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Social Media Evidence Of Government Investigations And...

http://jolt.richmond.edu/index.php/social-media-evidence-in-government-investigations-and-criminal-proceedings-a-frontier-of-new-legal-issues/ d. Search Google, looking for information about Facebook acting unethical in a non-US location. Look at 3 different links, give them here. What potential issues do you learn from these links? List them. In the first URL Facebook is being investigated to assess whether an experiment in which it manipulated users news feeds to study the effect it had on moods might have broken data protection laws, it has been reported. In the next URL a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that Facebook intentionally manipulated the news feeds of almost 700,000 users in order to study â€Å"emotional contagion through social networks.† In the last URL a company name Ello’s policy states that the practice of collecting and selling personal data and mapping your social connections for profit â€Å"is both creepy and unethical.† http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/07/02/facebook-experiment-uk_n_5550262.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/06/facebook_unethical_experiment_it_made_news_feeds_happier_or_sadder_to_manipulate.html http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/25/business/tech/anti-facebook-social-network-gets-fresh-funding/ E. By what standard(s) would you determine whether Facebook’s actions with regards to developing and launching new products/services in the US were right orShow MoreRelatedSocial Medi The New Frontier Of Criminal Proceedings1750 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Media Social media is moving rapidly towards pervasive connectivity that will have an impact on how digital search warrants should be granted. The majority of Americans on a daily basis utilize social media and the vast amount of the exchanged information is beyond measurable. Due to overwhelming social media usage, there is heightened concern among the public over what can be accessed by law enforcement officials and what should be the scope of their search warrants. Despite such concernsRead MoreJuvenile Crime Issues in Today’s Criminal Justice System18893 Words   |  76 Pagespart 5 Special Issues ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE The accused has these common law, constitutional, statutory, and humanitarian rights that may be threatened by technological advances and other developments:  ©  ©  ©  © chapter 15 Juvenile Justice chapter 16 Drugs and Crime chapter 17 Terrorism and Multinational Criminal Justice chapter 18 The Future of Criminal Justice These individual rights must be effectively balanced against these present and emerging community concerns: Widespread drug abuse amongRead MoreAmerican Civil Rights Movement Essay15820 Words   |  64 Pagesmovement (1950s) blacks were denied access to public places such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, and schools. There were separate facilities marked colored only, which was sanctioned by the courts. 1896 The Supreme Court: â€Å"Racial segregation was legal as long as separate but equal† 1954 The Supreme Court ruled that maintaining separate but equal schools for blacks and whites was unconstitutional. CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT (1950s –1960s). Goals: desegregation, fair housing, equal employmentRead MoreConsumers Laws Essays14341 Words   |  58 Pagesin constitutional law and jurisprudence. Currently he is with Az Zaman, Advocates and Legal Consultants, Islamabad. He also sits on the Advisory Board of the Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan. Abrar Hafeez Abrar Hafeez received his bachelor degree in Law from Punjab University. He specializes in constitutional and regulatory laws. He frequently writes on the issues of civil liberties, constitutional issues and consumer concerns. Currently he is working as Secretary-general of Consumer RightsRead MoreProject Report on Awerness of Consumer Protection Act14651 Words   |  59 Pagesknowledge that a consumer should have about his/her legal rights and duties. It is must for a consumer to follow these rights. It is implemented for the protection of the consumer, so that the consumer is not exploited by the seller of the products. In the context of a democratic form of government, which depends for its sustenance upon the enlightenment of the populace, awareness is at once a social and political necessity. Today the frontiers of knowledge are enlarging with incredible swiftnessRead MoreEthical and Social Issues in Information Systems20165 Words   |  81 PagesChapter 4 Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Analyze the relationships among ethical, social, and political issues that are raised by information systems. 2. Identify the main moral dimensions of an information society and specific principles for conduct that can be used to guide ethical decisions. 3. Evaluate the impact of contemporary information systems and the Internet on the protection of individualRead MoreHow to Safeguard the Well-Being of Children and Young People6459 Words   |  26 Pagess directors with responsibility for local authority education and children s social services. ~lead councillors for children s services with political responsibility for local child welfare ~ the establishment of Local Safeguarding Children s Boards with statutory powers to ensure that social services, the NHS, education services, the police and other services work together to protect vulnerable children ~a new Common Assessment Framework to assist agencies in identifying welfare needs ~revisedRead MoreFuture Information Security Trends17051 Words   |  69 Pagesprovide rigorous and systematic foreseeing knowledge for the implementation of the Finnish National Information Security Strategy (kansallinen tietoturvastrategia). The aim of the project was to study near-future information security issues that are related to, for example, new technologies, services, and business models. Our approach combines perspectives from different disciplines in order to better address the complexity of the focus area. We identified relevant future information security trends especiallyRead MoreNational Security Outline Essay40741 Words   |  163 PagesDoctrine? 82 STANDING 83 JNM, SOLVING THE WAR PUZZLE, September 11th Its Aftermath: Terrorism, Afghanistan, The Iraq War 84 Incentive Theory Terrorism 84 Low Intensity Conflict and the International Legal System, JNM 89 Recommendations for Strengthening the International Legal System to Deal More Effectively with Low-Intensity Aggression 90 THE RULE OF LAW IN NAT’L SECURITY AFFAIRS: In repealing the war powers resloution, Robert F. Turner 91 U.N. RESOLUTION 1441: 8 NOVEMBER 2002 96 Read MoreBusiness Journalism in India26104 Words   |  105 Pages eclipse of the general interest magazines, (5) stagnation of news magazines, scope for special interest magazines. The role of the consumers purchasing power more important than editorial content 8 Magazines during post emergency boom Success of ‘India Today’. How can magazines (5) compete with the challenge posed by TV which now covers sports, celebrities, life style, news and business. How to find out if there is a niche for new magazines. Comment on Travel, Health, Technology and career-guidance

