined as the crime of falsely and fraudulently making or altering a document (Forgery, Merriam-Webster). So therefore, digital forgery involves falsely altering digital contents such as pictures and documents. Digital forgery has occurred for many years and still remains a relevant topic today. We see it every day in newspapers, magazines, the television, and even the internet. Whether altering the way someone looks, using digital photography in a courtroom, or even bringing a celebrity back from the dead, digital photography and digital television stimulate countless questions and queries about the ethics and morals of digital forgery, with respect to todays technology, and the involvement of digital forgery in our daily lives. The questions that arise because of digital forgery can be addressed and evaluated successfully only through consideration of the history, usage, and ethics of digital forgery in order to determine how and in what wa ys restriction or limitation of digital forgery should occur. Figure Understanding the history of photography and digital forgery helps one realize exactly how digital forgery became a commonly utilized method. Photography dates back to as far as 1826 when a French inventor, Joseph Nicephore Niepce, produced the first everlasting photograph (Photograph, Wikipedia). As time went on, photography got more advanced and more complicated. Soon enough, color photographs were being produced. The first color photograph was produced by a Scottish physicist named James Clerk Maxwell (Photograph, Wikipedia). After the production of color photograph came the invention of film, which led to instant cameras, automatic cameras, and finally digital cameras. Digital photography started first in 1951 with a video tape recorder that produced live images from television cameras by altering the information into electrical impulses and then saving the data onto a magnetic tape (Inventors). Several years later, in the 1960s, NASA used similar technology when they stop ped using analog and began to utilize digital signal with their space probes to map the surface of the moon. This led to the government usage of digital technology with spy satellites and then finally led to digital photography. The first filmless camera was created by Texas Instruments in 1972 followed by the release of the first commercial electronic still camera, the Sony Mavica, in August 1981 (Inventors). The ability to create digital photographs opened up the doors for producing counterfeit images and made it easier for this to be done. However, it wasnt the first time weve seen manipulation in pictures. As a matter of fact, photo manipulation dates back to the 1860s when a picture of John C. Calhoun was edited to have his body with the head of Abraham Lincoln (Photo Manipulation, Wikipedia). Digital forgery escalated in severity during World War II when Joseph Stalin altered photographs for propaganda purposes. For instance, there was a picture taken of Joseph Stalin and NKVD leader Nikolai Yezhov. After Yezhov was executed, the picture was rereleased with Yezhov missing. The photo was manipulated using censors. Figure 1 depicts the before and after pictures regarding this instance. In another case, John Heartfield, who utilized a photo altering technique called photomontage, mocked Adolf Hilter and the Nazis in order to demoralize their misinformed purpose (Photo Manipulation, Wikipedia). The use of digital photography has made it a lot easier for one to manipulate photos today. A program that is exceptionally recognizable is Adobe Photoshop. This is the software used by Adnan Hajj, who manipulated pictures and published them during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict (2006 Lebanon War Photographs Controversies, Wikipedia). Some of the pictures depicted an emphasis of the aftermath of an IDF attack on Beriut. Another one resembled a photograph of an IAF F-16 flying over Southern Lebanon deploying multiple missiles, when it really only deployed one missile (Adnan Hajj Photographs Controversy, Wikipedia). These pictures were removed and Hajj admitted to editing the pictures. After understanding the history and numerous uses of digital forgery, one can begin to assess the ethics involved with digital forgery.http://www.youropinionsarewrong.com/images/random/stalin-airbrush.jpg Based on the previous history and utilization of digital forgery, several relevant questions arise: What ethics are associated with digital forgery? Is digital forgery generally right or wrong? Who or what should take the blame for misleading digital forgery? Should we ever fully believe anything we see anymore in pictures? What can be done about digital forgery? Unfortunately, none of these questions have definite, factual answers. Rather, opinions permeate the essence of the responses to these questions. The significance and validity of each question and response can only be determined by the reader. With the current availability in photo-editing technology, one can alter almost anything in a picture. Often, despite the obvious ethical dilemmas that arise from digital forgery, the individual himself or herself is solely responsible for how cases of digital forgery are evaluated. However, even opinionated evaluation of digital forgery can lead to judgments, laws, rules, limitations, and restrictions on the future of digital forgery, making the ethics involved in digital forgery a necessary topic to consider. In general, is the idea of digital forgery ethically acceptable? To determine whether altering an image is right or wrong, we must establish the reason for which the image is being used. Adjusting a photo for the news, whether digitally or otherwise is most likely not ethical, even though there are understandable exceptions for alteration, such as editing a picture to brighten the details, reduce the blur of a street sign in the distance, or other similar examples. In contrast to the previous application of digital forgery, an image that serves the purpose of providing evidence regarding a crime scene or creature would preferably be void of digital forgery except to bring out inherent detail already contained in the photo. In general though, the majority of digital forgery occurs because digitally altered pictures often appeal to the viewers eyes. As long as these images are not used to mislead, then I believe that digitally altered images are ethically permissible as long as they la ck malicious intent or potential. Another fact to consider regarding this question involves the broad utilization of digital forgery in current times. Picture-editing software often comes readily installed with most current computers, meaning that most people with current computers or lap tops have access to technology for digital editing. Social networking websites, such as facebook.com and myspace.com, give users the ability to post up almost any type of picture or photo, regardless of whether the picture has undergone some type of alteration. Though often misleading, especially in the cases of digital forgery with pictures of the actual user, the question of whether the altering of the picture itself is right or wrong depends