IPod Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IPod Marketing - Essay Example Points of difference (PODs) are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate, and believe that they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand (Kotler p. 312-13). Points of difference for iPod were that the product was appearing as cool ,the consumer could listen music whenever and wherever s/he wanted and with the addition of the new features (video, photo and phone) it changed the way people interact with these media. Points of parity (POPs), on the other hand, are associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may in fact be shared with other brands. These types of associations come in two basic forms: category and competitive (Kotler p.313). When iPod was launched we would say that it followed a category point of parity and a competitive point of parity. Category points-of-parity are associations consumers view as essential to be a legitimate and credible offering within a certain product or service category (Kotler p. 313). The connections between different genres of music and that the consumer could listen to the DJ sets without commercial interruption created the category points-of parity. In the beginning the iPod was thought to be just a portable device for listening shuffled music. Today with its enhanced features, it replaced radio broadcasts without commercial interruption and it added new features of video, photo and phone which changed the way people interact. So this has definitely influenced iPod attractiveness since it makes it unique and it is also addressed to people that want to have the above features in a single device. Sony and iRiver have reacted by making larger storage devices, in particular iRiver is not tied to a software such as iTunes, it provides good sound and is durable beyond anything Apple can manage. However, although there are these technical differences, Apple reacted by having a decent device, strong advertising and focusing on this competitive advantage which is style. Question 2 A) Why did Apple change their distribution strategy from just selling iPod at their Apple stores to also including independent distributors And what kind of economic effects has such an expansion in general and what kind of economic effects had such an expansion for Apple's iPod Apple in the beginning was selling directly to the consumers through its retail shops but then it added some "mass electronic" retailers. This change was due to

Kraft Foods: Strategic Business Plan

Kraft Foods: Strategic Business Plan Introduction This business report aims to discuss an example global organization, wherein the Kraft Foods Company (KFC) was used here. Topics were discussed on responses on the 2009 challenge of an external market assessment as an aspect of organization management and the evaluation of the SWOT analysis technique as an existing business strategy, consumer sector data and market share of revenues. Its chairman and CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, said: Weve had a very solid start to the year, and were on track to deliver our 2009 commitments. Our business momentum remains strong despite a challenging consumer environment. We are intensely focused on investing our cost savings to build our core brands, improve our product mix and drive superior retail execution. This will further enhance our profit margins and improve market shares as the year unfolds. Being an already flourishing food maker of the industry, KFC still aims deliver its commitments in full blast, with a head strong business momentum, using business strategies on investing cost savings to be able to continue making its set of core brands, enhance its product mix and maintain a world wide reputation in excellence as a retail manufacturer. It also ensures that its investments adds profit margins and instigate productive market shares in the next years to come with a timely full-year tax rate. Lastly, KFC has confidence in achieving its goals with a very good net revenue growth of approximately. Such performance never fails to frustrate us and other competitors as well in the food industry. Literature Review 1. Kraft Foods Company Background Kraft Foods Company (KFC) currently produces delicious foods across 150 countries. It has 103,000 employees in hand. Product brands ranges from American brand icons like Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings, Maxwell House coffees and Oscar Mayer meats, to global powerhouse brands like Oreo and LU biscuits, Philadelphia cream cheeses, Jacobs and Carte Noire coffees, Tang powdered beverages and Milka, CÃ ´te dOr, Lacta and Toblerone chocolates. Now, it is the worlds second largest food company in generating annual revenues of $42 billion. Also, the company is an affiliation of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard Poors 500, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Ethibel Sustainability Index (Kraft Foods Company, 2009.) Kraft was founded in 1903 by James L. Kraft, with starting only as a cheese delivery service. It was transferred to Krafts brothers Charles, Fred, John, and Norman, during its down times. They named it incorporated as J.L. Kraft Brothers in 1909. It then again changed the name to Kraft Cheese Co. back in 1924. With a follow suit trend in per se, there were turn abouts of Kraft Foods Co. in 1945, Kraftco Corporation in 1969, and Kraft Inc. in 1976. It also merged with Dart Industries in 1980 and again change the name to Dart Kraft, but got forgotten in 1986, where it is again Kraft Inc. From then, it was bought by Philip Morris (now is Altria) in 1988. It also absorbed competitors General Foods and Nabisco. Finally in 2007, Altria managed Kraft Foods. During its long business run in the industry, a couple of celebrity endorsements were done to promote its products. There were Bill Cosby (a comedian), Michelle Kwan (a champion figure skater), Lindsay Lohan (Hollywood actress) and Joe Montana (a football star) (NNDB, 2009.) 2. The Business Vision and Mission KFC slogan is Make today delicious Thats our higher purpose. At Kraft Foods, delicious is our difference. Its products are trusted during That first cup of coffee in the morning. A tasty low-fat snack. A nourishing meal on a budget. An indulgent treat. These are KFCs vision and mission (Kraft Foods Company, 2009.) Company objectives revolves around perspectives rewriting the organization for growth, reframe categories, exploit our sales capabilities, drive down costs without compromising quality and strategies growth. With goal of achieving the new Kraft = growth (KFC, 2009.) It aims to meet responsibilities as a public company and promote that being a global citizen is the right thing to do and what is right for its business. They transforming the brands that consumers have lived with for years into new brands they will love. Its corporate responsibility indexes are the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and 2006-2008 Ethibel Sustainability Index. Last September 12, 2008, it started the mission program The Lunchables Team and First Book Launch the Million Page Mission and Help Children Receive Much-Needed Books (KFC, 2009.) Discussion The External Market Assessment KFC runs under the food industry, with a stock market ticker of NYSE:KFT. Its headquarters is located at Northfield, IL (NNDB, 2009.) Finances of KFC, as of 2008, are (in millions, except per share data) Net revenues $37,241 8.4%, Operating income 4,331 (4.2%), Net earnings 2,590 (15.4%) and Diluted earnings per share 1.62 (12.4%) (KFC, 2009.) Its external market share now is a percentage of more than 99% of U.S. households. The international market sells its leading brands, which are almost all of KFC products. It has 9 brands with revenues greater than $1 billion and 50+ additional brands garner revenues beyond $100 million. To this, about an exceeding number from 40 of KFC brands have an age life of 100+ years old. The billion dollar brands include: Kraft, Jacobs, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco and its Oreo brand, Philadelphia, and Oscar Mayer With an estimate figure of 103,000 employees worldwide, it has 180+ manufacturing and processing facilities across countries. With the consumer statistics of millions times a day, computed in an account of 150+ countries, these persons eat their favorite Kraft brands. It is also a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The figure 1 below is the market share of revenues in each type of KFC Brands as of 2007 (KFC, 2009.) Figure 1. KFC Market Share of Revenues 2007 (KFC, 2009) Existing Business Strategy KFCs follows SWOT analysis technique for its existing business strategy. To start with Strategy is the practice of settling on placing the organization in its competitive environment righty, with the goal to achieve and sustain competitive advantage as well as profitably. It is the onion skin approach in business, wherein each layer of skin must be peeled off and studied on prior to the core Strategic Business Unit (SBU) element is arrived at (Elkin, 1998.) The SWOT analysis is an extensively used philosophy framework for classifying an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT entitles key factors to be apparently documented as a high level summary of a business (or personal) circumstance. Defining it is a summary which is simple but powerful; its system is generally used by consultants to certificate the key factors that should derived from the examination of a particular project or business. Moreover, SWOT allows an investigation to be conducted on the whole perspective view of internal as well as external conditions of a business and the plans in which it is surging on, from the means of knowing its current Strengths and Weaknesses. An added aspect is the allowed ability of a judgment on external business environment, which can greatly influence the performance. SWOT