Multiple Directorship Free Essays

Issue of multiple directorships has recently came to public concern. It becomes more and more common that directors in listed companies retaining multiple directorships and even some legislators are involved. This situation is popular in Hong Kong and Singapore, however, many directors in United States are usually involved in one company only. We will write a custom essay sample on Multiple Directorship or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are serval problems in exercising multiple directorships to listed companies. First, director may not meet his function diligently. With regard to the Non-statutory Guidelines on Directors Duties Principle 4 , a director of a company must exercise the care, skill and diligence that would be exercised by a reasonable person with the knowledge, skill and experience reasonably expected of a director in his position. It doubts that one can dedicate enough time to read documents and attend meetings for each company if he has multiple directorships. If he made any decisions that harm the company given that he did not read sufficient information and understnad the situation of the company, he is not act due care and skill as a director. The Guidelines Principle 11 also sated that a director of a company must take all reasonable steps to ensure that proper books of account are kept so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and explain its transactions. As many companies follow similar accounting schedules, most common are setting year-end date as 30 April or 31 December, during the end of the accounting period, they have to review all the financail statements of the listed companies they directed in order to ensure there are no fraud. It doubts that they can review all the financail statements if he has directored over 20 listed companies. If there are frauds and mistakes in financial statements, it would affect the investors and shareholders who rely on the annual reports of the companies to make investment decisions. Furthemore, directors may have conflicts of interests when he exercises multi corporate directorships. As more director roles will increase opportunity of represetning compainces which are related. In Bristol and West Building Society v Mothew (1998), the court explained that one of the fiduciary duties of directors is not to allow any conflict between their duties as directors and their personal interests. If the contract in which he has a personal interest adverse to that of company is voidable by the company and the profits made may be recovered by the company. In Transvaal Lands Co v New Belgium (Transvaal) Land and Development Co (1914) UK, defendant had a benefical inrerest in a company which sold shares to the company which he was a director, H took part in the decision to make the purchase. So, if the director of one company has business or transactions to other company that he has directorship, it will have higher chance for conflict of interests or transferring benefits between companies. Regarding to the legislators being multiple corporate directors, now seven legislators have hold total of 63 paid board positions. According to Cheung (2012), it will be difficult for the legislators to deal with livelihood issues if the they keep in touch with and work for the corporations. If legislators are the companies’ directors, public will have a perception that they spoke for the buiness sectors rather than citizen. Moreover, it may prevent the functioning of Legislative Council (Legco), according to the editoiral of ming pao (2011), at least five Legco members have omitted to register such interests. Although these are not serious omissions, we can see that some legislators are not serious about registering their interests and have neglected that they have not followed the guidelines. It is important for them to disclose all their intersts including shareholdings, paid directorships, property and election donations of their directorships. By now the listed companies in Hong Kong need to have at least a third of independent directors who do not have business relationship with the company and do not manage the operation of the company. Before, companies are required to have at least three independent directors, but no restrictions on the ratio. It is believed that this new rule is to match the international practices such as United States and UK and protect shareholders’ interest. This new listing rules will make it difficult to find independent directors because not so much people are interested in the low remuneration role. It may indicate that some firms need to cut the size of the board. In conclusion, one especially a legislator should not take up too many directorships in order to advoid conflict of interest and act due deligent. The legislaors cannot avoid disclosing their interest to Legco. It is suggested that Legco should amend its Guidelines on Registration of Interests to require legislators not only register the remunerated directorships but also unmunerated so as to protect the shareholders and the companys’ interest. How to cite Multiple Directorship, Papers

