Monday, September 30, 2019

“A change in my life that has been for better”

Ten years ago, I married my beautiful wife and that was one of the best things that could ever happen to me. Marriage completely changed my life for the better and I am grateful for that.When I first came to the United States at the age of 14, with no parents with me except one sister I was alone. Overwhelming with her own responsibilities, my sister could not care for me, so I had to care for myself. That is one of the reasons why I was married at an early age of 22. Married to my wife changed me for better in many ways.Firstly, as my wife she cares for me in way which my mother would. For example, she washes my clothes for me, cooks for me and most basic things that my mother would have done for me in a regular basis.As a custom in my culture, when a man choosing a wife, she must be able to do everything that a mother would do for a son and more, such as prepare a good meal for the husband, make sure that he has clean clothes and be a shoulder for him to cry on if he need to. Anoth er thing a mother would do is to give advice when needed.Secondly, she loves me, because of her love I know what love is. I never knew real love before I met my wife. I never thought that I would be able to love or trust someone. She shows me that I was able to love and that completely changed my life certainly for the better.I feel free now that I know that someone loves and cares for me. She gives me hope to forward in life. She made me feel like all things are possible for me. That’s alone making me want to leave.Finally, her companionship is also as important.   Since were married I am never by myself except in school or unless we are at work. We have never spent a week away from each other. That is how much we love being together. She makes me feel safe when I am with her. I can remember vividly, we were having a conversation, and then she told me â€Å"you know Man, I am your protector, I was sent by God to protect you†.I also believe that being married saves m e from many diseases out there. Without being married, I probably would date as many women possible until I find the right one. Because now that I am married, I have to stay with one woman therefore, that saves me.Marriage could have both negative and positive effects on one’s life, but for me marriage was positively changed my life. I never imagine my life to be better except through marriage.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

First Year of Being a Mother Essay

Seeing my son for the first time after delivery, â€Å"It was love at first sight.† It was in the evening on a cold day, a cold front had just come in. We were in the hospital while family waited for the arrival of my new born child. You think you know the extent of love until you have had a child and see him or her for the very first time. Having a child is learning patience, teaching your child new things, and watching them grow. The first year I thought was going to be tough, being that I knew I had little patience. When you have a child however you learn quickly they run on their time and not yours. He would cry when he was hungry every four hours regardless of how much I wanted to sleep or if I had just dozed off. After a couple of nights I learned he was not going to go to sleep no matter how bad I wanted him to and when he did finally fall asleep I no longer wanted to because all I wanted to do was hold him and admire his peacefulness. He would sometimes wake up and cry only because he wanted to be held often many nights I would be in a good sleep. Every month was a new journey a new adventure with the things he would learn from his father and me teaching him or by him growing and developing. It amazed me how fast he would pick new things up after showing him a couple of times. Even though you don’t realize or notice it children learn every day. He learned by grabbing new objects he had never seen or by watching us do the same things over and over again. He would eventually pick it up and months later would surprise us by doing the same exact things he had seen us do. The new faces he would learn how to make were priceless often making us erupt in laughter. I have watched my son grow from small enough to fit in my arms measuring a little over one foot with room to spare to over three feet long and still growing. He has gone from subtle movements to turning over, sitting up and crawling. I know his learning and growth has just begun. His legs, hand and eye coordination has improved significantly as he has grown older, enabling him to realize who I was and eventually able to stand on his own. I anticipate he will be walking soon. Witnessing him slowly gain more confidence as he learns to let go of the table and stand at first for seconds at a time and now able to stand for minutes at a time has been a proud moment for me. Watching him grow as his mother has given me such joy and amazement on how fast he has grown before my eyes. It feels as if he was still born only yesterday. Alexander turned one in November and this first year was one I will always cherish. The day we brought him home until now has been an experience for each of us. He has taught me I have more patience than I originally thought and I know there are still many years that I will continue to learn as he tests my patience. There will be many days in the future where I will teach him new things, like riding a bike or how to build a tower out of Lego’s, and he will continue to develop and learn. To watch him grow will be my joy in life.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Introduction to Geography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to Geography - Assignment Example Its objective is to provide updates about hazards, drought, monitoring and data products, monitoring and data index, and many other topics related to climate and weather. This website provides information about the weather conditions around the globe through weather observations, weather forecasts, and climatological information. Hence, the objective is to create a good world weather information service for the users. Title: Feeling the effects of climate change - Live Earth Video. This video talks about climate changes and its impacts upon Kenya communities. Kenyan people lost animals due to bad climate. There is no fertility and cultivation. The area is dry and barren. Climate change is the change in weather and climate conditions brought about by factors like global warming. Earth, today, is much warmer than it was 100 years ago. In warmer conditions, trees get thicker. Global warming increases the sea level. High sea level is dangerous for communities living at coastal line, because of fear of flooding. Rise in temperature results in melting of ice on the ice pole. These climate changes are expected to dry out the agricultural lands, which reduce the agricultural productivity. More storms and hurricanes are expected along with harsh weather changes with heat and cold waves. Southern Indian livelihoods get greatly affected by monsoon climate. The annual cycle of Indian monsoon starts from northern hemisphere, and moves toward southern hemisphere and back again. Although people in southern Indian livelihoods wait for monsoon to get enough waters for their crops, yet the scene has changed because of drastic effects of this monsoon brought about by severe climate changes. There have been weak monsoons bringing on diseases like dengue fever, and farmers pray for rain to collect water for their crops and yields. This also results in droughts, which eventually has bad effects on the overall Indian

Friday, September 27, 2019

Human Resources Functions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources Functions - Essay Example To perform its add value function, the human resource planning should be fully integrated with an  overall organizational strategic plan, especially the firm's growth objectives. Outside influences f economic conditions, technology, the labor market, and so on should be given adequate consideration when developing the human resource plan. Changes in job design should be explicitly recognized in the plan. It should be kept flexible and adaptable so it can change as conditions change. Staffing is the process f hiring people to perform work for the organization. It comprises two major activities: recruitment and selection. Recruitment is the set f activities an organization uses to attract job candidates who have the abilities and attitudes needed to help the organization achieves its objectives. Selection is the process f choosing individuals who have the necessary qualifications to perform a particular job well. These two activities are key human resource activities in every organization. And these are continuous processes in organizational life. (Diallo 2003) Staffing is a mutual matching process: organizations seek individuals who will help them achieve goals such as profitability, growth, and in some cases survival; individuals seek organizational that will help them achieve goals such as fulfilling needs and obtaining rewards.   Staffing is a mutual matching process: organizations seek individuals who will help them achieve goals such as profitability, growth, and in some cases survival; individuals seek organizational that will help them achieve goals such as fulfilling needs and obtaining rewards. HR must achieve both types f fit in order to be maximally effective. A better job f recruiting and matching employees to jobs will mean lower employee turnover and greater employee satisfaction and organizational effectiveness. Moreover, HR should pay attention to align their recruitment and selection practices with their business strategy(s) and organizations must have the human capabilities that enable them to effectively implement their chosen strategy(s). Some organizations even consider their human resource talents as a source of competitive advantage and adapt business strategies to fit those organizational capabilities. With the anticipated shortage of new entrants to the labor force in the next decade, staffing will be a key issue for HR for some time to come. This is especially true during these hard financial times when the compensation and benefits you can provide to attract and retain staff are limited. HR professionals must work to develop training, leadership, diversity, and work/life programs to turn their organizations into places where employees want to stay. New studies and research back up what HR has been saying for years: The organizations that treat their employees well, give them opportunities, and are flexible are the ones that will keep their key talent.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Global transportation issues and challenges Thesis

Global transportation issues and challenges - Thesis Example nges and issues in the transportation industry that require consideration and concentration to build a better transportation industry throughout the world. The study utilized a quantitative methodology, distributing a survey to real-world sector professionals which was underpinned by the various challenges and problems uncovered in an exploration of industry reports and existing empirical research. In total, responses from 28 professionals in the trucking sector were collected. Based on all secondary and primary findings, the study found that the most dominant and extreme challenges in the transportation industry include gas tax burdens, technology resistance, infrastructure quality and integrity, driver shortages in the trucking sector, environmental regulation non-compliance and congestion. Significant challenges identified through research included maritime sector return on investment and market volatility, and problems with multilateral agency cooperation to achieve effective sus tainable transportation. The study further proposes a series of recommendations to potentially mitigate the most significant and extreme challenges for the industry. Transport is one of the most crucial activities in society, which is a necessity for establishing a developed and thriving civilization. Regardless of whether transport occurs by sea, land or air, there is an excess of complicated challenges that must be considered and overcome in order to ensure that citizens maintain opportunities for mobility, to reduce costs within this sector, and ensure the establishment of positive and thriving trade. In today’s developed economies, customers demand products and services that have been produced in countries throughout the world, such as wine from South Africa or even inexpensive computing systems from Korea (De Nazareth, 2011); to name only a few demands. This makes the establishment of a quality transportation infrastructure substantially critical to meet the complex and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Barclays Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Barclays Bank - Essay Example Barclays Bank for a long time has been seen to capitalise in this, even before the field of behavioural finance was. One of the best example as to how Barclays Bank is using behavioural finance theory to advance its business is the English Premier League sponsorship which the bank has sponsored since 2001. Sports generate a lot of emotions epically emotions of belonging and fondness. In this regard, sponsoring the English Premier League which is popular not only in England but actually in the whole world has enabled the bank to be able to access a lot of market. There are so many customers around the world who become customers to Barclays Bank just because they associate it with their favourite sport, soccer. Business Funding at Barclays Bank Being a three hundred year old business, Barclays Bank has used a number of funding methods over the years. However, there are the most recent funding methods which the bank has opted. ... In the United States, the bank has also had some liquidity issues and there were fears that the bank may be having a bad debt of over $10 billion and this led to the shares of the bank dropping a whole 9%. However, it later emerged that the debt was much less than the amount and was actually $1.9 billion. Funding In an attempt to enhance its tier 1 capital ratio, Barclays Bank tried to raise 4.5 UK pounds through a non-traditional rights issue in mid 2008. However, only 19 percent of the shareholders took up the rights offer and this led to the majority shareholder, China Development band and Qatar Investment Authority with majority shares. Later in the same year, Barclays tried another round of capital-raising which led to seven billion UK pounds being raised, mainly from investors from Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The fact that the capital raising was not from the existing shareholders led to some worries by the existing shareholders who objected to the fact that they were not pre-empted a bout the rights issues. The shareholders even threatened to boycott the decision in the extraordinary shareholders meeting. Barclays Bank Shares Barclays Bank is a publically traded firm which trades both in the London Stock Exchange as well as the New York Sock Exchange. All its subsidiaries also trade in the local stock exchange markets of the countries where they operate. Barclays Bank has been in the stock exchange for a long time now and the current price of its shares is ?284.35 which is a fall of 1.59% from previous price. Barclays bank has a capitalisation of over ?21.8Â  billion making it the 22nd largest firm listed in the London stock exchange market. The

