Frankenstein and Bladerunner Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein and Bladerunner Essay How do Frankenstein and Bladerunner reflect their Composers context? Mary Shelley’s Gothic Romantic novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Science Fictions Noir film Blade Runner both explore similar ideas however relative to the context in which they were both made. Both Scott and Shelley use their texts as a cautionary tale, warning humanity of their inevitable downfall through greed and the exploitation of nature, and the influence science is slowly obtaining over the role of religion. Through the use of visual and auditory techniques, Scott demonstrates how nature and religion are absent in a world overrun by consumerism and technology while Shelley similarly uses imagery and allusions to hint at the consequences humanity will suffer if they try to better God through the misuse of science and the exploitation and nature. Humanity’s rejection of the natural world in favour of the unnatural pursuit of technology to prolong life is a major concern in both Shelley’s Frankenstein and Scott’s Blade Runner. In the world of Frankenstein, nature is an important aspect of a person’s life and beliefs. Shelley conveys Victor’s desire to conquer nature through the use of his narration such as â€Å"new species would bless me as its creator†¦many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. † The monster is then used as a metaphor for the inevitable consequences of the exploitations of nature. She therefore uses Frankenstein as a warning against the rising industrial revolution. Similarly Scott uses Blade Runner to warn society against the exploitation or nature through the rise of consumerism in the 1980s. The long shot of a dark dystopian Los Angeles after the opening credits juxtaposed with jets of fire from oil refinery towers warns the viewer of the consequences of consumerism through the exploitation of nature. There is also a lack of natural imagery such as plants and animals seen in Blade Runner and the use of chiaroscuro lighting gives the world a very artificial tone indicating to the audience that nature has been destroyed.

Plugging into the Experience Machine

Plugging into the Experience Machine Would you be happy if you were plugged into the Experience Machine? If chosen to plug into the experience machine, we can strongly agree that the agent is choosing for hedonic illusion in order to achieve happiness. As hedonist would say the simulation of pleasure is qualitatively the same as real experiences of pleasure. I will discuss the two main factors which conclude that one would not be happy when plugged into the Experience Machine. According to Haybron, hedonism is not a sufficient condition to achieve happiness and the life satisfaction theory is absent when one is the Experience Machine. First, we need to identify what happiness is. Taken by Daniel M. Haybron, Happiness A Very Short Introduction, he identifies three basic theories about happiness. Emotional state theory: happiness as a positive emotional condition, Hedonism: happiness as pleasure and Life satisfaction theory: happiness as being satisfied with your life. Both emotional state theory and hedonism identify happiness in terms of feelings, while the life satisfaction theory identifies happiness in terms of judgments about ones life. To be satisfied with ones life is to regard it as going well by ones standard. By considering all things together, one sees its life as having enough of the things one care about. Thus, life satisfaction is the overall evaluation of ones life. Haybron mentions that life satisfaction should not be taken together with pleasure. The focus of life satisfaction which Haybron describes is not about a question of pleasure as people care about other things besides their own pleasure, b ut to track peoples value. An example can be given by a high achieving artist or scientist who might be satisfied with their life even it is not terribly pleasant, she is getting what she cares about. Haybron categorized three terms to describe happiness under life satisfaction theory. Endorsement: feeling happy and other classic emotions. This is an emotional state which signifies ones life as good. Engagement: vitality and flow. This term concerns the engagement with ones life in the form of energetic, interested, and engaged. However, this can occur even when events are not going well, as an example: when struggling to accomplish a difficult goal. There are two types of engagement. The first concerns on the states of energy or vitality. An example was given by Haybron of a concentrated orchestra conductor who might be cheerful or even happy without being obviously cheerful or happy. The second concerns the notion of flow, developed by Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is the state one experience when fully engaged in an activity, typically a challenging activity performed well. Athletes and musicians describe it as being in the zone. In this state of flow, one loses the sense of self-awar eness. To the individual, time tends to pass different to reality and is not aware of feeling anything at all. Yet Csikszentmihalyi describes it as a highly pleasant state, which an individual is happy. It is opposite to boredom. Attunement: peace of mind, confidence, expansiveness. To understand this one should understand the aspect of tranquillity. It is similar to feeling at home, not entirely a peace of mind but a kind confidence, and stability. In this state, one feels relaxed, living seems natural without inhibition. One of the main arguments of Haybron is that hedonism lacks mental state, as pleasure alone cannot prove happiness because pleasure lacks causal depth. I agree on the Haybrons notion that hedonism itself does not constitute happiness. The pleasure of happiness are not the only pleasures to be had, (Haybron, 143) Hedonism focuses happiness on a matter of pleasure, and may have a certain kind of deep (Haybron, 143) pleasure, or the Epicurean pleasures of tranquillity. However, Haybron distinguishes hedonism from happiness. An important aspect of hedonisms error is that pleasure lacks