technique aids in putting in to comprehensible explanations of strategic choices, in order to have clear executive decisions that are to be a ssessed and identified. Lastly, it compares existing and potential future traits of the organization and supports evaluation of the consequences from alternative actions (Elkin, 1998.) Recommendations Experts Advise During the press release of Kraft Foods Q1 2009 Earnings Report in May 5, 2009. Irene Rosenfeld, its chairman and CEO, said: Weve had a very solid start to the year, and were on track to deliver our 2009 commitments. Our business momentum remains strong despite a challenging consumer environment. We are intensely focused on investing our cost savings to build our core brands, improve our product mix and drive superior retail execution. This will further enhance our profit margins and improve market shares as the year unfolds (KFC, 2009.) She further advised the KFC group on a solid drive in gaining heightened profits from operations. In the previous year, there was a drive for cost-driven pricing actions, which yielded organic net revenue growth and an exceeding expectation of a better-than-expected volume/mix number of sales. She also advised that the business segments drive for operating gains across the globe should be focused on operating income growth, margin expansion and higher earnings per share (KFC, 2009.) This years forward-looking statements are reaffirmed 2009 GAAP EPS guidance; that KFC is on track to deliver 2009 commitments; that business momentum will be strong; that it is greatly focused on investing cost savings to formulate core brands, enhance product mix and execute excellent retail execution; that the investments adds profit margins and induce fruitful market shares as the year unfolds; timely full-year tax rate; and gain confidence in achieving 2009 organic net revenue growth of approximately 3 percent (KFC, 2009.) Implications It is advisable to used the environmental mapping as a new business strategic plan as an improvement from KFCs current SWOT analysis technique. It is a kind of technique which is aimed to define the key characteristics of the environment in relation from where the business operates. It presents the `backcloth formula that will make visible the future strategies and plans. Its model consists of four areas of focus. Advised action under this kind of strategy is to separately map the varied environments where the diverse countries of the company operate. How should KFC apply environmental mapping into their company business process? Necessary information and records should be based from the senior management of the business from their own accounts knowledge and experience. During cases this is not possible, external knowledge should be consulted from sources to supplement the present management needs. The mapping defines general pressures and conflicts which encircle the industry wherein the business operates, main conditions of environmental group, and matters that are prevailing and are plausible to bring to bear the most difficulty or authority on the upcoming direction and prospects of KFC. This is normally accomplished by using H/M/L (High/Medium/Low) tagging of every factor (Elkin, 1998). In writing and formulating an environmental mapping for KFC, these questions should be asked and answered: What are the characteristics of the environment(s) in which the business operates?, How are the key factors changing? and What will be t he impact on future strategic choices? Conclusion In conclusion, Kraft Foods Company (KFC) has shown exemplary performance in the year 2009 being an example global organization. Its external market assessment has a gradual uprising line, which basing from the theories of organization management and the evaluation of its SWOT analysis technique proves that KFC uses an effective existing business strategy, generates high consumer sector data and earns more market share of revenues than any brands in the market. Basing on the consumer sector data and market share of revenues feedback on the current performances indicators of KFC, there is a definite positive satisfaction gained from its range of products. With patterns from a strategic business plan, it is able to handle functions to promote their views, handle communications and even handle a global environmental concern. It is very sensible to use the environmental mapping as a business growth from KFCs usual technique of using a SWOT analysis. Not only does it endow consumers with healthy products, it is also a new strategic business plan that shows mature key characteristics of an organizational awareness for the environment for the present and future. This way in improving business performance can also determine general pressures and conflicts to deal with aside from catering to a global concern that allows main conditions of environmental group to work together with the present matters on the continued success of KFC.