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Delegation Example in a Health Care Setting Presentation Speech or

Delegation Example in a Health Care Setting - Speech or Presentation Example Fifthly it would focus on such stakeholders and aiders in the nursing process that would be impacted by changes in decision making. Sixthly out of the different stakeholders the project would focus on identifying the Right Stakeholder for Conducting and implementing the decision taken. Seventhly it would focus on choosing the right mode of communication to communicate the plan to the staff and stakeholders for solving the problem. Eighthly strategies are also needed to design the process of countering potential conflicts. Ninthly a model of gaining proper feedback from the participants needs to be formulated that in the tenth case would help in making effective evaluation of the problem-solving delegation model and also place needed recommendations where essential. Slide 3 The Delegation Model The Delegation Model chosen for nursing is based essentially on Five Rights. The Factors of Righteousness concerning Delegation can be conceptually underlined as follows. Firstly, it must be no ted that that the tasks assigned fall in the category of being rightly delegated to others and should not fall in the ambit of nursing practice. Secondly, in the process of delegation it is required to be understood that the person chosen to be delegated is competent and right enough to satisfy the requirements of the task chosen. Thirdly, evaluation must be conducted as to whether the decision taken pertaining to the assignment of the task enhances the right of nursing care rendered to patients and thereby involves the accomplishment of different steps to achieve a favorable outcome. In the process of delegation it is required to rightly communicate the process or steps involved in the plan to the different stakeholder groups elucidating and emphasizing the process of conducts and expectations thereof. Finally the fifth step focuses on gaining effective feedback from the participants or stakeholder groups in the task delegation process that in turn would help in enhancing the amoun t of benefits rendered to the patients. This step also includes rightly evaluating the model in helping in achieving the objectives for which it had been incorporated and thereby providing useful recommendations (Clark, 2008, p.186). Slide 4 The Healthcare Problem Quality of services rendered through healthcare is countering problems owing to the shift from standards or best practices involved pertaining to pathological timings. It is observed that in many cases the morning pathological functions concerning collection of blood, urine and stool samples and subjecting them to tests get disrupted owing to the loss of focus and unavailability of required staff. Owing to the above case the formulation of pathological reports counters a major problem thereby rendering threat to the process of medication and treatment involved pertaining to the patients (Harris, 2005, p.395-396). Slide 5 Stakeholders to the Delegation Process The stakeholders to the delegation of tasks pertaining to the ef fective operation of the morning laboratories would consist of the following parties: Doctors, Laboratory Staff, Nursing Aids, Patients Involved and Nursing Staff. These people are identified as stakeholders to the delegation process in healthcare for they have significant interests and also would be potentially affected pertaining to the level of outcomes resulting thereof. These groups of stakeholders consist of both external and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Ancient judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ancient judaism - Essay Example Another important issue that strikes me is whether the Baal stele representing the image of Baal is the one that Elijah challenged from during the mount Camel protest. The book portrays how the temple warning inscriptions were of great importance to the Jewish community during ancient time (Shaye, 2006). I perceive that the temple inscription is vital is vital understanding the study of biblical archaeology and gives us the real picture of how events unfolded in the temple or synagogue. The book has helped gain insight on how the Maccabees ruled the Jews up to the time of Mishna publication in second century when Jesus Christ was on earth. In addition, the issues of intellectual, social, and literary aspects are well explained in trying to understand the literature of early Christianity. During the time of Jesus, when he saw the inscription he understood that his own life would be used to save the gentiles go past their problems and barriers. The temple in ancient Judaism helped in major religious ceremonies in that it was a place specifically designed for education, charitable work, and prayer, as well a social place where only people from Judah were allowed to enter. This implies that they were very serious on matters concerning worship. It is also vital to note that the history of the temple as presented in this book depicts how Judaism developed from the time of Roman Empire up to the time of Jesus Christ. This conclusion is made after a careful analysis of how events unfolded in Judah (Shaye, 2004). The bar kohba revolted against the roman empire which led to the establishment of an independent state in the same way students need to revolt against barbaric philosophies of these and strive to work hard as independent figures without influence from other people. Inaddition, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai gave lectures of Rabban and Rebbe Gamliel even though he lived before them. from