what Haybron call casual depth (Haybron, 144) He states that all appearances are that happiness has deep, far-reaching, and typically lasting consequences for a persons state of mind and behaviour. Thus according to Haybron, the problem with most hedonistic theories is that they are too inclusive: all sorts of shallow, fleeting pleasures are made to count towards happiness (Haybron, 142) Intuitively, the trouble seems to be that such pleasures dont reach deeply enough, so to speak. They just dont get to us; they flit through consciousness and thats the end of it (Haybron, 143). To this extent, Haybron argues that it is a mistake to equate hedonic states, a states of pleasure with happiness. In the sense, hedonism leaves out too much of what we want to include in our concept of happiness. The problem with hedonism, on this view, centers on the way it relates happiness to time. One of the central questions we might ask about happiness is what is the time of happiness? According to Haybron, hedonisms answer is that happiness is an essentially episodic and backward-looking phenomenon. (Haybron, 143) While this may be true of pleasurable experiences, it is arguably not true of happiness. Arguably, happiness is not just about ones past but also ones present and ones attitude towards, and expectations of, the future. Thus happiness, to a significant extent, is future oriented. Haybron stat es that Hedonism does little more than skim the phenomenal surface off of our emotional states and call it happiness. But happiness runs much deeper than that. (Haybron, 144) From this, we could say, by one experiencing the Experience Machine, one is missing the emotion and feeling of psychological state. Thus, when one enters the experience machine to search for happiness, pleasure itself would not suffice because hedonism lacks the detail to handle such cases. Additionally, Nozick provides a similar assertion that the Experience Machine limits us to human-made reality; it is no deeper than the people who programmed it. Thus, both Haybron and Nozick agrees that pleasure is neither the only value nor the highest value of achieving happiness. When one is plugged into the Experience Machine, engagement would not occur as all challenge is absent in all activities one do because any action one does for a particular activity would only bring positive result in order to experience pleasure. It would be unreasonable to assume that in the Experience Machine, one would painfully spend the time and effort to master a skill. Rather one would avoid such challenge and instantly would obtain such skill. Thus the feeling of flow would not be experienced when taken the path without challenge. Attunement cannot be met when plugged into the Experience Machine because the agent is consciously aware that he is not living the reality. The opposite of attunement, disattunment, define not about anxiety but more like alienation. (Haybron, 23b) Ones circumstances seem alien to them. Unfamiliar with the surrounding environment, realizing that only outcome is to benefit ones happiness. The world would quickly seem unreal as all feedbacks would be inconsistent with any action the agent does. An example of this peculiar experience would be like committing a crime but yet receiving a medal of such action. Thus, one would never feel utterly at home (Haybron, 22b) in the experience machine. The feedback would be different from the reality even though it becomes more pleasurable, it would feel unnatural. Haybron states similar assertion: a troubled, anxious, tense, or stressed out person does not seem to be happy, however cheerful she might be. She isnt really at home in her life. (Haybro n, 23b) This itself diminishes the dimensions of happiness. Any action one does in the Experience Machine inevitably would not matter because the programmed agents who have social relation with the one in the Experience Machine would only react to bring a positive response in favour of agents desire. Thus any action one performs would not alter the future or have any meaning to ones goal. The important aspect of life satisfaction is that it is a judgment of ones life which is independent of ones emotional state. Life satisfaction is not about pleasure but how ones life measures to its value. These values are subjective; there is no objective measure for life satisfaction. Humans value actual experiences, character, achievements and their relationships with others, not solely on pleasure. Thus, when one is in the Experience machine, all pleasure one receive are an illusion, a false belief that one believes in experiencing the reality. Haybron explains that hedonism fails in achieving happiness because it lacks causal depth and it is a mistake to equate the state of pleasure with happiness. The definition of life satisfaction theory demonstrates that happiness has to include other aspects such as engagement and attunement, thus, in the Experience Machine; all these deeper senses of experience are absent. One does not feel the challenge to achieve a certain goal, and all action is immaterial because the feedback is only to bring desirable result. We could conclude that the Experience Machine is missing both emotion and psychological state and without these, one would not be happy as this structure the condition of ones well-being. Bibliography: Daniel Haybron, Why Hedonism is False, from Happiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy, (eds.), Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano. (Oxford, 2008a). Daniel M. Haybron, Happiness: A Very Short Introduction. (Oxford, 2013b). Robert Nozick, The Experience Machine, from Happiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy, (eds.), Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano. (Oxford, 2008). Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano, Choosing the Experience Machine, Chapter 14, Cahn Vitrano, Happiness and Goodness: Philosophical Reflections on Living Well. (Columbia University Press, 2015). Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Enjoyment and the Quality of Life, from Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. (HarperCollins Publishers, 1990).