on the users viewing the image and their opinions. Depending on the intent of those who partake in digital forgery, the misleading appearances of digital forgery could potentially be detrimental to the other people. Hypothetically, a user of a social network ing website might try to establish a relationship with another user based on the viewing of digitally altered pictures or photographs of that user. What is conveyed on a computer screen with a digitally forged picture may differ greatly from the actual appearance of a user, and this will likely cause a variety of problems for users who try and establish a relationship that is even partially based on the appearance of the other user. However, the user with the altered picture benefits in the sense that he or she increases the likelihood of establishing a relationship with another person based on the digitally altered picture and not the truthful portrayal of that person in reality. Whether the previous situation is overall benevolent or detrimental for both users can only be determined by those users, and whether this application of digital forgery is generally right or wrong can only be determined by an unbiased opinion of another person. Since no test or definite way to prove wheth er an application of digital forgery is generally right or wrong, the decision regarding the ethics of such situations ultimately falls on the individual. Yet, if a ubiquitous verdict is reached conveying that some usage of digital forgery is unethical, who or what should take the blame? Almost indubitably, no individual desires taking blame for any type of situation, regardless of who was responsible for any discommodity associated with the situation. So in reference to the detrimental effects of digital forgery, who or what should be at fault? To understand even the possibilities of who or what should be at fault for negative effects of digital forgery, one must consider the wide array of factors influencing that usage of digital forgery. Technology plays a pivotal role in digital forgery. Because of technology, digital forgery often lacks credibility and believability. Advancements in technology allow people today to alter almost any picture to their preferred specifications, often still believable, but untrue and therefore misleading. Technology, in many ways, provides the means by which digital forgers are capable of producing altered pictures or photographs. However, another point to consider involves the fact that human beings are responsible for these advance ments in technology that allow digital forgery to be accomplished with ease. Though maybe not directly responsible, the people who provide the software or technology for common people to digitally forge do, in a way, provide access to digital forging opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Another influencing factor to consider is societys usage of digital forgery. Magazines, newspapers, websites, and a plethora of other media portray digitally forged pictures, photographs, and images. Countless recalls and cases have formed around excessively exaggerated pictures in magazines and newspapers. Though often not intentionally detrimental, society does place pressure on individuals actions. For example, magazines influence other magazines to use digitally altered pictures. As yet another example, people often succumb to the pressures of being slim and obtaining the socially desired model bodies that society conventionally expects and conveys through magazines and othe r such media. This may cause individuals to take action by harming themselves through unhealthy weight loss practices or even partaking in digital forgery themselves. But since it is ultimately one individual or a group of individuals that are directly responsible for the digital forgery of a specific image, one must consider whether the fault of digital forgery should lie within the individual or group of individuals that directly altered the image itself. Obviously, blaming the misleading or detrimental digitally forged image itself can provide no compensation for those effected in a destructive manner, so only by placing blame on an individual, a group of individuals, technology, society, or other possible culprits can victims of the detrimental effects of digital forgery hope to acquire some type of compensation. Legal action can be taken regarding digital forgery, but the decision of the courtroom or judge can not universally determine who or what should bear the full or partia l burden of blame regarding digital forgery. Unfortunately, once again, who or what is at fault for malevolent results of digital forgery can only be determined by the individual. But disregarding who or what is to blame for digitally forged images, if so many images are truly so misleading, to what extent should people believe what they see in digital images? The existence of some guidelines for what people should believe and not believe when viewing digital images would seem beneficial. Any digital image, or even non-digital images in some cases, present details to a viewer that are not necessarily readily distinguishable from reality. Basically, an individual often finds it difficult to determine whether an image has been digitally altered or not. Very few ways exist of distinguishing a picture that has been altered from a picture that has undergone no such alteration. Because of this fact, viewers of images are often rightfully suspicious of the details conveyed by images. By being too suspicious however, one might neglect to realize the beauty or significance of an image that contains no digital alteration, and this beauty or significance might have been comprehended if one simply was not so suspicious of image details. So, once again, there exists no such guidelines in regards to the extent one should give credibility to an image oth er than the opinions and personal beliefs of the individual. I, being an individual myself, possess personal beliefs on the ethics, credibility, and accountability of digital forgery. My personal beliefs regarding digital forgery possess heavy influence from my past experiences. While pursuing my degree in computer engineering and simply experiencing the world in general, I have come to several personal conclusions about digital forgery. Regarding the ethics of digital forgery, I believe that digitally altered images that are intended to please the viewers aesthetic preferences and are generally benevolent should be ethically permissible. Images that do otherwise or basically digitally forged images that are intentionally malicious or mislead the viewer into believing a false aspect should be subject to some form of compensatory action and are unethical. With reference to who or what is to blame for the detrimental consequences of digital forgery, I feel that the person who digitally altered the image should be held accountable for his or her pessimistic intentions if it truly did result in someone being harmed through viewing that image. And considering how suspi cious or to what extent people should assign reliability to images in current times, I feel that most images should simply be appreciated and