Overview of Women’s History in Korea Essays -- Culture Asia Essays

Overview of Women’s History in Korea In modern day Korea, women are actively involved in many career fields, such as education, law, literature, sports, medicine, and engineering. However, it wasn’t too long ago that women were confined only to the home and family. The introduction of Christianity to Korea helped elevate women’s roles through schools ran by missionaries. Some were even specifically for educating women. (Korean Overseas Information Service, 2001) Many of the educated women began getting involved in religious work, teaching, the arts, and of course, the enlightening of other women. But it wasn’t until the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, when women began gaining constitutional rights for equal opportunities in the work force, education, and public life. The economic growth that Korea has experienced at this time, and even today has contributed to the large amount of women going into the work force. The high amount of women in the work force, in professional jobs influenced the government to pass the â€Å"Equal Employment Act† of 1987 to prevent discrimination against females regarding hiring practices and promotion opportunities. However, with this added freedom, many Korean women feel highly pressured because they are burdened with both earning a living and their traditional roles as housewives. Modern Korean women are facing both physical and mental exhaustion due to the demands of society and their families. Add to that, childcare is a major problem in Korea. Although laws have been passed to promote the employment of women, and facilities for childcare should be provided, the reality is that childcare is sadly lacking. Recently, the government further suppo... ... capitalistic industrialization established of the 1960’s on the other.† (Chung, 1997) In other words, due to Confucius beliefs, women have not experienced total freedom in their private or public lives. Yet overtime, things will improve for Korean women due to the recent legislation set up to help further strengthen their roles in the workforce, education, and hopefully, in their private lives as well. Resources: 1. Women’s Contemporary Roles in Korea. Retrieved from the Internet on September 15, 2003. (http://www.askasia.org/Korea/r15) 2. Nugent, Sookja Chung. Korean Women’s History- An Overview. Korean Quarterly. (Fall, 1998). 3. (http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine7.html) 4. Chung, Connie. Korean Society and Women: Focusing on the Family (1997). (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~yisei/backissues/spring_95/yisei_95_30.html)

Industry Comes of Age

Spanning the Continent with Rails Deadlock over where to build a transcontinental railroad was broken after the South exceed, and in 1862, Congress commissioned the Union Pacific Railroad to b gin westward from Omaha, Nebraska, to goldbrick Over in California, the Central Pacific Railroad was in charge of extending the r aileron eastward, and it was backed by the Big Four: including Leland Stanford, the governor of California who had useful political connections, and Collies P. Huntington, an adept lobbyist.The Central Pacific used Chinese workers, and received the same incentives a s the Union Pacific, but it had to drill through the hard Ill. Binding the Country with Railroad Ties 1. Before 1 900, four other transcontinental railroads were built 2. However, many pioneers overstressed on land, and the banks that supported them often failed and went bankrupt when the land wasn't worth as much as initial y thought. IV. Railroad Consolidation and Mechanization Older eastern railroads, like the New York Central, headed by Cornelius Band rebuilt, often financed the successful western railroads.Advancements in railroads included the steel rail, which was stronger and MO enduring than the iron rail, the Westinghouse air brake which increased safest y, the Pullman Palace Cars which were luxurious passenger cars, and telegraphs, doubleheaders, and block signals. V. Revolution by Railways Railroads stitched the nation together, generated a huge market and lots of Joe BBS, helped the rapid industrialization of America, and stimulated mining and agric ultra in the West by bringing people and supplies to and from the areas where such w Org occurred. . Railroads helped people settle in the previously harsh Great Plains. 3. Due to railroads, the creation of four national time zones occurred on Novel beer 18, 1883, instead of each city having its own time zone 4. Railroads were also the makers of millionaires and the millionaire class. VI. Wrongdoing in Railroading Railroads were not without corruption, as shown by the Credit Immobile scans Jay Gould made millions embezzling stocks from the Erie, Kansas Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the Texas and Pacific railroad companies. . One method Of cheap moneymaking was called â€Å"stock watering,† in which rail road companies grossly overindulged the worth of their stock and sold them at hug e profits. 