New Trends for Application Interoperability in Romania

New Trends for Application Interoperability in Romania HEALTH VERTICAL MARKET Silviu Cojocaru PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, [emailprotected] Camelia Cojocaru PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, [emailprotected]   1. Introduction The Internet’s development has fundamentally affected the architecture of informatics management systems, causing substantial changes in the way that this category of solutions is distributed and reached. This considering, one could say that gaining access to economical applications through a simple Web browser came as a necessity in a world that is characterized by dynamism and by the globalization of economical phenomena [Aamodt, 1996]. So, in the 90s, the main trend in application development was offering support and accessibility – for computers that had an internet connection – to a wide range of informational resources (databases and more) and applications. The testimony for this is the multitude of languages and technologies that allow the easy development of database exploitation applications through a simple Web browser. This is why scripting languages that run on servers (ASP and its follower ASP.Net; PHP; JSP etc.), are now mature technologies, that of fer the possibility of developing complex Web technologies. This technologies’ existence has caused changes in informational necessities and in the equipments users need. Nowadays internet connections are available not only to computers, but also to a multitude of equipment such as mobile phones and other hand-held devices. Considering these necessities, creating a universal language became a dire need [McAfee,2005]. XML is the answer to these requests, and is a new stage in the informational age, easing the data exchange between different equipments. Beside the possibility of transferring data onto these heterogeneous platforms there was also the need of creating a way of communication between them. The answer to these priorities is the Web Services technology, which is now the most efficient way of cross-application Internet communication. 2. Literature review Web services are a standardized way of distributing Internet applications and fundamental technologies that are at the basis of this network. Also, web services offer the possibility of interconnecting a wide range of applications, which are available on different platforms and in several worldwide locations. One could say that Web technologies became an Esperanto of application communication, as the new technology opens the gate towards a new age dominated by intelligent applications that make smart decisions and Internet searches, as a basis for well-balanced decisions [Agosta,2000]. Therefore, supposing that we wish to build an expert system that manages a share portfolio, we need to keep in mind that such a system cannot function without constant market quotation updates. Plus, making an optimal decision for selling or buying is a matter of minutes, and this highly influences the efficiency of the system. If a decade ago this system was very complicated due to the lack of efficient means of cross application communication, after the development of Web applications, it became much easier. One would have to develop the classic portfolio management expert and then the link to the outside world would be this paper’s technology. The data containing the quotations will be transmitted via Internet through a web service developed by the stock market. By using the functions and procedures exposed by this Web services, the right parameters can be transmitted, and the stock market informational system will return the requested information. Plus, all of the exposed functions of the stock market system will become a part of the developed applications, and will be called for as similarly developed procedures. You will be able to schedule the automatic checking of stock market quotations and the permanent update of the local database. Things could move even further, with the possibility of inclosing a Web service for the brokerage society that would allow the expert system to not only makes the optimal choice but to implement the decision taken. This example shows how optimal communication automation actually works and how human intervention becomes unnecessary. This has a decisive role in eliminating intentional and non-intentional human errors from the entire process (Jacobides,2000). 