not analyzed with scrutiny. The images I feel that people should be suspicious of include those conveying evidence in a crime scene, details supporting assumptions about some phenomenon, or details that persuade an individual to believe an aspect not previously assumed or proved by other corroborations or support. Of course, as in almost all cases, there remain exceptions to my beliefs depending on the details of the situation itself just as there exist exceptions to almost every rule, law, or belief of mankind. My ethical standards concerning digital forgery basically revolves more around the situation in which digital forgery was used and less on the actual digitally forged image itself. Therefore, my ethical views remain dependent on the situation itself in which digital forgery was used before I can make a finalized ethical decision, and I feel that people should adopt a similar system of perception and inspection so all that cases of digital forgery are evaluated successfully. After understanding the history, ethics, and forming well-informed opinions concerning digital forgery, the question one would likely ponder now is: What can be done to stop the unnecessary use of digital forgery? Several steps have already been taken to stop distasteful digital forgery. Webster University Journal came up with a policy for the ethical use of photographs. They published that the manipulation of photographs is commonly allowed when adjusting the brightness and contrast of the photo, burning and dodging to control the tonal range, correcting the color, cropping a frame to fit a certain layout, and retouching either dust or scratches from the photo. The policy further explains that there are certain manipulation techniques that should never be allowed. These include adding, moving, or removing objects within the frame, changing the color other than to restore what the picture originally looked like, cropping a frame in order to alter its meaning, flopping an image either left or right reversal, and finally painting a photograph in other than its true orientation (Webster). These policies are very ethical in the sense that one can still alter images as an artistic sense, but when it comes to proof, evidence, or publishing, the policies are very accurate and maintain credibility. When using a photograph in a published document, images that are manipulated are often used but should be labeled a certain way. The editor simple cannot include an altered picture and hope the readers assume the picture is edited. Altered pictures should be labeled as a photo illustration and shall never be represented as news photographs. Also, there are cameras out now with special technology to avoid digital forgery. Examples of this include cameras that digitally print a custom signature at the bottom of every picture that is taken and processed. This goal of these specially designed cameras is to stop people from not only stealing what could be copyrighted and publishe d material but also to prevent it from being manipulated and used in media and the courtroom. In fact, many courtrooms prefer evidence and take photographic evidence only with the special signature. Another example is an image authentication system the uses fingerprint technology. The creator of many imaging products today, Epson, previously created new image authentication software that was installed in many of their digital cameras. These cameras function by automatically imprinting a photo with an invisible digital fingerprint immediately after the photo is taken. Since the fingerprint is implanted in the image file, the image can then be verified as unedited and all natural by a computer with the software installed (Digital Cameras). This leads to another way to stop malicious digital forgery, with certain software. The most popular known software that lets users edit digital images is Adobe Photoshop. This software had previously been frequently brought up in scandals of images being altered as forgery. Recently, Adobe created a way for users to still use their product for artistic and personal use, but also for publishing use. They created a suite of photo-authentication tools that released in 2008. Basically, it is a plug-in that users install onto their Photoshop software that adds two photo authentication tools to the program (Wired.com). The first one is the Clone Tool Detector and it determines whether a section in a picture is too similar to another part of a picture. The other tool is the Truth Dots tool, which determines whether there are any missing pixels in a digital image. Determining if the pixels are missing results in a sign that the picture has been cropped, which cannot be noticed by that human eye (MandarinMusing.com). Of course, all these things can help in stopping digital image forgery, but pictures that have been taken without the special authentication signatures or fingerprints, or images edited without Photoshops plug-ins still l ack a system to prevent digital forgery. This can be solved with other special software that can detect digital image forgeries. Today, there are many companies who have produced software that have the ability to detect traces of digital image manipulation without relying on the signatures and watermarks. As a computer science doctoral thesis proposal, Micha Kimo Johnson, of Dartmouth College, created three digital image analysis tools to detect digital image forgery. These consist of illuminant direction, specularity, and chromatic aberration (Network World). The illuminant direction tools focus on the light sources of the image. It looks for consistency through the entire picture and different shadows. The light source is not limited to only sun light but also light from electricity. If the sources of light in the image were not in the same direction, the tool would detect the inconsistencies. The other tool is the specularity tool, which basically analyzes the reflective highligh ts in a picture. For example, if a picture of a group of people were taken and someone was digitally added to the image, the tool would detect the reflection in the eyes of all people in the picture and identify that someone was added. The last tool is the chromatic aberration tool, which scans images based on the camera lens used. When a digital picture is taken, natural distortion occurs and is presented on the image. The tool will identify if any of the distortions do not match the surrounding and categorize the image as a forged copy (Network World). Collectively, there exist numerous ways of detecting digital forgery through the use of specialized software, which helps to inhibit the malicious use of digital forgery. Conclusively, the issue of digital forgery has caused controversy for many years, yet recent advances in technology have helped to detect and discourage unethical uses of digital forgery. Since the creation of photography, photographic manipulation started and led into the forgery of images. Digital forgery has been apparent from the time when Soviet officials would disappear from authorized photographs in World War II to current times as we commonly view countless altered pictures in magazines, depicting