Holy Spirit Essay Example For Students

Holy Spirit Essay THE HOLY SPIRITThe Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is God, because he is in the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is a power, it talks about that in Acts 1:8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come on you. The Holy Spirit dwells in us teaching us, inspiring us, and giving us power. The Holy Spirit is equal with God and the Son. If you have the Holy Spirit in you it is the same as having Christ in you (Romans 8:9-12). The Holy Spirit is a comforter it says in John 14:16, 17. If you obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isnt looking for him and doesnt recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you,The Holy Spirit does many different things and all through out the Bible it says the different things that the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit teaches us, He brings things to our memory, He bears witness, and He convinces us of our sin. He also speaks through us to other people, or speaks threw another person to us, such as a minister or a close friend. The Holy Spirit can often inspire us to do things like talk to somebody or read a certain scripture. So basically what the Holy Spirit does is he empowers us.

Analysis and Comparison of Athlon XP v Pentium 4 essays

Analysis and Comparison of Athlon XP v Pentium 4 essays Introduction Choosing an architecture for computers is not a glamorous decision, but the choice can have long-term and significant ramifications for decision makers. For many, the choice is little more than Apple v. PC, although the issue of Linux v. Windows is gaining increased visibility. However, once the choice has been made to use a PC rather than an Apple, there are still several architecture choices that must be made. AMD and Intel are the two giants in this industry, offering the flagship Athlon and Pentium processors. Both companies also manufacture other processors, but these are the two powerhouse brands associated with each company. This research considers the Athlon XP and Pentium 4 processors and which processor is appropriate for today's business environment. Athlon XP Analysis The Athlon XP has slower clock speed than the Pentium 4, but because of its unique architecture, including DDR memory, the performance is not noticeably slower than the Pentium 4. For example, although AMD marketed a 1.6GHz Athlon XP, its performance rivaled that of the 2.2GHz Pentium 4 in many benchmark tests. Lower clock speed does not always translate into slower performance in the AMD environment (Metz 108). Despite this, AMD put fewer innovations into the Athlon XP and more into other Athlon product lines with the result that it focused nearly exclusively on clock speed for The Athlon XP is used in both traditional desktops as well as in laptop machines using the Athlon XP-M. Traditionally, the Athlon XP has been considered competition to the Intel Celeron and low-end Pentium 4 machines, but not as powerful as the Intel Pentium 4 when the latter is run in more powerful environments. At this point, the Athlon XP is being relegated to the low-end of AMD's processor offerings with the company focusing majo...