4. As time passed, though, railroad giants entered into defensive alliances to shoo profits, and began the first of what would be called trusts, although at that it me they were called â€Å"pools. † A pool (AKA, a â€Å"cartel†) is a group of supposed competitor who agree to work together, usually to set prices. VII. Government Bridles the Iron Horse 1.People were aware of such injustice, but were slow to combat it. 2. The Grange was formed by farmers to combat such corruption, and many sat et efforts to stop the railroad monopoly occurred, but they were stopped when the Sup Court issued its ruling in the Wabash case, in which it ruled that states could n tot regulate interstate Wabash, SST. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois commerce , such as trains. 3. The Interstate Commerce Act , passed in 1887, banned rebates and pools and squired the railroads to publish their rates openly .The act was not a victory against corporate wealth, as people like Richard Lonely, a shrewd corporate lawyer, no Ted that they could use the act to their advantage, but it did represent the first attempt t by Congress to regulate businesses for society interest. VIII. Miracles of Mechanization In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and a new age was la munched. 2. Thomas Edison, the â€Å"Wizard Of Menlo park,† was the most versatile inventor, who, while best known for his electric light bulb, also cranked out scores of other in mentions. K The Trust Titan Emerges 1 . Andrew Carnegie used a method called † vertical integration, † which meant that he bought out and controlled all aspects of an industry 2. John D. Rockefeller, master of† horizontal Integration, † simply allied with or bought out competitors to monopolize a given market. 3. These men became known for their trusts , giant, monopolistic corporations. J. P. Morgan also placed his own men on the boards of directors of other rival competitors to gain influence there and reduce competition a process called â€Å"interlocking directorates.X. The Supremacy of Steel In Lincoln day, steel was very scarce and expensive, but by 1 900, Americans produced as much steel as England and Germany combined. 2. This was due to an invention that made stalemating cheaper and much more effective: the Bessemer process, which was named after an English inventor e even though an American, William Kelly, had discovered it first: 0 Cold air blown on redroot iron burned carbon deposits and purified it.America a was one of the few nations that had a lot of coal for fuel, iron f or smelting, and other e essential ingredients for steel making, and thus, quickly became #1. SKI. Carnegie and Other Sultans of Steel Andrew Carnegie started off as a poor boy in a bad job, but by working hard, assuming responsibility, and charming influential people, He started in the Pittsburgh area, but he was not a man who liked trusts; still, by 1900, he was producing 1/4 of the nation's Bessemer steel, and getting $25 million a year. . J. Pierson Morgan, having already made a fortune in the banking industry an d in Wall Street, was ready to Step into the steel tubing industry, but Carnegie threaten De to ruin him, so after some tense negotiation, Morgan bought Carnage's entire business s at $400 million (this was before income tax). Meanwhile, Morgan took Carnage's holdings, added others, and launched the United States Steel Corporation in 1 901, a company that became the world's first bill nodular corporation XII.Rockefeller Grows an American Beauty Rose In 1 859, a man name d Drake first used oil to get money, and by the asses, eke Rosen, a type of oil, was used to light lamps all over the nation. 2. However, by 1 885, 250,000 of Edition's electric light bulbs were in use, and the electric industry soon rendered kerosene obsolete, just as kerosene had made whale oil obsolete. Oil, however, was just beginning with the sloganeering internal combustion n engine. John D.Rockefeller, ruthless and merciless, organized the Standard Oil Company of Ohio in 1882 Rockefeller crushed weaker competitors-?part Of the natural process accords Eng to him-?but his company did produce superior oil at a cheaper price. XIII. The Gospel of Wealth Many of the newly rich had worked from poverty to wealth, and thus felt that some people in the world were destined to become rich and then help society with t heir money. This was the â€Å"Gospel of Wealth. † Social Darwinism † applied Charles Darning's surreptitiousness theories to easiness.It said the reason a Carn egie was at the top of the steel industry WA s that he was most fit 3. To run such a business. Corporate lava,n. Years used the 14th Amendment to defend trusts, the judges gar deed, saying that corporations were legal people and thus entitled to their property, and plutocracy ruled. XIV. Government Tackles the Trust Evil 1. In 1890, the Sherman AntiTrust Act was signed into law; it forbade combinations (trusts, pools, interlocking directorates, holding companies) in restraint of trade e, without any distinction between â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† trusts. O It proved ineffective, however, because it couldn't be enforced.Not until 1 914 was it properly enforced and those prosecuted for violating the law were actually punished. W. The South in the Age Of Industry The South remained agrarian despite all the industrial advances, though Jam Buchanan Duke developed a huge cigarette industry in the form of the Aimer can Tobacco Company and made many donations to what is now Duk e university. Men like Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper urged the South to industrialized. 