celebrities with flawless skin and enhanced physiques. There exist ways to prevent digital forgery, such as special cameras that add signatures and invisible fingerprints when they are digitally processed, special programs plug-ins that prevent the altering of images, and even special software that can detect whether a picture is forged or not. While complete termination of digital forgery is nearly impossible, prevention of digital forgery and its reckless usage is quite possible. However, the altering of digital images is now not only used to deceive, but it has been incorporated into an artistic movement in which people manipulate images to represent different aspects of life for non-harmful purposes. Though it might technically be classified as digital forgery, it only becomes an problem when these forged images are used for the media or as evidence in courtroom. The history, evidence, discussion of ethics, and preventative methods for digital forgery helps inspire this encompassing idea: the manipulation of digital images is not necessarily unethical because of the abundance of benevolent or neutral alteration of photos, yet digital forgery with a criminal or malicious motive can most definitely be classified as unethical, for which identification systems exist to discourage and prevent detrimental digital forgery.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

student :: essays research papers

1 'Taking A Brand Global: Ten Steps To Success'; I. Introduction: The Importance of Being Global A strong global brand is a powerful weapon. These days, however, it may also be an indispensable one, even as the economy challenges our faith in brands to deliver a profit. According to Interbrand's 'World's Most Valuable Brands 2000'; study, for example, although Amazon's share price has declined, its brand value has increased by 233%. On the other hand, international power player Coca-Cola, although still the world's #1 brand, saw its value drop by 13%. And technology brands did quite well— Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and Nokia placed second through fifth—not at all foreshadowing the precipitous crash in their stock prices about half a year after the study findings were released. Overall, notes marketing writer Jane Bainbridge in Marketing [20 July 2000], Interbrand's second annual study of this kind reveals not only that global brands are 'stable assets,'; but also that 'the most valuable brands are global.'; In fact, she argues, 'to have a billion-dollar brand, a company has to be global.'; II. Branding As The New 'Universal Language'; Based on a recent survey of more than forty-five thousand people across nineteen countries, Young & Rubicam makes a rather startling claim. In its newest Brand Asset Valuator report, issued in March 2001, the firm asserts that brands have taken on a godlike status: consumers find greater meaning in them and the values they espouse than in religion. As Conor Dignam reports in Ad Age Global [12 March 2001], the study claims that superbrands like Calvin Klein, Gatorade, IKEA, Microsoft, MTV, Nike, Virgin, Sony PlayStation, and Yahoo! can therefore also be called 'belief brands.'; Although Dignam argues against the idea that consumers would treat brands as gods (because they will not be dictated to by them), he does accept the implications of the argument and make a different analogy. Brands, he says, are more like 'best friends,'; in that they are an important part of people's lives, do carry specific meanings for the consumer, and they are respected or rejected based on how well they keep their promises. Yet whether one calls them gods or 'best friends,'; brands have clearly started to take on greater importance in consumers' lives. In fact, they have gone from objects with identity to identities in the guise of objects. The trend has gone so far, in fact, that people are beginning to speak the language of brands and even to market themselves as brands in their own right. There is more than one book in print along the lines of Brand Yourself [Ballantine, 2000] devoted strictly to the notion that the

Monday, November 11, 2019

Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. Essay

Executive Summary Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a number of issues regarding its product management, marketing channels, marketing campaigns, pricing, sales force, technology, and its customer service lately. Profits are down and sales have declined over the last year. Mr. Hudson McDonald is the owner and Chief Financial Officer of the Outdoor Products and sees the need for change. Mr. McDonald is in control of the sales force and believes that sales are a weakness for the company. Mr. McDonald is curious to know how he can increase sales and profits for the company without completely changing the organization. There are many changes that can occur to improve the position of the company. Rectifying many of the departments weaknesses are key ways to help turn things around for Mr. McDonald and Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. Some changes are minor and others will take more time to incorporate. The business has a great sales base already but needs to explore new markets and find ways to penetrate those markets. Outdoor will need to shift resources around in production and marketing to make things possible. Finally customer service and technology will help improve the standing among the customers that are already loyal and help with successfully satisfying customer needs. I. Product Management Mr. Hudson McDonald being the President and chief operating officer of Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a few issues that may need to be addressed when dealing with Product Management. While a product manager should actually be in charge of this area. Mr. McDonald would undoubtedly be informed of some of these issues and decisions involved. Product management should never lose sight of 4 distinct areas: the target market, the intricacies of the product, what the business needs in order to succeed, and how to measure that success (van der Merwe). Mr. McDonald claimed that â€Å"with a few exceptions, Outdoor’s customers had little or no brand preference.