Profile of Serial Killer Joseph Paul Franklin

Profile of Serial Killer Joseph Paul Franklin Joseph Paul Franklin is a serial extremist killer whose crimes were motivated by a pathological hatred of African Americans and Jews. Fueled by the words of his hero, Adolf Hitler, Franklin went on a killing rampage between 1977 and 1980, targeting interracial couples and setting off bombs in synagogues. Childhood Years Franklin (named James Clayton Vaughan Jr. at birth) was born in Mobile, Alabama on April 13, 1950, and was the second of four children in a volatile impoverished home. As a child Franklin, who felt different from other children, turned to reading books, mostly fairy tales, as an escape from the domestic violence in the home. His sister has described the home as abusive, saying Franklin was the target of much of the abuse. Teen Years During his teen years, he was introduced to the American Nazi Party through pamphlets and he adopted the belief that the world needed to be cleansed of what he considered inferior races - mainly African Americans and Jews. He was in full agreement with the Nazi teachings and he became a member of the American Nazi Party, the Ku Klux Klan, and the National States Rights Party. Name Change In 1976, he wanted to join the Rhodesian Army, but because of his criminal background he needed to change his name to be accepted. He changed his name to Joseph Paul Franklin - Joseph Paul after Adolph Hitlers minister of propaganda, Joseph Paul Goebbels, and Franklin after Benjamin Franklin. Franklin never did join the army, but instead launched his own war of the races. Obsessed With Hate Obsessed with hatred for interracial marriages, many of his killings were against black and white couples he encountered. He has also admitted to blowing up synagogues and takes responsibility for the 1978 shooting of Hustler Magazine publisher, Larry Flynt and the 1980 shooting on civil rights activist and Urban League president Vernon Jordan, Jr. Over the years Franklin has been linked to or confessed to numerous bank robberies, bombings, and murders. However, not all of his confessions are viewed as truthful and many of the crimes were never brought to trial. Convictions Alphonse Manning and Toni SchwennMadison, WisconsinIn 1985 Franklin was found guilty of killing interracial couple Alphonse Manning and Toni Schwenn,  both 23 years old.  The couple was pulling out of a shopping mall when Franklin rammed their car from behind, then got out and shot Manning twice and Schwenn four times, killing both. He was sentenced to two life terms.Bryant Tatum and Nancy HiltonChattanooga, TennesseeIn 1977 he pleaded guilty to the July 29, 1978 sniper murder of Bryant Tatum (black) and for attempting to murder his white girlfriend Nancy Hilton.  The couple was  at a Pizza Hut restaurant in Chattanooga when Franklin, hiding in tall grass near the restaurant, gunned them down. Franklin was found guilty and given a life sentence.Donte Brown and Darrel LaneCincinnati, OhioCousins Dante Brown, 13, and Darrel Lane, 14, were headed to a local convenience store on June 6, 1980, when Franklin, standing on an overpass, shot two bullets into each child. Lane died at t he scene and Brown died a few hours later at the hospital. Franklin was found guilty and sentenced to two life terms. Ted Fields and David MartinSalt Lake City, UtahTed Fields, 20, and David Martin, 18, were friends who shared the reputation for being hardworking, responsible and with bright futures. On August, 20, they went jogging with two women at Liberty Park.  Franklin hit the group with a barrage of bullets, striking Fields three times and Martin five, killing both. One of the women was injured. He was found guilty and received two life sentences.Gerald GordonPotosi, MissouriOn October 8, 1977, Gerald Gordon, Steven Goldman and William Ash  had no idea a Remington 700 hunting rifle was aimed at them while they walked through the synagogue parking lot.  Franklin, who had carefully planned his assault the day before, fired five shots at the men, killing Gordon and injuring Goldman and Ash. In February 1997, a jury found him guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Any Regrets? Eight life sentences and a death sentence has done little to change Franklins radical racist views. He has told authorities that his only regret is that killing Jews isnt legal. During a 1995 article published by Deseret News, Franklin seemed to boast about his killing sprees and the only regret that he seems to have is that there were victims that managed to survive his murderous rage. On November 20, 2013, Franklin was executed by lethal injection in Missouri. He offered no final statement.

Project Finance, Accounting and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Finance, Accounting and Control - Essay Example Weaknesses of the Annual Budget The approach of annual budgeting, with the inclusion of multi variables and numerous factors, emerge as a complex process. Consequently, the approach involves many advantages along with few major drawbacks. For instance, there are many shortcomings in the annual budget preparation irrespective to different budgeting approaches. The inherited weaknesses which can be by far identified in the annual budget are discussed below: Weak Forecasting Capabilities The most critical step in the budgeting process is related to the forecasting capabilities regarding the financial resources that will be available in the future course of business operations. Immense technical expertises are required in order to forecast the revenue collection and expenses with high level of accuracy (Martinez-Vazquez, 1997). The level at which the forecasting will be made is a decisive consideration. To initiate the process of budget forecasting there are certain considerations that s hould be adhered by the executors, i.e. industry-level forecasting, corporate forecasting, product forecasting and product-line forecasting. During the process of budget forecasting, inclusion of all these factors are not considered to be complex, but in turn evolves as a time-consuming process. Consequently, the lack of forecasting capabilities makes the budget risky in executing. In addition to that, different types of problems occur that make the budget restructuring essential and therefore increases the cost (Mentzer & Gomes, n.d.). Insufficient Budget Control of Certain Funds There is lack of control over the budget in regard to certain funds that are variable in nature depending upon the period of operation. The budgeting officer needs to contact each department and analyze the debit and credits of the department in order to find out the funds’ leverage upon the department. Although incorporating this intensive technique, the budget does not have sufficient control over certain funds (New York University, 2007). These funds vary in nature and controlling them within the budgeting process limits is somewhat impossible. This tends to change the overall financial funding. Inclusively, the fund might be internal or external. Pulling the funds for the specified fund option is often misinterpreted as budgeting, which ultimately results to ineffective budget planning. Therefore, the overall planning needs to be re-planed due to the ineffective balance of the funds in the budget. Contextually, the level of control in the fund management in budgeting becomes difficult while drafting the budget for an accounting period (Flexstudy, n.d.). Profitability Index In order to forecast the profitability index, an estimation of the cost of capital is required. But this can not provide the corrective decision when applied to compute mutually exclusive projects (Peterson-Drake, n.d.). The decision may be incorrect while computing and this will result in failure of the budget of the project. The budget model is not capable of determining the profitability index to ensure the effectiveness of the financial status of the company