Sunday, September 22, 2019

How Social Networking Has Affected the Way We Work Essay Example for Free

How Social Networking Has Affected the Way We Work Essay Social networks are a fun way to communicate, interact with friends, and enjoy online schooling, but are also harmful due to the harassment of cyber bullies and predators. Social networks/medias show their good side when we are all having fun on them, communicating with our friends. It is a fun and interactive way to converse, and meet new people; it gives people opportunities to learn characteristics that they have in common with each other, and make stronger relationships. Some people use Facebook, Twitter, and even Myspace to communicate with their friends; usually it is to make them aware of what you’re doing, going to do, or already have done, and meet new people, all through a fun, inventive way. Cyber Predators find their victims through internet sources, which is often social media, to learn personal information, harass, and stalk their victims; in most cases causing physical, emotional, and/or mental harm to the victim. Cyber School is an effective way to receive an education over the internet and helps to balance a home, school, and work life; getting an education that is flexible to any schedule is a positive development. Social media is a fun and interactive way to converse with friends and meet new people; it gives people opportunities to learn about things that they have in common; and make a stronger relationship. Cyber Bullies and Predators usually affect the lives of teenagers and children because of their vulnerability; â€Å"75% of children are willing to share personal information online about themselves and their families in exchange for goods and services;† A Cyber Bully is someone who uses the internet to torment another person using cruel words and hateful sayings to purposefully discourage them; a Cyber Predator is usually an adult internet abuser that exploits children or teenagers because of their lack of wisdom and their large amount of vulnerability. Others might think that social networking isn’t helpful at all, that there is no use of it, and that it needs to be used less because of the lack of exercise children receive and connection it has to the increasing obesity growth rate or that it has only negative effects on its user’s safety. Social networking has changed how people live, work, and communicate by offering helpful schooling online, fun communication between others, but it also gives bullies and predators another method of victimizing others. Social media, though it may be a fun way to interact with others, can be harmful when it comes to your safety; many people don’t realize that putting much of their information on the internet can invite unwanted problems to your life.Andrew Ferguson, author of the web article, â€Å"R U Tweeting 2 Much?† published by Gale Opposing View Points In Context, in 2011, implies, people spend too much of their time on twitter and they tweet about any and everything based on impulse. Social media can be a powerful tool for social change and an alternative to more traditional methods of communication. â€Å"Consequences from over-sharing personal information include vulnerability to sexual or financial predators and lost job opportunities from employers finding embarrassing photos or comments.† No one would want their boss to see a picture on Facebook of their new employee getting drunk, so why would they put it up for the entire world to see? There is a saying that goes â€Å"If you wouldn’t want your pastor at church, your parents, or your boss to know/see, then don’t do it.† Socialnetworking.procon.org, updated in 2012, clarifies that, â€Å"43% of online sexual solicitors were identified as being adolescents (under 18), 30% were adults between the ages of 18 and 21, and 9% were adults over the age of 21 (as of Dec. 31, 2008).† Predators can be any age; so if someone gets a friend request from a random person that they’ve never met before, but is the same age as them, they will probably accept the request; they think that because we are the same age, that the person must want to get to know me. Most people don’t worry about the harm that an unknown Facebook friend, or Twitter follower is capable of; they mostly think â€Å"Yay! A new follower/friend! I’m so popular!† Well, yeah, maybe they’re popular in the mind of a predator, but people should still watch out for situations like that because you never know when your life is at risk. Cyber bullying is a form of harassment via social networks; it causes its victims – mainly teenagers between the ages of fourteen and seventeen – to become emotionally and mentally scarred by its use. The web article â€Å"Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?† updated in September, 2012, urge, social networking sites make cyber bullying a form of bullying that occurs online easier and more public than bullying through other online activities such as email and instant messaging. Cyber bullying can be classified as just commenting on someone’s picture on Facebook, saying that their hair is really messed up. But other form’s of cyber bullying can be calling someone out in a status, calling them ugly, or fat, or any hurtful word. It can differ, but all forms of it can be hurtful and send anyone of the edge. The web article â€Å"Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?† updated in September, 2012, â€Å"A 2009 study found that 17.3% of middle school students have been victims of cyber bullying; victims often experience a drop in grades, decreased self-esteem, and other symptoms of depression.† Well, kids would drop their self esteem because their self esteem is built by their surrounding peers; and if their peers are nothing but a bunch of bullies then it causes a decrease. The web article â€Å"Cyber Bullying Statistics†, published in early 2012, realizes, around half of teens have been the victims of cyber bullying. Many teenagers and children do not care for people who are outside of their groups of friends, so they feel that if they are different than them in any way, or they do things that they don’t do, then they are weird and they don’t like them, so they bully them for being different. Socialnetworks.procon.org, suggests, Social networking sites make cyber bullying, a type of bullying that occurs online, easier and more public than bullying through other online activities such as email and instant messaging†. It’s easy for a child or a teenager to bully their peers, because kids just don’t care how they make each other feel; they don’t care about anyone but themselves in many situations. It’s also easy for a kid to call someone a mean name, but even easier to call them a mean name through a computer monitor; probably so they don’t have to deal with a conflict between the victims in person. Cyber predators find their victims through internet sources; which is often social media to learn personal information, harass, and stalk their victims in most cases causing physical, emotional and/or mental harm to them. Michelle Dean, author of the web article â€Å"Amanda Todd: Cyber Bullied,† published in October 2012, comments, â€Å"The systematic way the harasser allegedly followed Todd to new schools, repeatedly posting the images and threatening to do it again, makes it textbook harassment regardless of the medium.† Some Cyber predators will stop at nothing to get what they want from their victim, no matter how far off the edge it will make the victim go; of course predators only think of themselves when it comes to their own wants. The web article â€Å"Killer Created Facebook Profile to Lure Girl to Bushland,† published by Gale Opposing View Points in Context, in 2012, explains, A man [that stalks] a girl on Facebook, learns all about her life and interests to plot how he would murder her. A man kills a woman by making a fake Facebook profile and telling her that he is a part of an animal association, drawing her into his lies by knowing all of her interests because of shared online information. Cyber predators use the internet as their source to figure out any and everything that is in association with their victim’s life. They are a regular predator, searching the internet for, usually young, victims. Victims are younger because they are the ones that don’t really pay any attention to who they do and don’t talk to through the internet, and are the most open to making a conversation with a random person. Communication between others over the internet can be fun and entertaining, but also it can be taken as a way of decline in our communication skills. Jonathan Cummings, author of the article â€Å"___________________†, published by _________ in ____, insists, Communicating through the internet is not as meaningful or reliable as face to face relationships. Although communicating through a computer monitor can be quite engaging, it isn’t as meaningful as chatting with someone in person; you can’t get the fullness of the conversation because you can’t see their emotions and actions. It just isn’t as much fun as a regular, in person conversation. Jonathan Cummings, author of _______, published by ______, in ____, states, â€Å"Using the internet to build social relationships results in social interaction that is wanting, at least when it is explicitly compared to the standards of face-to-face and telephone communication, to social relationships that are primarily conducted offline, and to traditional small groups†¦the Internet is less effective than other means of forming and sustaining strong social relationships.† For instance, the internet can give you another form of communicating but it isn’t as insightful as having a conversation with someone in person. Many people are starting to enter the huge world that the internet holds, it may be very fun, but you can’t grasp the meaning of a good conversation when you are lacking one of the senses that most people include in their conversations; usually people’s actions or tone is what triggers a good, or meaningful conversation. Social networking has changed how people live, work, and communicate in a positive light by offering helpful schooling online, interesting social communication between others, and negatively by giving bullies and predators another method to victimize others. To help prevent these situations, people could not add others on social media websites that you do not know and are actually friends with. â€Å"Social networking sites have no way to verify that people are who they claim to be, leaving people vulnerable to solicitations from online predators who are able to mask their true identities.† Although it makes anyone seem like they’re super popular on Facebook when they have around 2,000 friends, they DON’T know them all. Maybe they know about 300 of them personally, but the rest are all people that they don’t even know. It’s not about having a lot of friends, it’s about having a safe life online. â€Å"Social media can be a powerful tool for social change and an alternative to more traditional methods of communication.† Works Cited Carter, Denise. â€Å"Living in Virtual Communities: Making Friends Online†. Taking Sides: Science, Technology, and Society. Eighth Edition. Thomas Easton. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill. 2008. Print. 15 Sep. 2012. Dean, Michelle. â€Å"Amanda Todd: Cyber Bullied.† The New Yorker. Web. 15 Sep. 2012 Ferguson, Andrew. R U Tweeting 2 Much? Commentary 131.1 (2011): 72+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 12 Sep. 2012. Killer created fake Facebook profile to lure girl to bushland. Sydney Morning Herald [Sydney, Australia] 1 Sept. 2012: 5. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 12 Sep. 2012 â€Å"Social Networking.† SocialNetworking.ProCon.org. ProCon. 12 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Sep. 2012. Tsukayama, Hayley. Dreams of Ray Bradbury: Predictions That Came True. Washington Post 6 June 2012. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 12 Sep. 2012.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A Strategic Analysis of Apple Essay Example for Free