3. Service Oriented Architecture XML or eXtended Markup Language is the basis for all of the elements behind the Web Services technologies. Considering the independence from the platform, XML is the engine behind internet data transfers, and the fundament of Web services. XML is in fact â€Å"the brother† of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), as the two have a series of resemblances. But there are some distinctions that cannot be overseen. First of all, they have a common origin SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), a general language that, through mechanisms similar to those of classic grammar, offers users the possibility of electronically structuring their data [Airinei,1995]. So, practically, HTML uses a set of tags which fine the way that the information will be displayed in the browser. The set of HTML tags is limited and not Customizable, and is generated through SGML technologies. Under these conditions, there is no way for you to customize you set of tags, and this lack of flexibility is an important restraint in some cases. So, with applications that use databases, using HTML is improper for transmitting data. Unlike HTML, XML offers users the possibility of building their own set of tags which can be used for formatting the document. This offers a high level of flexibility, as this element is necessary in defining specialized electronic documents. Normally, you may wonder: if a general language existed SGML, why was there a need for XML? The answer is simple – by its nature, SGML is a highly complex language, and is very hard to use on a large scale, so a simplifies system was created in the form of XML (Alter 2000,2002). Figure 1 – Interoperability for Application Web services are built on fundamental Internet technologies. So, for transmitting Internet technologies, these solutions use standard HTTP protocol (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and the transferred data is cased in XML files. Considering that both technologies are basic Internet elements, they will ensure the accessibility of the applications on any available platform. Unlike Web services, its predecessors had the main disadvantage of not offering such a wide portability range. Therefore, DCOM and CORBA were not accepted by all ITC solution providers, and this would determine limits in their usage. Considering the heterogeneity of the Internet, a technology needs to be supported by the widest possible range of users for it to be considered a universal Internet technology [5]. Plus, DCOM and CORBA technologies use binary files for transferring data and communicating between applications, and this contributes to a lower portability. Unlike these, Web services use XML for data transfer, which consist in simple text files, ensuring a maximum range of portability. Web services use port 80 which is the standard assignation for the HTTP protocol. In comparison, the 2 alternative technologies use their own protocols for transmitting data, and this determines the necessity for additional ports on the application server. In a world that is dominated by the n eed for a higher security level, this disadvantage of the CORBA and DCOM technologies could have a negative impact over the entire In conclusion, one could consider that the widespread of Web technologies in the past years comes from their compatibility with the two generally accepted technologies HTTP and XML. Considering there advantages, the specialists from IDC (a company for surveying and analyzing the ITC environment) consider that Web services will become the fundamental way of application distribution, surpassing all other alternative ways of application distribution (Damsgaard, 2000). Web services are a great part of the most important application development instruments. Microsoft, Oracle or IBM –not necessarily in this order – are the main promoters of this way of application distribution, integrating advanced development instruments for serving these purposes (Forrester Research,2009). This paper has chosen Microsoft’s development environment Visual Studio.Net. I have made this choice considering its advantages as well as its wide spread among developers in our country and abroad. The .Net version of Visual Studio, that was launched in the beginning of the year, offers an efficient way of development and of integrating Web services into one’s own applications. Considering that XML stands at the basis of these technologies, most available instruments are now using this language. We must add that the ADO.NET (ActiveX Data Object) object collection, used in developing database applications, is based exclusively on this language (Iyer,2003). Also, the new version proposes a common software framework (.Net Framework) that offers the possibility of accessing the libraries similarly by any application that has been written in a language that is compatible with this platform. Therefore, the environment shows a common application development framework, and the common element is CLR (Common Language Runtime). CLR translates any application that has been written in a language that is compatible with the technology into an intermediate language – Microsoft I ntermediate Language (IL). The applications that are available in this intermediate method can be transferred and executed onto the desired platform. This platform currently offers 21 application development languages, starting with the classic Cobol and ending with the modern C#. Our example used Visual Basic.Net. (Là ¶wer,1995) Web services will be provided using ASP.Net technology (Active Server Page). ASP is one of the main Web technologies, offering the development of dynamic web pages with database support. The latest version (ASP.Net), offers as a main novelty the possibility of creating and distributing web services. Plus, another set of facilities is included, and here are the most important ones: The possibility of separating the main code of the application from the static representation code of the pages that has been