3. The Impact of the New Industrial Revolution on America a As the Industrial Revolution spread in America, the standard of living rose, immigrants swarmed to the U.S. , and early Jeffersonian ideals about the dominance Of agriculture fell. Women, who had swarmed to factories and had been encouraged by recent inventions, found new opportunities, and the â€Å"Gibson Girl,† created by Charge s Dana Gibson, became the romantic ideal of the age. 4. Strong pressures in foreign trade developed as the tireless industrial machine threatened to flood the domestic market. XVI. The Impact Of The Industrial Revolution On America 1. The standard of living rose sharply and Americans enjoyed more physical co inform than their counterparts in other industrial nation.Older way of life changed. Rural immigrants used to living by nature had to a adapt to factory whistles. Wome n were profoundly affected by the new industrial age. They were intro educed to the age with the typewriters and telephone switchboard, a new image of an independent and athletic girl came out. XVII. In Unions There Is Strength With the inflow of immigrants providing a labor force that would work for low wages and in poor environments, the workers who wanted to improve their condition NSA found that they could not, since their bosses could easily hire the unemployed to TA eke their places. Industry Comes of Age Spanning the Continent with Rails Deadlock over where to build a transcontinental railroad was broken after the South exceed, and in 1862, Congress commissioned the Union Pacific Railroad to b gin westward from Omaha, Nebraska, to goldbrick Over in California, the Central Pacific Railroad was in charge of extending the r aileron eastward, and it was backed by the Big Four: including Leland Stanford, the governor of California who had useful political connections, and Collies P. Huntington, an adept lobbyist.The Central Pacific used Chinese workers, and received the same incentives a s the Union Pacific, but it had to drill through the hard Ill. Binding the Country with Railroad Ties 1. Before 1 900, four other transcontinental railroads were built 2. However, many pioneers overstressed on land, and the banks that supported them often failed and went bankrupt when the land wasn't worth as much as initial y thought. IV. Railroad Consolidation and Mechanization Older eastern railroads, like the New York Central, headed by Cornelius Band rebuilt, often financed the successful western railroads.Advancements in railroads included the steel rail, which was stronger and MO enduring than the iron rail, the Westinghouse air brake which increased safest y, the Pullman Palace Cars which were luxurious passenger cars, and telegraphs, doubleheaders, and block signals. V. Revolution by Railways Railroads stitched the nation together, generated a huge market and lots of Joe BBS, helped the rapid industrialization of America, and stimulated mining and agric ultra in the West by bringing people and supplies to and from the areas where such w Org occurred. . Railroads helped people settle in the previously harsh Great Plains. 3. Due to railroads, the creation of four national time zones occurred on Novel beer 18, 1883, instead of each city having its own time zone 4. Railroads were also the makers of millionaires and the millionaire class. VI. Wrongdoing in Railroading Railroads were not without corruption, as shown by the Credit Immobile scans Jay Gould made millions embezzling stocks from the Erie, Kansas Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the Texas and Pacific railroad companies. . One method Of cheap moneymaking was called â€Å"stock watering,† in which rail road companies grossly overindulged the worth of their stock and sold them at hug e profits. 4. As time passed, though, railroad giants entered into defensive alliances to shoo profits, and began the first of what would be called trusts, although at that it me they were called â€Å"pools. † A pool (AKA, a â€Å"cartel†) is a group of supposed competitor who agree to work together, usually to set prices. VII. Government Bridles the Iron Horse 1.People were aware of such injustice, but were slow to combat it. 2. The Grange was formed by farmers to combat such corruption, and many sat et efforts to stop the railroad monopoly occurred, but they were stopped when the Sup Court issued its ruling in the Wabash case, in which it ruled that states could n tot regulate interstate Wabash, SST. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois commerce , such as trains. 3. The Interstate Commerce Act , passed in 1887, banned rebates and pools and squired the railroads to publish their rates openly .The act was not a victory against corporate wealth, as people like Richard Lonely, a shrewd corporate lawyer, no Ted that they could use the act to their advantage, but it did represent the first attempt t by Congress to regulate businesses for society interest. VIII. Miracles of Mechanization In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and a new age was la munched. 2. Thomas Edison, the â€Å"Wizard Of Menlo park,† was the most versatile inventor, who, while best known for his electric light bulb, also cranked out scores of other in mentions. K The Trust Titan Emerges 1 . Andrew Carnegie used a method called † vertical integration, † which meant that he bought out and controlled all aspects of an industry 2. John D. Rockefeller, master of† horizontal Integration, † simply allied with or bought out competitors to monopolize a given market. 