† This is a terrible assumption to make when dealing with someone’s products. Mr. McDonald and the product manager should be looking into ways that can make the brand and products have more loyal customers. Apparently customers don’t view the products as setting themselves apart from the others to start ex clusively buying from Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. This would also deal with marketing. However, the products themselves need to actually be a quality product that the customers will appreciate and want to re-buy. The manufacturing of products looked like an area that could use a little work. While there is no numbers in the case indicating the costs of manufacturing; the percentages of where the products are coming from could be fixed a bit. 50% of the company’s volume came from imported products. This is an area where Outdoor could perhaps increase its self-manufactured products to perhaps increase revenues or gain more control over the process. Increasing self-manufactured products could mean growth  in manufacturing factories. There could be future growth within the company if things start to turn around a bit. This could result in space being an issue. These areas of issues can be easily fixed actually and can even help each other. A higher quality product will most likely be self-manufactured rather than imported. This can increase brand and customer loyalty. This also increases revenues in the end. Importing 50% of the volume and only have 35% self made can be a bit different. The company should perhaps 50% self made and 35% imported. This could help Outdoor control the process of manufacturing which increases the quality of the product. Even if this did end up costing a bit more, starting secure a preference from the customers could be a significant boost to the company. Growing the production process will be necessary at some point if the company starts getting issues figured out. Looking at the future, there will most likely need to be more space to manufacture Outdoor products. There will most likely be a need to build and increase production. Buying space will be a real idea that will need to be addressed. Perhaps doing so in the Midwest area in order to extend the reach of the company and increase the presence in an area that has a large amount of hunters and fishers. II. Marketing Channels There are a few very real problems with Outdoor Sporting’s marketing channels. â€Å"The route that the product takes on its way from production to the consumer is important because a marketer must decide which route or channel is best for his particular product† (Blunt). The first issue is that they have very little presence in large metropolitan areas. The reasoning behind it was poor customer coverage. While poor customer coverage could be a real issue within the large metropolitan areas; that doesn’t mean that the market is impenetrable. There are some real customers that are perhaps being overlooked by Outdoor by not attempting as hard in this market. Outdoor’s share of the market is only 2% to 3%. This is an area that has a definite need for improvement. There are customers out there that simply aren’t having the chance to purchase Outdoor’s products. Discount Stores are also being untouched. Mr. McDonald claims that there  has been a growth over the last 10 years in discount stores yet Outdoor Sporting Products has not developed a presence in these stores. It has been blamed on the pricing policy and the amount of pressure that customers put on the salespeople. While these issues also need to be addressed; it is still a poor business strategy to not follow the trend of the market. The market shifting to more discount store oriented means that Outdoor needs to find a way to put its products in these stores. People won’t even see your product in a discount store resulting in less brand awareness. One final issue in marketing channels is how distribution is set up. Every item is shipped from the factory and warehouse in Albany, New York. This could limit the organization in distributing their product. Every sale and every product has to be routed through the same place. While it might not be an issue at this time; it could become one if the company grows. Outdoor products will need to stay ahead of its growth from a manufacturing standpoint. There are some very realistic solutions to these problems. When it comes to dealing in large metropolitan areas. I would advise trying to start having a presence there. This can be done by allowing time for your salespeople to develop a presence there. Perhaps hit large retail chains within large metropolitan areas. It can be beneficial in that it helps with brand awareness and also opens up to a market that is not being utilized. Another solution is to start developing a presence at discount stores. If these stores are where the market is moving, then the company needs to shift with the market as well. Standing still will result in lost profits. Salespeople will need more time for these areas. Decreasing sales in stores of small to medium size from the already 6,000 could free up time. Reducing the amount to 4,000 stores and then putting yourself in 500 major retail locations could be beneficial. Then add another 500-1000 discount related locations and develop these areas. After time re-evaluate and see how things are going and what will need to be done. Also, pricing options will need to be addressed as well but will be explained a bit more in the pricing section. Distribution could be addressed with another warehouse. Another distribution warehouse could also perhaps help in customer satisfaction by decreasing shipping times and perhaps putting less stress on the existing  shipping and manufacturing employees. It could payoff in the future but will need to be done at the right time. It is always good to think about the future but perhaps increasing right away may not need to be done until business starts to pick up a bit as well. III. Marketing Campaigns Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. and Mr. McDonald are making a very huge mistake in marketing. The organization is not utilizing marketing to full way that it should be. Outdoor did not use magazine, newspaper, or radio advertising to reach either the retail trade or the consumer. This puts a strain on the sales force to be the marketers. While it might save some money; Outdoor is not attracting customers by having the salespeople be the major role in marketing. Magazine, newspaper, and radio advertisings do not reach near the audience as some other mediums but they are much cheaper and can still play a major role. Newspaper ads and magazine ads especially can be a difference maker in hunting and fishing. There are numerous hunting magazines and they play a major role in outdoor product purchases. Hunters and fishers will likely be more likely to buy gear that is supported in their favorite hunting magazine than something that is not in the magazine. The merchandising catalogue that Outdoor Sporting Products puts out every year can be useful today but also needs to be evaluated. Customers today tend to much of their purchases outside of catalogues. Catalogues are not what they used to be, especially with the internet being around. While it might be useful to some customers, there needs to be an evaluation of what that catalogue is costing to what it is bringing in. Improving marketing should be a must. â€Å"Marketing programs, though widely varied, are all aimed at convincing people to try out or keep using particular products or services† (Marketing 101). Start advertising in fish and game magazines to improve the marketing of the products. â€Å"By concentrating your efforts on one or a few key market segments, you’ll reap the most from small investments† (Marketing 101). Targeting fish and game magazines are a perfect strategy. It will definitely not hurt the company and should be relatively cheap compared to other means of marketing. Newspaper ads and radio ads can be secondary to the magazine ads but should  still be utilized. This is a good way for people to have brand recognition. Even the