written in HTML; ASP.Net applications can be created in one of the 21 available languages; ASP.Net offers a complete set of server run controls, and this contributes to a better application interface. Figure 2 .NET Framework Architecture 4. Research The research was realised for 38 companies that are between the first 200 from Romania considering the 2010 turnover and its main purpose was to identify how the interoperability technologies were implemented. The enterprises come from different fields, such as financial-banking, telecommunications, retail and industry. The study was developed during December 2011-February 2012 and included a set of questions, from which we mention the most important. Did you implement / Do you plan to implement a technological solution dedicated to integrated informatics system interoperability within the enterprise? 65% of the companies implement solutions for the interoperability of informatics systems, and the rest of 35% plan to implement these solutions within one year. Did the interoperability technologies contribute to the improvements of processes within the enterprise? Those companies that use the interoperability systems have come to the conclusion that interoperability technologies lead a major role for the improvements of processes. 95% of the companies have registered increased efficiency. More than 60% of the companies have registered an increased performance within the company, as well as a faster adherence to certain imposed standards. Do you use integrated informatic systems with business partners? Although most of the companies apply informatic systems destined to the interoperability of internal informatic systems, the integration with the business partners is extremely reduced. Only 6% of the companies use components that allow the interoperability of their systems with their business partners’. The main reason for this low integration is determined by the lack of national or industry standards. Are the systems within the company integrated with those of public institutes? Only 1% of the participants have informatic systems in integration with those of the public institutions (such as city halls, fiscal administration, etc.). The main reason for this situation is the lack of national standards for the systems integration with different public authorities. The lack of these standards and also the frequent changes are also the reason for the low level of implementation. Which are the integrated systems categories? The most frequent system integrations are related to web-based systems and different e-business categories (business-to-business or business-to-customer) with ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning) implemented by enterprises. In the financial-banking department, the integration is between the Internet Banking and core-banking systems. 5. Conclusions and implications We are living in a world that is dominated by the need for interoperability between different informational systems running on different platforms. Under these circumstances, Web services are the technology able of efficiently solving this problem. The simplicity of Web services (simplicity that results from the compatibility with basic Internet technologies) ensures the universal acceptance of this solution as a way of communicating between applications. Plus, the relatively simple way of developing these elements will undoubtedly lead to their becoming widespread. Visual Studio.Net, by its integrated development instruments, became one of the main solutions serving this purpose. References Aamodt, A., and Plaza, E. (1996). Case-Based Reasoning: Foundational Issues, Methodological Variations and System Approaches Agosta, L. (2000). From data to insight: the critical path to data mining, a short history of data mining. PC/AI, Sept/Oct, 16-21. Airinei, D. Problemes concernant la generalisation des systems experts dans les activites financieres et comptables, The Proceedings of the 2-nd International Symposium of EconomiInformatics, May, 1995. Alexander J., Hollis B. (2002) Developing Web applications with Visual Basic .NET and ASP.NET, John Wiley and Sons. Alter, S. (2000) A taxonomy of Decision Support Systems. Sloan Management Review. Alter, S. (2002) Decision Support Systems; Current Practices and Continuing Challenges. Addison Wesley, Reading MA. Damsgaard, J. and True, D. (2000). Binary Trading Relations and the Limits of Edi Standards: The Procrustean Bed of Standards. European Journal of Information Systems, 9 (3), 173-188. Forrester Research Inc. 2009. The Value of a Comprehensive Integration Solution. Forrester Research Inc. Iyer, B., Freedman, J., Gaynor, M. and Wyner, G. (2003). Web Services: Enabling Dynamic Business Networks. Communications of the AIS, 11, 525-554. Jacobides, M.G. and Billinger, S. (2006). Designing the Boundaries of the Firm: From â€Å"Make, Buy, or Ally† to the Dynamic Benefits of Vertical Architecture. Organization Science, 17 (2), 249-261. Là ¶wer, U.M. (2005). Interorganisational Standards: Managing Web Services Specifications for Flexible Supply Chains. Physica-Verlag, Heidelberg. McAfee, A. (2005). Will Web Services Really Transform Collaboration? MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 (2), 78-84.