A Strategic Analysis of Apple Essay Apple Inc. is an American based multinational corporation. It focuses on designing, selling and producing consumer electronics, software and personal computers. Its main product lines are; the iMac, iPhone, iPad and the iPod. Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Since then Apple Inc. has been one of the most innovative and competitive organisations in the technology industry. There have been significant ups and downs in the history of Apple. Throughout this, it kept its legacy of introducing new technology to the market. It is believed that over a hundred countries use Apple’s products. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ranks the company as the most innovative company for the last 8 years running. It is important for an organisation like Apple to remain competitive in the industry for its survival. Apple has been working extensively to introduce new products and ideas since its inception. Apple has transformed its business segment over the last decade. This began with the launch of the iPod in 2001, increasing profitability and creating growth. Apple further enhanced their profitability by expanding the operating segment, launching the iTunes store, and more recently through the acquisition of ‘Beats’. NPD Group (2012) found 63% of digital downloads run though Apple. The major turnaround occurred in 2007 when the company launched an Internet enabled smartphone (The iPhone). This started the golden era of  profitability and technological expansion for Apple. Apple has penetrated most of the developed countries, and even reached saturation point in Europe with its high end products including iPhone and iPad. It is yet to make a significant impact in the developing countries including China and India, which has around 36.8% of the worlds population. The research firm IDC (2013), found Apple’s market share for androids in China was only around 7%, below Samsung and Levono Group. 1.2 Research Aims Alfred Chandler (1962) defined strategy as The determination of the basic long-term goals of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals.† In order to analyse the firms’ strategic position we will further this research into three sections. The first, looking at the impact of the environmental factors. This will be done using a PESTEL analysis, as well Porters’ Five Forces model. Secondly we will consider the strategic capability of Apple by using a SWOT analysis. Finally analysing Apple’s innovation and internationalisation strategy in more detail. Concluding by offering recommendations for Apple and its competitors. 2. Environment Analysis 2.1 PESTEL Analysis It is important for every organisation to identify the impact of environmental analysis on its business operations. Apple is currently operating in more than 100 countries, meaning external factors have a significant impact upon the company. Identification and constant monitoring of these factors is important to minimise the effect they have on Apple. 2.2 Political Apple Inc. Form 10-K (2013) stated that approximately 63% of the Apple’s revenue comes from countries other than America. Thus the political  environment of various countries will significantly impact the revenue of Apple. The current political unrest in Crimea and the annexation to Russia from Ukraine could affect Apple’s sales, due to USA and Russian relations. In 2013 Apple sold approximately 1.6 million iPhones in Russia making it an important market for Apple. It is important for Apple to continuously monitor this situation in respect to their sales in Russia. China is now the worlds largest market for smart phones with 26.5% of all smart phone shipments, Forbes (2012). As shown below. For Apple to enter the Chinese market, a joint venture must be set up with a Chinese partner. This led to Apple joining with China Mobile. Apple’s market share has grown by 1% in the last quarter of 2014. This has led to Apple now being the 5th largest vendor of androids in China. 2.3 Economic The analysis of the global economy is of vital importance. During a period of recession such as the one just seen, disposable income falls, and unemployment rises. Apple’s product could be seen to be a luxury product, where quantity sold declines as income falls. This may lead to a fall in sales for Apple. However, during the recent recession Apple’s sales increased. Asymco (2011) Report below: The graph shows how Apple maintained continual growth in revenue over the ’09 period and onwards. Although its product may be seen as luxury, Apple managed to differentiate its product from competitors, and so created an increased demand. Additionally, with a depreciation of the dollar, the purchasing power of parity in foreign countries improves, and so Apple’s products become relatively cheaper. This led to an increase in international sales. 2.4 Socio- Cultural Factors The social life of an individual has significantly changed over the past  decade due to the revolution brought by a rapid expansion of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These social media networks have their own applications on iPhone. This gives users both business and consumers, a good medium to communicate with friends, family and business contacts. Apple has shaped modern culture by doing such, and this has increased demand for its product. Furthermore, Apple has entered the media market by the commercial linking of consumer products, with the iPod and through the launch of iTunes. This made a significant impact on 12 to 35 year olds using such products to enhance their social lives. 63% of digital downloads occur through iTunes, which gives Apple a dominant position in this market. By staying up to date with the changes Apple can increase its demand for both product. 2.5 Technological Technological factors are instrumental to the success of Apple. As one of the leading innovators in a technological industry, Apple must stay at the forefront of new developments. Steve Jobs was well aware of this: ‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower,’ (The innovation secrets of Steve Jobs, 2001.) This led to Apple’s first steps, transitioning from a computer manufacturer to a leading technology company. This occurred through the iPod and more recently the iPhone and iPad. There was an awareness to develop new products as well as operating systems, which made the total range of compatible products attractive to consumers. KPMG’s Technology Innovation Survey (2013) found that the US is most likely to find a disruptive breakthrough in technological advancements, contrary to beliefs a few years ago. However, China is close behind, with 24% of the votes believing China will see the next disruptive breakthrough in innovation. Either way, Apple must be very aware of what competitors are producing. If they do not utilise advancements in production or ICT revolutions they will be left behind. 2.6 Environmental There is now a greater awareness on a global scale to reduce emissions and become more environmentally friendly. Laws and regulations in United States have changed and this has made manufacturers responsible for recycling their waste. For this purpose Apple has established domestic recycling facilities which will help the Company to recycle its waste in United States and to follow the rules and regulations. Apple has communicated its willingness to adopt a green production process in order to protect the environment. This may enhance its credibility in the local and international markets. Apple Website (2014) ‘We want to leave the world better than we found it.’ We aim to ‘create not just the best products in the world, but the best products for the world.’ Clearly Apple are making conscious steps to lead the way in becoming a green company, and to mold with the changing views of the population. 2.7 Legal Apple operates in more than 100 countries and the legal environment faced by the technology giant is of utmost importance. Apple has filed various lawsuits in court for violations of intellectual property rights (IPR) . Protection of IPR and patents will significantly impact revenue and future profitability. One of the most famous cases is where Apple won a $1.05 billion lawsuit against Samsung, showing the importance of the Legal system in the US. Furthermore, Apple is subject to international laws, policies and procedures. To compete in the Chinese market, Apple has ventured with China Mobile. Apple must continuously work alongside laws and regulations to maintain its brands equity. Operating in such a vast number of countries increases revenue, but leads to the arduous task of keeping up to date with all laws in all countries. 3. Porter’s Five Forces Michael Porter developed this Five Forces model, which is used as a tool for companies to analyse business strategies. The use of the forces can determine the intensity and the attractiveness of the industry, reflecting the profitability of the industry. 3.1 Threats of New Entrants If market entry is easy, and barriers to entry low, then the competition in a market will be much greater. There are a number of factors which limit the ease of entrance. In the PC and mobile phone industry, the market has high levels of competition, and so threat of new entrants isn’t high. Apple has managed to gain very high levels of brand loyalty with its customers. Apple emphasise RD and product innovation, which satisfies consumer demands. Apple also benefits from economies of scale, linking its production of different goods and services together. Finally, Apple has set up manufacturing plants in China where the labour and costs of production are cheaper. These factors all create high barriers to entry for new competition. Therefore, the main threat is between existing competition developing products to match that of Apple, and not from new entrants. 3.2 Threats of substitutes The more similar a substitute is to an Apple product the less power Apple has. This reduces Apple’s ability to charge higher prices. In the Mobile phone, PC, and Tablet industry there is a huge variety of products available. This puts Apple under constant pressure. For example, Apple’s flagship device, the iPhone, has rivalry from various smartphones, such as Samsung’s’ Galaxy S4 and HTC. The major reason for Apple’s success is due to its superior quality of product, along with brand recognition. This has made Apple the most valuable smartphone brand (The Worlds Most Valuable Brands Forbes. 2014). Apple must endeavor to maintain this brand loyalty to reduce the threat of substitution and charge to premium price for the products. 3.3 Supplier Power Apple has a few key suppliers for some of its components, such as Foxconn. Foxconn could use this fact to their advantage, and exhibit higher  bargaining powers. Apple uses its rival Samsung to produce the chips for their iPhone’s. This reliance on Samsung gives them great deal of bargaining power. Supplier power is slightly reduced due to the sheer size of Apple’s business, enabling them to force lower prices by buying in large quantities. Over the years, Apple has developed unique alliances with suppliers helping to streamline the supply chain. Alliances with music partners and software companies such as AT T has helped to increase the revenue base of the Company, without increasing the powers of suppliers. Steve Jobs was a known to be a control freak, and focused on reducing the bargaining power of suppliers from the use of vertical integration. 3.4 Buyer Power The bargaining power for most Apple consumers is low. Apple fanatics are willing to pay premium prices for Apple goods. In the case of the Mac laptops, the price is almost double of that of its rivals. Consumers are willing to pay this for both the name and the superior quality of the product. The vast number of Apple consumers has reduced their power to lower the price of Apple products. Apple’s goal should focus on reducing the consumers bargaining power. It has tried to do this by developing products specifically for consumers needs and wants, enabling them to charge a higher price. Griffin Consulting Group (2012) find that there are high switching costs for customers who want to change software or hardware which again reduces the bargaining power of customers. 3.5 Rivalry between Competitors The PC and Mobile industry is very competitive, with a large number of similar sized firms. Rivalry in this industry is seen by; aggressive pricing, rapid product innovation, intensive marketing, and after-sale services (Forbes Website, 2012). This is used to add value to the product. Apple tries to differentiate its product from its competition. It implements a focus strategy, only developing a few products and targeting them for the need of the customer. Steve Jobs was quoted saying this: People think focus means saying yes to the thing youve got to focus on. But thats not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. Im actually as proud of the  things we havent done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things, (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, 1997). For example, iPhone’s are targeted to consumers rather than businesses. Macintosh computers are targeted to creative professions such as designers and photographers. By doing this Apple has stayed competitive in a highly rivalrous market. 4. SWOT Analysis Apple The SWOT analysis of Apple will be used to evaluate the strategies with respect to its strength weaknesses opportunities and threats. Apple needs to further strengthen its strategies in order to attain benefits from the opportunities that exist in the environment. Below is the SWOT matrix, followed by a more detailed analysis of a few key points. Strengths Customer Loyalty Leading Innovator Strong Financial Performance Brand Reputation Retail Stores Strong Marketing Team Patent And IPR Protection Weaknesses High Price Incompatibility With Different Operating systems Decreasing Market Share Long Term Gross Margin Decline Opportunities High Demand Of iPad and iPhone iTV launch Application Processors Growth of Phone and Tablet Market Acquisition Of Smaller Firms. Strong Growth of Mobile Advertising Market Increasing Demand for Cloud Services Threats Technology Changes Increase In Supplier Prices Foxconn Workers’ Pay Levels Price Challenge From Samsung Android OS growth New Competitors. 4.1 Strengths Apple has won the award for being the leading innovator in the world BCG (2013). Apple’s core competency has helped it to establish itself as the most innovative company in the last decade. The fact that the RD expenditure of Apple in the year 2013 was approximately $4,475 million, which is approximately 30% of its total operating expenditure. Thus it is evident that the amount of RD expenditure helps the Company to remain leading innovator in this technology industry. By being the leading innovator, Apple has established a strong base of loyal customers. ‘Once Apple always Apple,’ is the phrase which is used by the customers of Apple and there is always strong interest and demand at new product ranges. The expansion of Apple into other product categories like iTV and other media will further increase customer loyalty. Apple expects its existing customers to use iTV, which will be more technologically advanced than its existing products. A strong marketing team has made Apple products famous among its customers. Last year it spent $933 million on advertising Forbes (2014.) Through the marketing of the products it is able to sell at a higher price compared to its competitors. Due to these factors the brand reputation of Apple is immense compared to its rivals, such as Microsoft and Samsung. Forbes (2013) valued Apple at $104 billion, whereas its rivals Microsoft and Samsung had brand values of $56.7 and $29.5 billion respectively. This shows the strength of Apple with respect to brand reputation and this is helping Apple  to increase its revenue and profitability over all these years. Apple controls its retail distribution by exclusive sales from its own network. Apple stores provide a higher quality customer service experience. Knowledgeable staff helps the customers, who increase the brand equity and thus increases the sales for the Company. They average Apple store size has increased by 3,000 square feet to 10, 500 square-feet. The average revenue per store of this is $50.2 million, Fox Business (2014). These stores are one of the best when it comes to sales per square feet, and this is a great strength for Apple. Finally, Apple is currently the leading company with a market capitalisation at the end of the fourth quarter of approximately $504 billion. This is due to the strength of their financial performance over the past few years. Apple’s cash balance is approximately $14.25 billion and their Balance Sheet shows an asset base of $207 billion in 2013, from Ychart (2014). Apple is therefore in a strong position to respond to most competitive threats. 