name being said in the background of someone’s radio can make all the difference in reputation. Marketing cannot be pushed to the back. Get marketing out of the salespeople’s hands. The product catalogue can be useful for re-buys it says but is not a good marketing tool if it is only successful in re-buys. The catalogue can still be produced but only make it available to the customers who actually use them, or at least want to use them. There’s no use in sending out 10,000 magazines for example if only 1,000 customers use them. Utilizing the internet can be very useful in this area to eliminate wasted magazine catalogues. Product catalogues are an outdated way of doing business and should eventually be scrapped all together as a way of doing business at Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. IV. Pricing The pricing of the products is having a direct negative result on Outdoors sale of products. â€Å"Deciding on the price is difficult because, in addition to the physical factors of cost and profit, price is subject to psychological factors, some of which are out of your company’s control† (Kalb). Outdoor Sporting Product Inc. gets its products from self manufacturing, importing, and domestic companies. Outdoor naturally has a markup of their products in order to make a profit and also pay for the products and employees. The problem though is the amount of markup that is being used on the products being sold. The markup is too high, especially for the trends of the market. Mr. McDonald reported that there was a markup of 50% to 100% on Outdoor’s cost for the item. The average markup across all products averages out to 70%. This markup has worked for Outdoor products but will need to be adjusted. Mr. McDonald himself has claimed that the customers are shifting more towards a discount store customer. Maintaining a 70% markup average could make things difficult when trying to spread into discount stores. The markup might be a result of a few different issues including shipping, manufacturing, and distribution issues as well. It is not put at 70% strictly because of profits. There has to be better ways to be able to lower the markup pricing though. Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. needs to find ways to develop business into  discount stores. Having a 70% markup simply won’t be very sensible. Outdoor will need to lower markup at these stores in order to develop a relationship with these customers. Outdoor needs to find a way to become profitable with around a 50% to 60% markup average across all products. This would lower prices which were a problem with developing markets in discount stores. â€Å"When you are pricing your products, what gives you control over the price is the uniqueness built into your positioning, or branding, strategy† (Kalb). Also, the development of another warehouse or manufacturing center in another location would lower shipping costs in general also. These could help lower the prices of Outdoor products. Each area can help another part of the company by fixing the issues. V. Sales and Sales Force Management The sales force is one of the biggest problems within Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. The case appears to be a straight compensation structure, but analysis of the information in the case quickly leads to the conclusion that a number of other issues are also involved, including training salespeople, evaluating sales performance, determining sales potential and territories, and the relationship between the sales function and overall marketing strategy. The salesmen with a guaranteed salary have a significantly higher than average earnings to sales ratio. The incentive plans currently in existence have several weaknesses. Some of the plans require that the salesman be in the territory the previous year to be eligible for payment of a bonus. This provides zero incentive for a first-year person and makes it possible to so the next year can provide a large bonus. The compensation is not working currently and needs to be addressed. Compensation could be changed by having a lower guaranteed salary. Eliminating some of the sales incentives such as the yearly improvement incentive could be productive. Start giving the salespeople a chance to really excel at selling products and help with money in the area of commission. The first four parts of the selling formula are routinely found in the catalog carried by the salespeople. It is questionable that knowing these  four pieces of information on all 700 items is worthwhile. Perhaps more knowledge of customer needs and benefits that the customer could derive from the products sold by the company would result in increased pride in the job and sales. It can be seen that the entire sales group needs additional training, and plans should be made to provide for training on an ongoing basis. Perhaps Mr. McDonald could use his best salesperson in the role of sales training. It is apparent that he is doing a much better sales job than any of his colleagues. The improved training for salespeople can only lead to more a efficient and motivated sales force. With the results of recent sales, it would be a good idea to take a close look at the practice of having the salespeople plan their own itineraries and the time to be spent on each sale. Although having each salesperson handle some parts of the job is normally usually a good idea, the results show that the salespeople may need some help in this area. The reporting system used now can provide a helpful data base to make these salespeople more effective in this area. Mr. McDonald leading the sales team could be a potential problem from some salespeople’s perspective. Mr. McDonald can lead the sales team but will need to perhaps make a few changes to his approach. His sales formula can still be utilized if he wants it to be but the amount of time and effort put in with Monday sales calls and daily reports could be counterproductive. There will need to be a better way of checking in with salespeople and dealing with daily reports. Perhaps have another sales team director who can deal with day to day operations while Mr. McDonald can deal with marketing and sales strategy. VI. Implementation of Technology Technology is underutilized within Outdoor Sporting Inc. There is no real mention of internet sales or how technology is utilized to make the organization successful. This leads to believe that technology is not an area of focus by this organization. The technology used by consumers today is indicative of how a company like Outdoor should be doing business. Using internet sales might affect sales of the sales force but can be seen as an upgrade in customer service in dealing with customer wants and needs. â€Å"The  Internet allows communication in two ways: static communication through Web pages, and dynamic communication through information being exchanged† (Golden). The company seems to deal with sales today strictly through catalogues and salespeople. Customer satisfaction would seem to increase if they could use the internet to help deal with their needs. Technology alone can improve the shipping process as well. Salespeople calling