Analysis of Woman to Man by Judith Wright Essay -- Judith Wright Woman

Analysis of Woman to Man by Judith Wright  Ã‚   I was slightly confused when I read this poem at first, but it became apparent from the rich metaphors, that it was about the sexual relation between the woman and man. It is also about conception - or rather the potential of creating a child from this sexual act - told from the woman's point of view. Judith Wright was very bold in writing such a poem since it was published in 1949, when such issues weren't discussed in the public, but as a well-regarded poet, she had achieved a good reputation for expressing herself, and therefore could write a subjective poem about this issue. The main idea of this poem, is based upon female sexuality and sensuality, and that sex is symbolic of life, or death if pregnancy fails. The title seems to mean now, "Woman to Man" as if the woman is offering herself to the Man, offering her body to create a child, through the act of sex. It also means that the woman has something to give to the man, not only the pleasure, but through blood and pain, a child. The language compliments the mood of this poem, as it varies from a sad and melancholy cry, to a voice of hope, all in a constant confident feel, and by this, the poet's reflections and contemplation?s are communicated successfully to us, making us feel in the same way she has felt. The first stanza begins with a bold and confident entry describing in a simple way the sexual relation between the man and the woman; or better said; Woman to Man. The 'seed' which the woman holds - has the potential of becoming a child. The image of the day of birth as a ?resurrection day? is important in this respect for, just as the resurrection of Christ defeated death, so too, does each individual... ... final line - "Oh hold me, for I am afraid." This line is wholly successful on a dramatic level; for here the real world of passion and pain breaks in. At the same time the poem as a whole has suggested that in each sexual act there is the potential for the creation of new life which challenges time and death. The woman is the proud yet fearful instrument of this process. The poem has   a   rhythmic pattern that compliments the metaphors and paradoxes. The stanzas begin and end, individually, for the first and last lines rhyme, which creates a feeling of ?wholleness? to each stanza, quite appropriate to the act of creating or bearing a child. It is like a song, a pentameter that begins bold, but ends in a quiet tone, making its reader reflect, not only about the ending, but the entire poem as a serious issue, that fornication is, or can be, a holy act.

Ambition and Passion :: Personal Experience, Descriptive

Essays -  Ambition and Passion    I go to camp every year and allow myself to love people, dreading the day when I will have to depart from them. I claw at each moment, attempting to hold on to time. I do this even though I know from the beginning that as soon as I enter I will be hurled towards the last day, towards the end, towards good-bye. And it breaks my heart. Yet every year, I'm just so grateful to have had my heart broken.    If there is one secret to living life it is passion: passionate love, passionate hate, passionate hope, passionate joy, passionate work, passionate play, passionate pain and despair. Feel things to the tips of your fingertips, to the center of your soul. It's the only way that you'll get something worth getting out of life. It's the only way that you'll realize everything that I've attempted to tell you in this letter, because heaven knows that I am merely giving you words, not experience. Live your life so that you may, in the end, be able to sit around a table and eat, drink, and be merry with your family and friends and tell stories. That's where your happiness is, in the ability to laugh at your life and cling to it dearly at the same time.    The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles.

B & Q Marketing Environment

As competition increases in the retail consumer markets, it becomes increasingly necessary for businesses to examine the marketing environment.The following explores B & Q brand, which is a home improvement retailer in the UK. The company functions as a subsidiary of the larger Kingfisher Plc. The report covers the history of B & Q as a company. A macroenvironment analysis and a microenvironment analysis follow this. The analysis models are critiqued based on their application to the market needs, with recommendations for improvement.B & Q CompanyBack in 1960s, home improvement was a pastime for the minority. Professional building supplies were mostly located at builder’s merchants and service provided by large stores was intimidating to the average DIY’er. The first B&Q was opened by Richard Block and David Quayle (whose surname initials later provided the company name) in Portswood Road, Southampton, in Hampshire in 1969. Its mission was to bring value, longer opening hours and a broader product range to everyone (B & Q PLC 2007). By 1979, B&Q had a total of 26 stores (B & Q PLC 2007).Through the early 1980s, B&Q grew rapidly and became part of the Kingfisher Group (B&Q’s parenting company), and by the end of the decade B&Q had expanded to 280 stores and offered customers larger stores and even greater product range (B & Q PLC 2007). In 1995, the first larger format B&Q warehouse store opened and B&Q began opening for business on Sundays (B & Q PLC 2007).The first store outside the UK was opened January 1996, in Taiwan. In 1998, B&Q merged with France’s leading home improvement retailer, Castorama, to become the largest home improvement retailer in Europe (B & Q PLC 2007).B&Q adapted a click-and-mortar approach to stay up to date with technological changes. B&Q’s Web site, www.diy.com, has been transactional since early 2001, providing access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering products, expert advice, inspirational room ideas and ‘how to’ guides, as well as general information on stores (B & Q PLC 2007).The average visiting number on the site has increased tenfold since that date. Their research shows 60,000 to 600,000 visitors a