4.2 Weaknesses One of the major critics about Apple products is that it is much more expensive than other comparable devices in the market. Fierce competition in the consumer product market is a disadvantage for Apple, as consumers can choose similar lower priced products. As well as this critics dislike the incompatibility with different operating systems. Products, particularly desktop and laptop computers manufactured by Apple only use its own operating system and thus the software and hardware are interdependent on each other. Critics argue consumers would rather buy products from various vendors, which is possible with Windows’ products. Apple computers are dependent on the growth of Apple’s OS, which could prove to be a disadvantage. If technological growth is limited then this will affects Apple’s ability to increase its market share in different industries. The market share of Apple has decreased over the past few years due to Android’s growing popularity, as it is a free operating system. It was  estimated that in 2014 the market share of Apple in smartphone industry would remain at 14.9%. Now it is expected to decrease to 14.4% in the year 2018, due to growth in the sale of the Windows’ phone. Thus it is important for Apple to improve on its technological advancement, including making more innovations with its operating system. More exclusive Apps on Apple could improve market share for Apple. Finally there has been a long-term gross margin decline for Apple. The major reason for the decrease of Apple’s margin is the increase in its cost of sales. In 2012 the gross margin was around 44%. This has significantly decreased in 2013 to around 38%, and thus shows that Apple needs to decrease its cost of goods in order to increase the gross profit margin in the long term. 4.3 Opportunities IDC (2014) found that 87% of connected device sales by 2017 would be from tablets and smart phones. Apple with its own product has the capability to produce and innovate technology in this sector to increase its market share. Apple has launched iPad mini 2 and the demand has been increasing for this tablet. Samsung has launched its Flagship smartphone S5 during 2014, and hence people are eagerly waiting for the new generation of the iPhone 6. This will considerably help it to further increase its market share and revenue over the next year. One of Apple’s opportunities is to increase its diversity of products through acquisitions. In the last 18 months alone Apple has acquired over 24 companies Tech Crunch (2014). Most recently acquiring Beats for $3.2 billion from Dr. Dre. There are a lot of new firms in the technology market, which are developing new products and features, which Apple can acquire. Due to the fact that these are patented features, Apple can get them through external acquisitions. Apple’s ability to purchase or negotiate will help to continue its long-term growth. A future revenue stream, which Apple has tried to utilise, is the increasing  demand for cloud services. IDC (2014) predicted that IT cloud services will reach $46.4 billion in 103, expected to increase to over $107 billion by 2017. This equate to a compound annual growth rate of 23.5%, fives times that of the industry. The Cloud based services offer huge potential revenue stream for Apple. Finally, Apple’s iTV product is a major innovation, to its product range and will support the Apple TV, which will help its penetration into the TV market. Furthermore, this will also diversify the portfolio of the Company and will further increase revenue and profitability along with the brand equity in the technology industry. 4.4 Threats Apple manufactures its products with the help of Foxconn. The wage level of Foxconn workers has tripled in recent years. This has led to rising costs for Apple. Further still, Samsung has asked Apple to pay more of its processing chips in its iPhones. The reliance on these suppliers has meant a rising cost level for Apple. Apple needs to identify more suppliers of processing chips, which should help it to decrease the overall costs. This in turn will improve their profitability and reliance on other companies. The technology sector is experiencing rapid technological changes. This puts Apple under severe pressure to launch new products and features with new devices. Inability to do such will lead to failure. Apple over the years has introduced new products and services, which is helping it to stay ahead of its competitors. Soon it will face fiercer competition and innovation is key for survival. Apple is facing a threat from the Android’s rapid OS growth. The free operating system for smartphones Android is the most widely used operating system. Approximately 80% of the smartphones shipped in 2013 were based on Android. Therefore it is important for Apple to further increase the innovations by introducing new features in their operating system. This will help to maintain or grow their market share in years to come. 5. Apple’s Strategies When considering the strategies that Apple had adopted it is important to consider how these strategies arose and the direction in which it moved the company. This is key in determining how the company can now move forward and pursue new goals. Apple was found to be the leader in innovation for the last eight years running by Boston Consulting Group. When considering how Apple has become the company it is today, it is vital to talk about the innovation strategy that Steve Jobs implemented, and now more recently how, Tim Cook is moving the company forward. In this section we will also look at the use of a diversification strategy, which was implemented at the same time. The last strategy covered is an internationalisation strategy adopted by Apple. 5.1 Innovation Strategy Freeman and Soete (1997) defined innovation as the ‘The first commercial application or production of a new process or product.’ It involves the conversion of a new knowledge into a product or services and then the implementation of this. It can take two different forms; technology push, or market pull. The former is created by new knowledge and understanding from technologists or scientists. The latter is caused by the pull of consumers in the market, leading to innovation. Before Steve Jobs turned Apple around John Scully decided that cost leadership strategy was vital. He did believe in a differentiation strategy as well, however he failed at differentiating Apple’s products from the leading rivals. This led to Steve Jobs taking control of the company and redefining the direction of Apple. He believed that innovation was the key to success. The industry was driven by low prices and expanding capabilities, so Jobs decided to innovate and at the same time differentiate Apple’s product from the market. In 2001 this with achieved with the revolutionary new product of the iPod. This allowed music to be stored on a  small device holding thousands of songs. From here, iTunes was developed. Compatibility between this and other software allowed the iTunes store to become highly profitable. With Apple growing rapidly, Steve Jobs continued with this successful strategy. The advertising campaign ‘think different’ developed in 1997 has been at the core of Apple’s strategy. By being highly innovative, he achieved extremely differentiated products and ideas from their rivals. The iPhone was just this, and by being the first smartphone it has left competing androids in its wake. From one innovation to another, Jobs set up the App store allowing applications to be downloaded to a phone. This vastly increased the range of activities that this smart phone could do. More recently with an economic downturn the need for a cheaper Mac like product was developed, which could target consumers in a slightly lower price range. This led to the creation of the iPad. This was an example of consumer pull innovation Apple has used. Finally, the iCloud which is a highly innovative product, allows customers to sync all Apple products using a network called the Cloud. This has been crucial in reducing the ability of consumers to switch between products, giving Apple the power to charge premium prices. This is an example of technology push innovation, an area Apple has specialised in. Most companies adapt to external environment and change strategies accordingly. Apple changed and drove these external factors. Focusing on innovation and by creating fashionable designs, Jobs changed socio-cultural factors, instead of adapting to them. The iPhone, iPad and iPod created a change in the culture, and the design of these was appealing, as well as technologically advanced. This has been a key factor in Apple’s Success. 5.2 Internationalisation Strategy Rui et Al (2008) defined internationalisation strategy as ‘The process by which a firm sells its good and services outside of its domestic market. They do this by both technology and managerial capabilities.’ Apple’s products are used in over a hundred countries. It is clear that Apple has  used an internationalisation strategy to its advantage by dramatically increasing its consumer market. In fact 63% of Apples revenue comes from outside of America. The product iPhone in Europe has almost reached saturation point. Apple’s internationalisation strategy is a Global one which standardises its products. The only modification is the power source. Apple’s engineering design and manufacturing is now controlled by one source, which is where it differentiates from its competing computer manufacturers. Apples engineering and design developers come up with ideas for products in the US, but then two large IT solution brans, Foxconn and Invetec manufacture this product. Manufacturing occurs in China and this is due to lower labouring costs. The use of this internationalisation strategy has been influential in driving costs down and so improving profits. More recently Apple has targeted the Chinese market with the release of the iPhone 5C. Apple has been working to extend its market share in the Chinese telecom industry, which is the world’s biggest telecom market with a subscription base of more than 1.01 billion in the mobile phone industry. This shows the potential significance of the Chinese telecom industry. A large market share of this industry would mean a significant increase in its profitability for Apple. Apple started to concentrate in the Chinese smartphone market in the last few years and have seen significant increase in its revenue from this market. According to the Annual Report of Apple for the year 2013, the revenue from the Chinese market has increased from 7% of its total revenue in 2011 to around 15% of Apple’s total revenue in 2013. This shows how significant an increase from the Chinese economy could be for Apple’s future. In accordance with the needs of the Chinese consumers, Apple identified innovation was needed to develop a new product for this market, and so launched the iPhone 5C. Apple also succeeded to negotiate a partnership with China Mobile, which is the number one operator in the Chinese telecom market with over 760 million subscribers. This has given a huge advantage to Apple, as now it will be working with China Mobile to increase its market share and eventually increase the profitability of the Company. Apple has established strategic alliances with a lot of mobile operators around the world, but  this is one of its best deals due to the sheer size of China Mobile. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Recommendation The ability of Apple to stay innovative and to keep its brandy loyalty is key to maintaining its position in the market. Many of Apples own products are substitutes for older products such as the iPod. Other smartphone competition such as Samsung and HTC are growing rapidly and rivalry is increasing in the market. The ability of competitors to catch up, and potentially develop products more advanced than that of Apple is a real concern. There have been fears that Apple is becoming less innovative. Forbes (2014) ranked Apple as the 79th most innovative company, and argues that their methodology for calculation was more detailed than that of BCG. Competing companies should look to exploit this weakness. Samsung and HTC should look at investing heavily in RD in order to release more and more sophisticated products. This would undermine Apple and its core strategy, allowing for huge potential revenues to be gained. To do this Apple’s competitors would need to advertise heavily in order to reduce brand loyalty to Apple. For this reason, Apple should continue to invest heavily in their marketing team. Apple have tried to diversify their product line, but at the same time have created products which are profitable in their own right, such as iCloud and iTunes. At the same time it has created its own ecosystem where their products interlink between each other. The use of this reduces the consumer’s ability to substitute. Apple should focus on maintaining and developing this route. The use of the iTV is a positive sign of Cook identifying this opportunity. The recent acquisition of Beats for an approximated $3.2 billion, Guardian (2014), may be an indication of a change or expansion of Apple’s strategy by  Tim Cook. Apart from the headphone product, the expansion in the media market compliments the iTunes library of videos and music. This creates an ongoing revenue stream for apple, and opportunity to expand its growing sector of loyal Apple customers. Finally, one main concern for Apple is sourcing of its components. With the increasing wages of Foxconn employees Apple should look to increases its suppliers. Or, Tim Cook should follow Steve Jobs view on this, and look at continuing the vertical integration to avoid reliance on others, and so reduce supplier bargaining power. 6.2 Conclude Since 2001 and the launch of the iPod, Apple has had an era of unbelievable growth and profitability becoming the most valuable brand in the world. Clearly without Steve Job’s and Tim Cook forging a clear and strong strategic platform this profitability would not have been sustained. The internationalisation strategy has been a huge success with levels of revenue from outside the US in the billions. A focus on continued innovation and the use of rapidly developing countries such as China and India will determine the future of Apple. 7. Bibliography Apple, (2014), ‘environment / our-progress’ [online] Available at: http://www.apple.com/uk/environment/our-progress/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Asymco (2011), ‘Apples Growth Scorecard for Second Quarter 2011.’ [online] Available at: http://www.asymco.com/2011/07/20/apples-growth-scorecard-for-second-quarter-2011/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Chandler, A. (1962). ‘Strategy and structure: chapters in the history of the industrial enterprise.’ 1st ed. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press. CNN Money (2012). What’s eating Apple? The analysts weigh in. [online] Available at: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/14/apple-shares-fallen-wall-street-analysts/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Extreme Tech (2014), ‘Apple acquires Beats for $3.2 billion, confirms Dr. Dre’ [online] Available at: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/182158-apple-acquires-beats-for-3-2-billion-confirms-dr-dre [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Forbes (2012), ‘China Now the World’s Largest Smartphone Market,’ [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/08/30/china-now-the-worlds-largest-smartphone-market/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Forbes (2013), ‘IDC 87% Of connected Devices Sales by 2017 will be Tablets and Smartphones’ [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2013/09/12/idc-87-of-connected-devices-by-2017-will-be-tablets-and-smartphones/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Forbes (2013), ‘Is Apple The world’s most Innovative Company (still)?’ [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/09/27/is-apple-the-worlds-most-innovative-company-still/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Forbes (2014), ‘The World’s Most Valuable Brands’ [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Forbes (2014), ‘Who Spends More on Ads- Apple or Microsoft? Another Lesson in Quality vs Quantity’ [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ycharts/2012/08/02/who-spends-more-on-ads-apple-or-microsoft-another-lesson-in-quality-vs-quantity/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Fox Business (2014), ‘Apple’s Retail Stores Key To Tech Giants Success’ [online] Available at: http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2014/01/27/apple-retail-stores-key-to-tech-giant-success/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Freeman, C. and Soete, L. (1997). ‘The economics of industrial innovation’. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. IDC (2013), ‘PC Outlook Falls As Market Increasingly Looks to Tablets, According to IDC’ [online] Available at: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24129913 [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. IDC (2013), ‘Record Smartphone Shipments Grow the Market 38.8% in the Third Quarter of 2013, Making Way For A Strong Holiday Quarter, According to IDC’. [online] Available at: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24418013[Accessed 2 May. 2014]. IDC (2014), ‘IDC Cloud- An IDC Four Pillar Research Area’ [online] Available at: http://www.idc.com/prodserv/FourPillars/Cloud/index.jsp [Accessed 29 Apr. 2014]. KPMG (2014), ‘Technology Innovation Survey 2013’ [online] Available at: http://www.kpmg.com/SK/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/Technology%20Innovation%20Survey%202013.pdf [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. NPD Group (2013), ‘ After 10 Years, Apple Continues Music Download Dominance in the U.S’ [online] Available at: https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/the-npd-group-after10-years-apple-continues-music-download-dominance-in-the-u-s/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. Rui, H. and Yip, G. (2008). ‘Foreign acquisitions by Chinese firms: A strategic intent perspective.’ Journal of World Business, 43(2), pp.213226. The Boston Consulting Group (2014), ‘The Most Innovative Companies 2013’ [online] Available at:

Friday, September 20, 2019

Deep-sea Anglerfish Reproduction

Deep-sea Anglerfish Reproduction Natures Example of a Total Reduction in the Role of Males: A Review on Deep-sea Anglerfish Reproduction Introduction The Deep Ocean Waters that cover ocean basins constitute the largest living space on earth. This immense environment is home to the largest animal communities on the planet-largest in terms of biomass, numbers of individuals, and area extent (Robison, 2004). Despite its obvious significance to the biosphere, the oceans deep interior remains an unexplored frontier. Although physical and chemical properties of oceanic water vary greatly within the upper kilometer, at greater depths these properties remain relatively constant (Robison, 2004). The deep pelagic habitat is a vast volume of cold, dark water where food is scarce and bioluminescence is the principal source of light and communication. Physical Appearance Anglerfish belong to the order Lophiiformes. Named after their unique mode of predation, in which they use a fleshy outgrowth sprouting from the middle of their head to attract prey, much like a fishing lure. This act is similar to the act of angling, thus the name anglerfish. Deep sea anglerfish has a vicious appearance; however they are not too big in size. They have earned the name common black devil due to their unsightly features. They have a large mouth with sharp, fang-like teeth. They can reach to about 12cm in length (Bora, 2010). Their bodies are globular and they are not adapted for sustained rapid swimming, these are designed for remaining motionless most of the time (different reference). Their body color ranges from dark gray, brown, or black. Their skin reflects blue light, which helps them remain invisible to other deep sea creatures, as most of them emit blue light. Their bodies are fragile and have no scales. In fact, their thin skin can slip off their bodies whenever touched by human hands when they are retrieved from deep sea nets. Their muscles are flabby and they have weak skeletons. Their C-shaped gill slits are very small and are placed below the pectorals (different reference). The eyes of the deep sea anglerfish are too small. They possess one or more long filaments that spring from the center of its head. These so-called filaments are modified spines of the anterior dorsal fin. The longest filament is usually the first spine, or the illicium, which protrudes above the eyes and terminates in an irregular mass of flesh at the tip of the spine, the esca. This filament, which serves as a lure, can be moved back and forth (Bora, 2010). Predation In the deep ocean, food is rare and unpredictable compared to the more reliably available food in the open water. Thus, deep sea animals develop certain strategies to find food and ways of eating whatever food they may encounter with as little effort as possible. Most of the deep sea animals prefer to wait for the arrival of their prey or food particles rather than searching actively for them. Moreover, most of these animals are not selective in their diet and cope up with amazingly large prey (Bora, 2010). Female anglerfish are the classic lurk-and-lure predators. They have a huge mouth and their teeth are large compared to their body size. They rely on their luminous lure to attract their prey instead of searching actively for them. Moreover, these animals can accommodate very large prey through their expandable jaws, which can open up twice as wide, and elastic stomach, which allows them to eat any prey available (Bora, 2010). Their most amazing feature is their bioluminescent lure. The lure of deep sea anglerfish are more elaborate compared to shallow water species, since these are used to attract prey in the dark. These lures are modified dorsal fins and bioluminescence is caused by bacteria, which produce a bluish, greenish light (Bora, 2010). The light and movement of the lure attract the prey to within reach of the gaping jaws. The anglerfish Cryptopsaras can slide the rod part of the apparatus back into a groove, drawing the lure and prey closer to the mouth. It can rotate the lure tip and produce a flash from it as well as a glow. All this is controlled by enzymes and the contraction of chromatophores. These lures have sensory filaments, papillae, light pipes, and shutters. The lures of deep sea anglerfishes are extraordinary elaborate, with sensory filaments, papillae, light pipes and shutters. It may be that different species mimic different kinds of small prey like shrimps to attract larger prey. One anglerfish (Caulophryne) has a lure ornamented with many filaments but it is not luminous. An other (Linophryne) has not only a luminous lure on the head but also a multibranched barbel hanging from the lower jay. The barbel filaments contain many more bioluminescent organs. Some position their lure inside their mouths. Some deep sea anglerfish have positioned their lure inside the mouth. The wolftrapangler Thaumatichthys axeli is a sit-and-wait ambush predator with a luminescent lure hanging from the roof of his overshot mouth, which is fringed with hooked sharp teeth. This anglerfish hovers just above the substrate (not sitting on it). To attract in prey, it waves its lure back and forth till the prey comes closer to its mouth. There is a specialized spine attached to the lure, which can be moved in any direction. When the prey touches the mouth, the esca, which is connected with the mouth reflex, causes the anglerfish to instantly snap the prey with its powerful jaw and swallow it. Moreover, the teeth of the prey are bent inwards so as to prevent the prey from escaping once it enters the mouth. They can take in prey twice their size due to their thin and flexible bones causing the jaw and stomach to extend to an incredible size (Singha, 2010). Reproductive biology Sexual Dimorphism Sexual dimorphism describes animals where there is a physical difference between males and females of the same species (BBC). In most species the female deep sea anglerfish is much larger than the male anglerfish, actually they are real dwarfs compared with their mate. For example the largest females of the genus Gigantactis grow to 40cm in length, whereas the largest males only grow to 2cm. Unlike their sluggish partners they have muscular bodies for active swimming. For many years fish biologists were very confused by these differences and misidentified male and female anglers as completely different species (Zubi, 2010). Sexual Maturity The male deep sea anglerfish mature sexually soon after reaching metamorphosis, in females it takes a much longer time (Zubi, 2010). Extremely young parasitized females of Cryptopsaras couesii indicate that females of this species are able to elicit a search response in a conspecific male, as well as provide cues for specific identification by the male at a very early age (Pietsch, 2005). Sexual Parasitism In sexual parasitism, the dwarfed males become permanently attached to much larger females. This is a remarkable mode of reproduction unique to some members of the deep sea anglerfish suborder Ceratioidei (Pietsch, 2005). There is no mechanism that prevents additional males from becoming attached to a previously parasitized female, but Linoohryne (and perhaps Caulophryne), in which multiple attachments have so far not been found, might be a nexception to this rule. Multiple attachment is rare in Ceratias and Borophryne (only a single record of two males in each case), but common in Cryptopsaras and Haplophtyne, which are known to have as many as eight and six males, respectively (Pietsch, 2005). Males are almost invariably attached upside down and facing forward with respect to the female, and almost always on the ventral midline of the belly of the female, somewhat anterior to the anus; exceptions include those of Cryptopsaras, Haplophryne, and Photocorynus, which may be found almost anywhere on the head and body, and oriented in any direction (Pietsch, 2005). Six of the seven known parasitically attached males of Neoceratias spinifer lack openings to the pharynx leading to the gills and opercular openings, which are present in the area of attachment of nearly all previously described examples of attached males (exceptions include several attached males of Haplophryne mollis). The gills of these Neoceratias males, however, are as well developed as those of free-living males of other ceratioid families, indicating that sufficient oxygen is probably not available via the blood of the female and that this gas is extracted by water that is pumped in and out through the opercular openings (Pietsch, 2005). A dual mechanism for mate location and speciesspecific selection probably functions in most ceratioids, in which both eyes and olfactory structures of the freeliving males are well developed, but it is highly unlikely to function in the ceratiid genera Ceratias and Cryptopsaras, in which the nostrils are surprisingly small and undeveloped, and in Centrophryne and the gigantactinid genera Gigantactis and Rhynchactis, in which the eyes are very much reduced. The mechanism by which males of Neoceratias (in which the eyes and nostrils are especially small and degenerate) find females (which apparently lack bioluminescent structures) remains a mystery (Pietsch, 2005). Modes of Reproduction Temporary nonparasitic: Melanocetus johnsonii and Melanocetus murrayi Males of the Melanocetidae, Himantolophidae, Diceratiidae, Gigantactinidae, and several of the better known oneirodid genera (for example, Oneirodes, Microlophichthys, Dolopichthys, Chaenophryne, and Lophodolos, each now known from well over 50 females), probably never become parasitic. Spawning and fertilization may take place during a temporary sexual attachment that does not involve fusion of male and female tissues (Pietsch, 2005). The parasitic mode of reproduction is apparently obligatory in Ceratias, Cryptopsaras, Borophryne, Haplophryne, and Linophryne, and, although sufficient data are lacking to say for certain, probably in Neoceratias as well. Males of those taxa in which sexual parasitism is obligatory apparently never mature unless they are in parasitic association with a female, and, likewise, females never become gravid until stimulated by the permanent parasitic attachment of a male. That sexual maturity is determined not by size or age in these fishes, but by parasitic sexual association, may well be unique among animals (Pietsch, 2005). Among those taxa in which parasitism seems to be obligatory, the number of parasitized females in collections around the world is surprisingly small compared to the total number of known specimens: about 6% in Cryptopsaras, 11% in Ceratias, 16% in Photocorynus, 33% in Haplophryne, and 40% in Borophryne (Pietsch, 2005). Sexual parasitism is probably facultative in Caulophryne and in the oneirodid genera Bertella and Leptacanthichthys (Pietsch, 2005). The remaining ceratioid families, Thaumatichthyidae and Centrophrynidae, are still so poorly known that little can now be concluded concerning their mode of reproduction (Pietsch, 2005). Reproductive Cycle The deep sea is a vast area and with a small number of animals spread thinly in such an area, it can be difficult to find a mate. Thus, deep sea anglerfish have devised a way through the process of evolution, to continue the propagation of their species through sexual parasitism (Zubi, 2010). Once a male anglerfish is born it directly searches out for a female. Male anglerfish probably do not feed due to the lack of a bioluminescent lure. Instead their eyes and olfactory organs are large (Zubi, 2010). Once the male anglerfish finds a female, he will attach himself to her body usually by biting her belly. Once attached, the teeth and jaws draw back and the skin and blood systems of the male and female merge. Now the male becomes a parasite to the female, not needing to find food for him. Thus, the intestine regress and the only important organ within the male is his large testis. This time the female has a guaranteed supply of sperms while the male relies on the female for food and living (?). It is the female who probably controls the sperm delivery via her hormones, therefore, it is connected with the moment she ejects her eggs from her body. The fertilized eggs contain large oil droplets for buoyancy for floating to the surface of the ocean (Zubi, 2010). As soon as the male detects the presence of a female in his vicinity, he bites or latches onto her with his sharp teeth. Thereafter, the male releases an enzyme that works to digest the body of the female and the skin of the males mouth. Overtime, this process goes on to a physical fusion of the pair down to the blood-vessel level. Then begins the process of the male undergoing atrophy or degeneration. Meaning, the male starts losing his digestive organs, its brain, heart, eyes and all other internal organs, until he is left only with his pair of testicles. These testicles are used to release sperm in response to the females hormones indicating egg release. In this way, about 6 male angler fishes can be borne by a single female, throughout its life time, providing her a lifetime supply of sperm for fertilization (Singha, 2010). The female anglerfish can carry up to six males on her body. This bizarre method of reproduction makes sure that when the female is ready to spawn, she does not have to look for the male, as he is already available. After fertilization, the female lay the eggs in a thin sheet of transparent gelatinous material, which can be 2 to3 feet wide and about 25 to 30 feet long. This sheet with the eggs floats in the sea, till the eggs hatch into larvae. The larvae usually feed on the surface of the sea, until they mature (Bora, 2010).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Biomes as Units of the Biosphere :: essays research papers