and handing in reports of sales could take time that could be used in manufacturing or shipping products. Even eliminating a day off of processing sales can make all the difference in the world to a store. Just looking to the future alone should indicate that technology will need to be utilized more than it is now. With technology advancing and new generations of customers who utilize technology, it would be wise to start using technology as a company as well. Develop an online catalogue or ways to process sales online. Online sales today are a major market and Outdoor is missing out on these customers by focusing on how to deal with salespeople. Even having salespeople utilize the online site with their customers could be beneficial to both sides. It could speed up processing and perhaps allow more time for salespeople to travel to other customers. There will always be technology that can speed up manufacturing and processing and it should never be overlooked. In this instance though, the shortcomings in utilizing the internet and network systems seems to be a mistake. â€Å"Networking systems allows users to communicate through traditional voice and video in a secure system† (Golden). Technology could really help streamline the buying process for customers. VII. Customer Service and Support Customer Service and Support should be staples of the organization especially within the sales force. Sales are regarded as some of the tougher jobs in dealing with people. Having great customer service skills can make the difference between making sales and looking for a different job. The lack of training and uniformity in this area for the salespeople is a cause for concern. There are potential sales that could be missed but the company doesn’t know how the salespeople are dealing with customers. The case doesn’t mention a customer service department but there is most  likely some customer support somewhere in the organization. If Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. starts to grow, customer service will be depended upon to maintain happy and loyal customers along the way. Training of the sales staff will be vital for increasing customer service and support among the salespeople. Sales depend on customer service and support. Commission based salaries depend on employees being good with people. The best salesperson is doing something right at Outdoor and needs to be utilized in order to train other employees. Perhaps his customer skills are something that should be used by everyone. â€Å"Customer service is that personal encounter, whether it be via email, telephone or in person. How you conduct that personal experience determines whether you create a customer that has loyalty towards your place of business† (Lake). There will need to be a customer service department for complaints from customers. The distribution channels will often times complain to the sales team but customers of the products will most likely want to deal with people in the company. This is where a customer service department needs to be key. Saving customers can help save and maintain loyal customers. This is where there will be employees that need to dealing with customers needs and relaying the ideas to other departments. Customer service is about improving the company by satisfying a customer’s wants and needs. VIII. Conclusion Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. have done a great job at setting up a great company with a potential to be profitable. While the case wants to deal a lot with compensation of the sales force, there are many areas that need to be improved. Mr. Hudson needs to realize that it is time for the company to develop along with the market and take the company to the next stage. Outdoor has become a bit stagnant and will have to change each of the areas listed above to an extent to return to profitability. There will undoubtedly be growth. Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a great company that is ready to take the next step to become a major sporting product company. Mr. Hudson just needs to help develop the company to help it reach its potential. References Blunt, L. (n.d.). Types of Marketing Channels. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-marketing-channels-21627.html Golden, R. (n.d.). How Today’s Technology Is Used in Business to Communicate. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/todays-technology-used-business-communicate-27351.html Kalb, I. (2013, October 2). Three Ways Companies Decide The Price Of A Product. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/3-powerful-pricing-strategies-businesses-should-always-consider-2013-10 Lake, L. (n.d.). What Role Does Customer Service Play in Marketing? Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://marketing.about.com/od/relationshipmarketing/qt/What-Role-Does-Customer-Service-Play-In-Marketing.htm Marketing 101. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2014, from https://www.sba.gov/content/marketing-101-basics References Continued Van der Merwe, R. (2014, September 17). Why Companies Need Full-Time Product Managers – Smashing Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/09/17/why-companies-need-full-time-product-managers/

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Costa Rica By: Micah Shibley Ever since I got home from my trip to Costa Rica I haven’t been able to take my mind off the amazing things I did there. Whenever I’m at school learning stuff I already now or stuff I have no idea what it means I just image myself snorkeling or taking a hike or watching animals in the wild that I normally have to go the zoo to see. I have decided that I am going to save all the money I get or make for when I’m older so I can go back.I know your probably thinking Micah your only 13 years old and you are already saving money for something you are probably not even gonna do. I just can’t get Costa Rica off my mind and I went 2 years ago!!!!!! So I’m gonna try to write some of my ideas for the future down. High school class ideas: * Spanish * Art * Theater * Language Arts * Math * Choir * Social Studies * English * ScienceThis is the trickiest thing I think because I can’t go to college in Costa Rica well I can only I don’t want to and I promised my best friend Tayah that we would share an apartment through are college years only what if I meet an amazing guy or get an awesome job So now I’m going to write some places I might go to college†¦ * Portland State University * Oregon State University * University of Portland * Lewis and Clark College * University of Oregon * University of Virginia * University of Idaho * Harvard University * University of New YorkOkay I also was thinking about once I go to Costa Rica how am I gonna make money to stay there? I have a couple good ideas but I don’t know†¦ * Yoga Instructor * Tour Guide * Waitress * Art Teacher * Therapist * Kid Doctor * Life Guard * Professional Soccer Player * Owner of a Gift Shop Now I’m going to write everything that I remember even the littlest details from that trip. Ok here it goes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ When we first touched down in Costa Rica (sorry can’t remember the c ity name) I will never forget the humidity and warmth!!!!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Pulp Fiction essays