week, 90% of whom visit a store, and 12% of store visitors have already used the site for research prior to their visit (B & Q PLC 2007). This demonstrates a good cross over between the virtual and physical stores (B & Q PLC 2007).B&Q is continuing to evolve its product offer, providing the broader range of products needed to complete home improvement projects and the associated finishing touches, along with existing core DIY products. A wider range of products are available through special order, where goods can be ordered in-store, from a catalogue or online and delivered directly to the consumers home.Macro-Environment (PEST)The marketing macro-environment (Kotler and Keller p 77 2003) is understood as the major forces that exist outside the business domai n. These are the forces that the company must function within, but may have little control over. Kotler and Keller (2003) identify the macro-economic forces as the PEST analysis, which is compromised of political, economical, social and technological forces that place pressure on the business.PoliticalOrganizations today are subject to an increasing number of regulations that entail compliance. Government regulations are sometimes threatening mechanisms for value representation and virtually no support to communication processes that create win/win situations where multiple stakeholder and shareholders can successfully pursue their mutual interests (Deetz, 1995).In addition to various national and international regulations, there are many more rules that stem either from regional or local governments or industry oversight committees. A recent major local political-legal struggle for B & Q is the â€Å"government planning policy that allowed bulky goods retailers to plant themselves in out-of-town parks is being abused by the clothing brands, whose consumers have plenty of space on the high street to swing carrier bags† (Cockram p 58 2003).This resulted in an increase of â€Å"more than  £1m in rent to the cost of a large store† (Cockram p 58 2003). This exemplifies Deetz (1995) contention that government regulations can behave as a threatening mechanism for business.Economical The DIY Industry has maintained high, positive international growth over several decades. In 2006, however, the UK DIY market suffered a profit decline (Horne 2006). This resulted in disappointing financial performance of B&Q and the decline in parent company Kingfisher's profits[1] to  £208 million (Horne p 3 2006).The force of economics has impacted the trends in the do-it-yourself market and increased the cost of building materials industry in the country (Horne 2006). This profit decrease is a direct result of 2005 cost increases, where competition rivalries were co mpeting for a smaller home owners market (Wilkinson p 9 2005). The impact of the housing market is significant because the DIY market caters to homeowners, thus higher cost of living expenses combined with increases in interest rates have a constricting impact on the market, which in turn creates a customer shortage for the UK DIY market (Wilkinson 2005).See Appendices A, B and C for an overview of Housing Market and Kingfisher Stock Value

Personal Ethics Statement Essay

After taking the Ethical Lens Inventory, I have discovered that my personal lens is the Results Lens. Upon further reading I discovered how that translated into my values, strengths, weaknesses, and my blind spot as well as how to see more clearly. The key phrase for those with the Results Lens is â€Å"I make choices that are good for everyone. † The values and strengths associated with the Results lens are the core values, the classical values, and the definition of ethical behavior, the tools for analyzing problems, and the gift. Core values are autonomy over equality, and protecting individual rights, and prioritizing value of sensibility over rationality. It is better to examine each situation in its own context rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. The classical value is prudence by demonstrating wisdom, foresight, optimism, imagination, and the gift of entrepreneurship. Creating the greatest good is my lens type’s definition of ethical behavior, by seeking win-win results. Experience provides the tool for analyzing problems, by considering multiple perspectives and focusing on what is really happening to consider solutions that make many people happy. Free will is the gift associated with the Results Lens. Because of the value of autonomy, we are self-reliant and accountable. We want this freedom for each person to seek their ideal goals in life. The Results Lens also has its weaknesses such as a blind spot, expedience, risk, greed, and also failure. The blind spot for this lens type is becoming satisfied with too little good. We fail to be accountable to those that are depending on us when we exercise our free will. As long as our needs are met we can become complacent. Our temptation is expedience by not paying attention we can be tempted to base our actions on what is politic or advantageous rather than what is right. Reducing decisions to a cost-benefit analysis is this lenses biggest risk. We need to ensure that all have free will or we run the risk of reducing decisions to narrow and purely financial cost-benefit analysis. The vice for the Results Lens is becoming greedy. If we fail to exercise free will responsibly our pursuit of good for all can devolve into an excuse for taking as much for ourselves as we can get away with. Failure is this lenses major crisis. If we fail to develop the practice of mindfulness and reflection we will face failure. No one can accomplish or acquire everything, and the more you do the less satisfying it can become. Our acquisitiveness could be driving people away from us. In conclusion, in order for people who fall under the Results Lens to see clearly, we must use our head, check to see if our gut and head agree. To find a proper balance we need to explore the gifts of the other lenses such as consistency and concern for the whole community. As we learn to consider other perspectives in our decision-making process, we will live out the best of our ideals with compassion and care for others.