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines biosphere as â€Å"the part of the world in which life can exist.† There are 2.1 million catalogued species known to exist and some scientist estimate as much as 100 million might exist. Each of these species has adapted to life in a particular part of the biosphere. These particular parts are called ecosystems. Since there is a large jump between the biosphere and ecosystems scientists have divided the biosphere into biomes. In doing research about biomes, it seems that different scientists have different ideas about biomes. They vary in their number just as they vary in their names. Biomes could be called units of the biosphere and each biome is made up of many ecosystems. There are obviously many types of biomes in this world because of the diversity of climates around the world. The fewer number of biomes you choose to say make up our ecosystem, the more general they become. Some scientists obviously believed that more types of biomes are needed to describe the variety of climates in our world. Some name as few as six biomes to describe the different areas of our biosphere but others name as many as twelve or more. I believe that six is sufficient but there are what you might call sub-biomes of each biome that some would like to differentiate from the others like them. The taiga biome is the largest of the biomes. It is located in Canada, Europe and Asia. The average temperature of the taiga is below freezing about 6 months out of the year with about 12 to 33 inches of precipitation per year. There is little diversity in plant life. A few broad leaf tree species live in the taiga but mostly evergreen trees are the only ones that have adapted to really thrive in this environment. There are some animals that have adapted to live in the cold and snowy environment. A predator called the ermine has a thick coat of dark fur that turns white in the winter. The snowshoe rabbit also has a fur that turns white in the winter. The wolverine is able to mate during ideal conditions by delayed implantation in which they suspend dormant fertilized eggs until the conditions are ideal for bearing their young. Rainforests are the most diverse having more than 15 million species living in the biome. The rainforest biome is sometimes separated into two different biomes.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Birth Of A Nation And Greed :: essays research papers

The progress of the film industry was remarkably fast in the first quarter of this century. I have chosen two films namely The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Greed (1924) for comparison and contrast to show how much the industry had evolved within the short span of nine years. These two films are chosen for the short time span between them. This short time span will enable us to evaluate the development of the film industry in terms of the psychological build-up of the plot and the characters, cinematic qualities and the gradual acceptance of ironies in the films on the part of the American audience.D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation and Erich Von Stroheim's Greed are both films adapted from novels written by Thomas Dixon and Frank Norris respectively. However one of the differences between these two films lies in the human characters portrayed. In The Birth of a Nation, the characters are portrayed as either wholly good or evil. One could easily distinguish between the heroes and villains in the film. For example, the hero in the film, Ben Stoneman is portrayed as courageous, loving and righteous as opposed to the villains Lynch (the false reformer) and Gus (the black soldier), who are portrayed as scheming and lustful. This lopsided depiction of human nature is not realistic, as humans cannot be either wholly good or wholly evil. This is an example of idealism with clear influences from Pollyanna stories, which was well accepted by the audience then. Thus a realistic depiction of humans should be that of portraying their strengths and weaknesses. The characters in Von Stroheim's Greed, on the other hand, possess this practical depiction of humans. In this film the characters are a real portrayal of real human beings with imperfections and weaknesses. McTeague for instance, is portrayed as kind and gentle towards animals yet violent by nature. Marcus, McTeague's friend and later his foe, is portrayed as a humorous, witty but at the same time scheming and harbors grudges against McTeague. Comparing these characters to the ones in The Birth of a Nation, clearly the characters in Greed are much more realistic, painting a true picture of the complexity of human nature. It is also a break from the then prevailing norm in Hollywood's films of showing only one-sided nature of the characters, which is either wholly good or wholly bad.In addition to that, Von Stroheim also showed the psychological development of his characters.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Disc Evaluation