3. These men became known for their trusts , giant, monopolistic corporations. J. P. Morgan also placed his own men on the boards of directors of other rival competitors to gain influence there and reduce competition a process called â€Å"interlocking directorates.X. The Supremacy of Steel In Lincoln day, steel was very scarce and expensive, but by 1 900, Americans produced as much steel as England and Germany combined. 2. This was due to an invention that made stalemating cheaper and much more effective: the Bessemer process, which was named after an English inventor e even though an American, William Kelly, had discovered it first: 0 Cold air blown on redroot iron burned carbon deposits and purified it.America a was one of the few nations that had a lot of coal for fuel, iron f or smelting, and other e essential ingredients for steel making, and thus, quickly became #1. SKI. Carnegie and Other Sultans of Steel Andrew Carnegie started off as a poor boy in a bad job, but by working hard, assuming responsibility, and charming influential people, He started in the Pittsburgh area, but he was not a man who liked trusts; still, by 1900, he was producing 1/4 of the nation's Bessemer steel, and getting $25 million a year. . J. Pierson Morgan, having already made a fortune in the banking industry an d in Wall Street, was ready to Step into the steel tubing industry, but Carnegie threaten De to ruin him, so after some tense negotiation, Morgan bought Carnage's entire business s at $400 million (this was before income tax). Meanwhile, Morgan took Carnage's holdings, added others, and launched the United States Steel Corporation in 1 901, a company that became the world's first bill nodular corporation XII.Rockefeller Grows an American Beauty Rose In 1 859, a man name d Drake first used oil to get money, and by the asses, eke Rosen, a type of oil, was used to light lamps all over the nation. 2. However, by 1 885, 250,000 of Edition's electric light bulbs were in use, and the electric industry soon rendered kerosene obsolete, just as kerosene had made whale oil obsolete. Oil, however, was just beginning with the sloganeering internal combustion n engine. John D.Rockefeller, ruthless and merciless, organized the Standard Oil Company of Ohio in 1882 Rockefeller crushed weaker competitors-?part Of the natural process accords Eng to him-?but his company did produce superior oil at a cheaper price. XIII. The Gospel of Wealth Many of the newly rich had worked from poverty to wealth, and thus felt that some people in the world were destined to become rich and then help society with t heir money. This was the â€Å"Gospel of Wealth. † Social Darwinism † applied Charles Darning's surreptitiousness theories to easiness.It said the reason a Carn egie was at the top of the steel industry WA s that he was most fit 3. To run such a business. Corporate lava,n. Years used the 14th Amendment to defend trusts, the judges gar deed, saying that corporations were legal people and thus entitled to their property, and plutocracy ruled. XIV. Government Tackles the Trust Evil 1. In 1890, the Sherman AntiTrust Act was signed into law; it forbade combinations (trusts, pools, interlocking directorates, holding companies) in restraint of trade e, without any distinction between â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† trusts. O It proved ineffective, however, because it couldn't be enforced.Not until 1 914 was it properly enforced and those prosecuted for violating the law were actually punished. W. The South in the Age Of Industry The South remained agrarian despite all the industrial advances, though Jam Buchanan Duke developed a huge cigarette industry in the form of the Aimer can Tobacco Company and made many donations to what is now Duk e university. Men like Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper urged the South to industrialized. 3. The Impact of the New Industrial Revolution on America a As the Industrial Revolution spread in America, the standard of living rose, immigrants swarmed to the U.S. , and early Jeffersonian ideals about the dominance Of agriculture fell. Women, who had swarmed to factories and had been encouraged by recent inventions, found new opportunities, and the â€Å"Gibson Girl,† created by Charge s Dana Gibson, became the romantic ideal of the age. 4. Strong pressures in foreign trade developed as the tireless industrial machine threatened to flood the domestic market. XVI. The Impact Of The Industrial Revolution On America 1. The standard of living rose sharply and Americans enjoyed more physical co inform than their counterparts in other industrial nation.Older way of life changed. Rural immigrants used to living by nature had to a adapt to factory whistles. Wome n were profoundly affected by the new industrial age. They were intro educed to the age with the typewriters and telephone switchboard, a new image of an independent and athletic girl came out. XVII. In Unions There Is Strength With the inflow of immigrants providing a labor force that would work for low wages and in poor environments, the workers who wanted to improve their condition NSA found that they could not, since their bosses could easily hire the unemployed to TA eke their places.