Pulp Fiction essays One movie that I always wanted to see and never did was Pulp Fiction. I heard that it was an excellent movie. I rented it the other day and saw it. The rage going around about the movie was true it was fantastic. Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster follow-up to Reservoir Dogs is a breathtaking tribute to old dime store novels about small time hoods and dangerous criminals. It features deftly woven plotlines, creating a mythic Los Angeles underworld of drug dealers, molls, affable hit men, restaurant-robbing lovers, and a boxer out to scam the mob on his last professional bout. This is the film that put Travolta back on the map as a major box-office draw in the 90's and officially established Samuel L. Jackson as a superstar. It also inspired a seemingly endless slew of dreadful imitators. The plot jumps around a fair bit, moving between past and present. The movie begins with a pair of small-time hoods who call each other Honey Bunny and Pumpkin (Amanda Plummer, Tim Roth) and they are eating in a diner they are about to rob. Next come the two hit men, Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) who work for crime boss Marsellus Wallis (Ving Rahmes) are sent to recover a briefcase which has been stolen by a gang of amateur thieves. They kill the gang except for one member, who they are taking back to Marsellus when they accidentally shoot him, covering the interior of their car with blood. They stop off at a friend's house, and with the help of Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel) they clean the car before going off for breakfast where they almost lose the briefcase during a hold up. We then see the story unfolding of how Vincent was asked to entertain Marsellus' wife Mia (Uma Thurman)- a job that he was not looking forward to given that her last entertainer was thrown out of a window because Marsellus got jealous. After a successful night out dancing, Vincent and Mia return home where Mia overdoses on Vincen ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Assignment Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment - Math Problem Example The multiple regression analysis helps in examining relationship between one continuous dependent variable with one or more continuous independent variables. The regression analysis uses numeric data for analysis. In the field of public affairs, a researcher usually has to study various variables to quantify effect of one variable to other. In the case researcher does not include other factors affecting a particular variable it would lead to a particular bias known as ‘omitted variable biases. Multiple regression analysis helps in removing this bias by dealing with large number of explanatory variables. The study of these variables helps in asserting hypothesis wrong or vice-versa. This helps in identifying and generalizing the research findings for a larger population. The sample size needs to be sufficient for the analysis. The t-test or ANOVA is used with the data where variables are categorical and continuous. The mean scores of the groups are compared in order to understan d the difference between the groups. In the case of public affair, this analysis helps to test the probability differing two means. The correlation studies help in conducting rigorous research that can be done in order to understanding the nature of relationship between the variables. The correlation study helps in testing the validity of the research. The paired variables are linked with each other. The scatter plot produced to graphically present the correlation of a variable with the help of a linear line. The more is the gap between points from the straight line, the higher will be the weakness of relationship between those two variables. The direction refers to the slope of the scatter point. The variables can be in positive or negative relationship. The difference in one variable will have corresponding changes in the other variable. The positive correlation provides us information about the nature of change towards one another. The negative correlation shows that the change i s opposite direction. The correlation method is an appropriate method to examine the relationship of meaningful data. The data should be quantifiable. The correlation cannot be examined using categorical data. The correlation and regression studies are used for testing hypothesis and determining cause-and-effect relationships. The associated variables are studied for the association and the nature of association. There are various benefits of correlation test. This can help in predicting and helps in validating. This is a reliable method and helps in verifying theory. The Pearson coefficient is used when the variables are continuous. This requires one independent and one dependent variable. For example if there is a need to study the level of awareness of a social-environmental sustainability programs among different genders and its relation with success of program in particular geographic region. The level of awareness and the difference of awareness among the population can be und erstood by the correlation study. The regression analysis will help in identifying if the level of awareness was linked to the level of success of program. The t-test can help in accepting or rejecting the hypothesis that success of progra

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Weekly ass. #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly ass. #3 - Essay Example This has changed the dynamics of a workplace. Workers can communicate with their counterparts in different parts of the world instantaneously without distance being a barrier. Also they can access software programs, company records located in different locations at will with the right authorisations. Today’s businesses can have a global workplace spread across different countries and perform their activities and services as though it was all at one location (Guffey et al., 2009; 70). E-commerce has matured in a great way and made it possible not only for service-based companies but also product-based companies to bring down the boundary barriers. Physical presence is no more a necessity (Steinfield et al., 2001). With virtual presence businesses can now handle all activities. Even product delivery (of tangible goods) can be fulfilled with the assistance of logistics suppliers and courier services. This means a company located in one part of the world can have a product delivered to another part with just having a virtual presence. An example of this is the outsourcing of customer support centres. Customer support centres are very important for any business to satisfy the customers. Unlike the past, customer support centres are no more needed to be in parent country but can be located in any part of the world and still function effectively. Steinfield, Charles, Harry Bouwman, and Thomas Adelaar. "Combining Physical and Virtual Channels: Opportunities, Imperatives and Challenges." MSU. N.p., 25 Jun 2001. Web. 7 Feb 2012.