The Steadiness Style, as compared to the four major behavioral styles – dominant, interactive, and cautious styles – are known to be the most considerate and compassionate individuals when it comes to building relationships and being involved with other individuals. The Steadiness Styles are dependable people because individuals will be able to engage in an open and trusting conversation with them. They listen and empathize with other people. Moreover, the Steadiness Styles’ care and compassion for other people may be observed by their steadfastness as friends and their dedication and trustworthiness when it comes to their career.Due to this exceptional consideration of other people, and their cool and composed personality that makes them amicable and easy to talk to, they are also able to gain friends and acquaintances that will treat them in the same way that they do other people. This allows them to build solid relationships with other people. This characteris tic may be observed when you look at their personal belongings. Their valuing of other people is perceptible because they keep pictures of individuals who they care for. Being people-oriented, involvement with other people becomes their motivation to do. The Steadiness Styles are not comfortable with change.They cannot cope up with change as easily as other behavioral styles can. Changes and disorders strain them out making them perturbed. They are more inclined to be able to cope with change through a slow and premeditated transition. Change should be done gradually, with careful preparation, and little by little they will be able to get used to new situations and environments. This kind of attitude may be attributed to the Steadiness Styles’ never-ending quest for stability. In addition, these styles value equilibrium. When faced with conflicts and arguments, they choose to become agreeable to avoid dispute.Another dominant and observable quality of the Steadiness styles is their capability to work well within a group. They are dependable and trustworthy teammates who are accepting of their roles and duties as a part of team. Due to their stable and balanced nature, they approach work with orderliness through careful and thorough planning. They carry out even the most difficult plans because of their determination and passion for their vocation. Their ability to work well with a group may affect the way they make decisions because they always ask the opinions, proposals, and suggestions of other people.This is primarily because of their apprehensions regarding change and imbalance. Steadiness Styles: Strengths and Weaknesses Overall, the strengths of the Steadiness Styles are observed in their ability to listen intently and attentively to other people. This allows them to work well within a team because they are not set in their ways. They are genuinely concerned about other people making individuals feel valued and supported by them. Their ability to work with a team is also one of their strong points, especially when it is applied in the workplace.Teamwork is highly significant in organizations due to the amount of work being asked for and the variety and quantity of work assigned to employees. This reinforces another characteristic, which is reliability. Their listening skills and their being a team player makes them reliable individuals. Persistence and diligence is also one important character traits that make the Steadiness Styles’ personality impressive. Carrying out their roles and responsibilities is not enough. The Steadiness Styles are also skilled and motivated to follow-through. Another valuable strength of the Steadiness Styles is their ability to think logically.This is most significant in the workplace where the working environment is highly dependent on organization. They are good planners. They think things through before making decisions. One good thing about them being a good planner is that they are a ble to map out the entire process, outweigh the benefits and the risks, generalize or make conclusions, before carrying out the plan. And when they do carry out their carefully made plan, they do it with doggedness and resolve. Moreover, they look through the process entirely even after the plan is carried out completely.They are able to evaluate and assess the plan, the process of implementation, and the results concluded from the plan. This is also highly important in organizational teamwork. Although the strengths of the Steadiness Styles allow them to become valuable members of a team or to start meaningful relationships with other people, they also have weaknesses which may disrupt their way of life. These weaknesses are often rooted from their fear of change and instability. Because of this fear, the Steadiness Styles are not able to initiate goals or plans for the future, except for their personal aspirations of achieving stability and security.They are afraid of taking risks and the consequences that might arise from changes or from decisions. They always have to think it through for longer periods of time, and due to their strong bonds with other people, they always have to consult individuals before making decisions. This oversensitivity is a source of their failure to move forward or to explore new prospects and discover even greater opportunities and possibilities. Indecisiveness is one of their major weaknesses. Furthermore, the Steadiness Styles are unable to deal with relentless or persuasive change.They have to go through the process of thinking the situation through. After this, they would have to create a plan on how to go about the changes. Adapting to new situations and environments take time. This kind of attitude may hinder them from following trends, especially in the workplace. This does not permit them from going with the flow because they are always resistant of change. When Steadiness Styles are under stress, they tend to become comp liant and dependent individuals. They become passive because they do not want to get involved with conflicts.Therefore, the Steadiness Styles become in accord with people and situations even if they do not agree with other people’s opinions or ideas, or even the situation they are in. In this case, changes in relationships and environments are avoided by being submissive although suffering from discomfort. Their dependency to other people is also one of their weaknesses. Although it is not particularly harming to their way of life, the security that they get from gaining approval from other people is not permanent. They should be able to gain self-assurance and security from within, rather than from other people.Agree or Disagree? Reading the DISC Platinum Rule Assessment is a very stimulating experience. It allowed me to see who I am tangibly. Some people, including myself, are somewhat confused of who they are and are unable to understand why they behave or act in a particu lar way. The DISC Platinum Rule Assessment affirmed who I am as a person because I became aware of who I really am and why I do the things or act the way I do. As I was reading through the pages of the assessment, I began reminiscing significant parts of my life and amazingly enough, I found myself agreeing to everything that the assessment was explicating.There were some points in my life where I was hesitant of making decisions because I was afraid of what the consequences may be. Moreover, I find comfort in being involved with other people and I easily connect and build relationships with them. With this in mind, I would have to say that the DISC Platinum Rule Assessment was successful in mapping out my personality and also providing me with insights on how I can handle stressful situations and also how to help change my personality by turning my weaknesses into strengths.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Is Green House Gases And Global Warming A Real Threat? Essay

Human beings are about to encounter the worst catastrophe apart from the bubonic plague which characterized the middle ages. This threat is the global warming. So many people are still on the debate on whether global warming is taking place and also on the potential effects it has on the environment. However, most scientists and researchers are in agreement that, global warming is already taking place and it is going to increase uncontrollably in future. The world leaders have an option to view it as a real threat to the existence of man or decide to ignore it to the detrimental of the human race (Phil, par 1). Though some have doubted the existence of green house gases and global warming, this essay shows that they are indeed are reality. Lately, the world has been characterized by so many debates on whether global warming is real or not, debate that does not exclude even the scientists. There are several facts that scientifically prove that global warming is real. These include several human activities that lead to emission of certain gases in the air, for example fuel burning. Burning of fuels such as coal and wood emit gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (Phil, par 2-4). These are what are called green house gases. Research shows that the amount of these gases emitted in the air is increasing in the atmosphere. These gases absorb sun’s radiation and this means that the amount or radiation in the atmosphere is increasing, resulting to the increase of atmospheric temperatures. This increase of temperatures has been associated with natural disasters such as flooding, crops failing and ice ages. Since people now know that global warming is real, they may not know all its impacts but they are sure that these impacts are going to be detrimental to the existence of human race and thus people cannot assume that it is not happening (Phil, par 2-4). In addition, a new green house gas has been discovered and identified and it is said to be potent. Trifluoromethyl sulfur pentafluoride is said to worsen the global warming process since it is 18,000 times capable of trapping the sun’s heat in the atmosphere (BBC News, par 3). The scientists who discovered it went further to say that the gas has been in the atmosphere for the last 40 years but its molecules continue to increase in number at the rate of 6% every year. Although its level is still low, its effects are significant to global warming process (BBC News, par 4- 5). One thing that is really frightening is the effects and consequences of these gases and the global warming at large. First, the temperature in the world is staggeringly increasing and it will continue to rise up, resulting to climatic changes all over the world. This will definitely lead to increase in the amount of rainfall in some areas while other areas will be deprived of it hence farming will be negatively affected. Food growing seasons in some areas will shorten while in other areas will lengthen. This will make it too difficult to predict the changes in the climate (Phil, par. 3). Another consequence will be the melting of the polar ice caps and this will take place at a higher rate than expected, hence making the oceans to rise slowly. It may lead to another Tsunami and people living in the coastal cities will be forced to move or evacuate the areas to other areas on raised ground. No one can predict the height that the oceans will increase up to, but the fact is that more land meant for human habitation will decrease. Consequently, the land available for farming will reduce and this will affect the amount of food produced for the survival of man. To make the matters worse, already most people do not engage in farming activities. The moment the little land available for these activities reduces, man will definitely starve (Phil, par 4). In addition, the melting of polar ice will decrease the reflection of sunlight back to the space, causing the earth’s temperature to increase at a very high rate. Just beneath these receding caps, there is organic matter which if exposed to the air, will also emit these gases. This will definitely complement the human activities that lead to the same. The warming on the earth surface will lead to more polar ice melting and this will affect the oceans in two ways. First, the oceans will be diluted, this referring to the desalination of the waters (Phil, par 5-6). Secondly, the temperature of these ocean waters will go down due to the water that is coming from the ice. Consequently, the ocean currents will be affected and since the ecosystem in the world is known to be regulated by these currents, there is bound to be another ice age in the world. Global warming will lead to another ice age! This poses the question on whether man is equipped enough to survive years of ice age. No one knows for sure when this will occur but one thing is a fact; the agriculture that is being practiced right now cannot sustain man during that period of ice age. This threatens the existence of man since ice age is capable of causing his extinction (Phil, par 5-6). Research shows that naturally, ice age follows the cycle of increases in temperatures. However, this time the temperature increases are not natural but man-made. The green house gases that are released into the atmosphere are man-made. Due to this, the scientists believe that the expected ice age will occur unexpectedly sooner as compared to other times in history (Phil, par 7). Moreover, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) carried out a research and the finding confirmed that, these green house gases are a real problem and a threat to the future generations. The administrator of the agency, Lisa Jackson, read the statement and said that the levels the gases have reached are very high compared to the past and this accounts for the recent droughts, flooding and storms that have been experienced in the world. This climate change worsens the problems that man is currently facing for example poverty, environmental degradation, conflicts due to water scarcity and generally, social tensions (Condon, par 3-8). In the 1986, scientists from eleven countries came out to warn the humanity over their increasing activities that result to global warming. These activities include; deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and automobile use. The activities intensify the effects of green house gases. Inter governmental panel on climate change (IPCC) predicted that the amount of Carbon emissions in the air will double by the year 2100, catapulting the temperature levels from 2 to 10 degrees centigrade (Enotes, par 1-5). This will account for the future’s heat waves, hurricanes, wildfires among other extreme weather conditions which result to more deaths, economic crisis and infectious diseases. Years 1990s can bear witness to these predictions since it was the hottest decade ever. For example, in the year 1998 in England, four million people were left without power due to ice storm that characterized the month of January. The same year, Brazil and Mexico reported fires in their rain forests for the first time; heat waves characterized Middle East and also Texas, and unexpected windstorm led to Europe to incur damages costing $4 billion in the following year (Enotes, par 1-5). A factual thing is that, man is not in control over the reality of global warming. So, in other words, he is left with the option of either to act or not to, to mitigate the effects of global warming. If man decides to act irrespective of whether global warming is real or not, he will definitely have 50% assurance of existence but if he decides not to act, the vice versa is also true (Phil, par 7). Conclusion In conclusion, the world may be divided over the reality of global warming and green house gases but the fact is that, global warming has been proven to take place and the world has started to feel its effects. The future has also promised the devastating consequences of this process if man does not act and hence it is a real threat to the future generations and the existence of man. Work Cited BBC. New Green House Gas Threat. BBC News. 27 July, 2000. Web. 6 July, 2010, . Condon, Stephanie. EPA Calls Green House Gases a Public Threat. CNET News. 17 April, 2009, . Enotes. Is Global warming a threat? Enotes, 2010. Web. 6 July, 2010, . Phil, B. Global Warming: Mankind’s Greatest Threat. Phil for Humanity. Guide for the Survival of Humankind and Improving the World, Society and Yourself, 2010. Web. 6 July, 2010, . Phil, B. Proving Global Warming. Phil for Humanity. Guide for the Survival of Humankind and Improving the World, Society And Yourself, 2010. Web. 6 July, 2010, . Phil, B. Why We Must Ac to Prevent Global Warming, 2010. Phil for Humanity. Guide for the Survival of Humankind and Improving the World, Society and Yourself, 2010. Web. 6 July, 2010, .