An Essay on “Less than Zero”

Life is ever-changing, ever-moving in the passive world of today’s youth. This thought came to mind when I was reading Bret Easton Ellis’ novel â€Å"Less Than Zero†. It is a book that speaks of the life of young people in the society these days. This essay aims to describe the elements of textual style, time movement, and the leading character of the novel. First, the author’s style which employs fluidity of spatial location depict the constant changing of ads, videos, scenes, programs and channels on television to which this story resembles. It can be observed that the story jumps from one location to another. Indeed, reading the novel is like watching a television. Just like in this paragraph from the text: â€Å"After leaving Blair I drive down to Wilshire and then onto Santa Monica and then I drive onto Sunset and take Beverly Glen to Mulholland, and then to Sepulveda to Ventura and then I drive through Sherman Oak's to Encino and then into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills. I stop at Sambo's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This scene narrates the constant search of Clay, the leading character of the story, for a place where he can find enjoyment and pleasure yet he always ends up feeling empty and frustrated. This characterizes the youth of the 80’s and of today. They do a lot of things, go to a lot of places, and meet a lot of people yet they end up with nothing. The teens in the story spend their time, money and energy in worthless activities such as drinking alcohol, sniffing cocaine, partying, and engaging in sex and more but they do not get anything worthwhile. There is another scene of Clay and Rip tells of the aimlessness of going from one place to another. It didn’t matter if they are getting nowhere as long as they are moving. Second, the fast and quick time movement of the story illustrates that people come and go. Nothing is permanent in this world and time flies fast. And this is probably the reason why it seems that the novel constantly talks of death. What is worse is that Clay and his friends do not even care. Like the case of the twelve-year old girl who was kidnapped, gang-raped by Rip together with his friends and was found dead the next day. It is such as gory sight yet it seems these teenagers in the story are unaffected. It can also be observed that together with the change of location is a change of time. Such as these phrases: â€Å"Blair picks me up from LAX†¦ Nobody’s home†¦ I bring Daniel to Blair’s party that night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These scenes come after each other abruptly. There is no transition. It goes on and on. Lastly, Clay‘s character in the story portrays the nihilism and the passivism that characterizes the youth of today. He is the total picture of rich kids who have parents who can give them all the money and material things they want except for the love and time that they need. He narrates the story with passive indifference, probably because of his being constantly stoned with cocaine. He is detached in his feelings towards his family, his girlfriend, his friends and others. He seems not to care about what is happening to them. He sees the death that comes to people and yet he is unconcerned. However, he has a craving for something deeper. In fact, there are flashback scenes in the story where he remembered his grandparents and aunt. He even went back to Palm Springs where he grew up and he says: â€Å"I guess I went there because I want to remember the way things were.† This tells of a hidden part of him to get back to the good old days. In conclusion, the novel is an effective medium of presenting a picture of the younger generation’s life, struggles and hopes through the fluidity of spatial location, time movements and the character of Clay. Indeed, this novel â€Å"Less Than Zero† shows that the life of a teenager these days constantly changes and moves because of nihilism, passivism and aimlessness. Works Cited Ellis, Bret Easton. Less Than Zero. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. 1