Hershey's Sweet Mission Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hershey's Sweet Mission - Personal Statement Example This paper tells that active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding. Workers that are active listeners are able to communicate better with their colleagues. The new appraisal system must identify traits that are important in the performance of a particular employee. The company will monitor other personality traits of the employee that can impact performance. Diversity can be spread further into a corporate culture giving minority jobs in which they have to perform a supervisory role. Diversity in team activities has the benefit of fostering creativity among team members. Creativity helps workers provide better ideas and alternative solutions. As a Hershey, employee my perspective and motivation would be to comply with the vision and mission of the company. The first value that I would apply in my everyday interactions with my co-workers is teamwork. â€Å"Teamwork occurs when group members work together in ways that utili ze their skill well to accomplish a purpose†. In the corporate environment of the 21st-century, teamwork has become a critical success factor for corporations. Teamwork can help Hershey create an environment of trust and mutual respect. My mentality as a Hershey employee would be to cooperate with my colleagues at all times. Teamwork and cooperation are two desirable work outcomes. I would maintain good communication with my supervisors and with the other employees of the company. The employees of Hershey represent the corporate image of the company. It is important for them to behave properly with the utmost moral values during both their work and personal time. A second trend that is going to impact human resource professionals in the future is an increased dependency on technological tools. One of the HR practices gaining popularity in the work environment of the 21st century is empowerment. â€Å"Empowerment is increasing in popularity because it helps firms reduce their administrative expenses† (Worldbank, 2011). The employees at Hershey would benefit from empowerment because more responsibility will be given to them. The moral of the workers also improves due to the use of empowerment. Hershey is an enterprise with a global workforce. The use of empowerment can help streamline the work and reduce beaurocracy. The motivation of the employees also increases as a consequence of the use of empowerment. Giving greater responsibility to the employees of Hershey should provide valuable work experience to the workers. Empowerment is also beneficial to a company because it frees up a lot of managerial time that can be used in more productive practices such as strategic planning. The use of empowerment also increases employee satisfaction. Employees that are happy at work produce at a higher level. The use of mentoring is an HR practice that can benefit Hershey in a variety of manners. The mentoring relationship is composed of a mentor and a protege. The protege receives training and knowledge from the mentor. The training the mentor provides will help the protege achieve his daily activities for the company. Mentorship is an efficient and cost-effective way to help in the developmental process of an employee. One of the drawbacks of using mentorship to develop the skills and abilities of employees is that the technique is limited to the amount of managerial time at disposal.  

Communication in the workplace Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication in the workplace - Case Study Example Communication can be defined as information transfer to receiver from sender under the condition of transmitted message being thoroughly understood by receiver. Business communication can be internal or external but in this study internal organizational communication shall be highlighted. Communication is ever changing and dynamic. It can be categorized into transmission of verbal and non-verbal messages. Trade union is representatives of employees and they should be able to effectively communicate their issues to management. Bad communication between top management and trade union in Maestro Fits has resulted into workplace conflict. The issue started off in 15th November when management had taken decision to close internal restaurant. 30th November had been decided as the closing date. However trade union president sent a letter to top management on 28th requesting shift in the date. The reason behind this was three employees were working there on a part-time basis. Top management replied that trade union would be given responsibility of structuring a business plan for the new restaurant and forming a new worker’s group. Since business plan was not developed by trade union so worker’s group proposed an idea of donating 2 convertible marks by employees per day. A voting poll was organized by trade union where 325 employees supported the donation idea, 188 were against it and 186 employees did not cast any vote. The results were then forwarded to working group stating that trade union shall not insist restaurant formation due to less than 50% of employees in favor of the idea (Ferrante, 2010). On the other hand, top management already had taken decision regarding decrease in employee’s salaries. This decision came into existence on 10th December 2013. The major reason behind this was lack of financial support due to no new business contracts. Trade union strictly opposed this decision. This case study problem clearly reveals

Analysis of Business Strategy at ASOS

Analysis of Business Strategy at ASOS Chapter1. 1.1 What is E- Business? Electronic Business is very simple the meaning to any reader that Business taking place electronically. E-Business which we are benefiting from has gone through many stages of maturity. One of main reason to choose this topic is that to see how organisation either switching their business to E-Commerce or starting solely only online business. No doubt there are many advantages but its note free of limitations. 1.2 Purpose of Report: There are many Organisations to consider in my report but I am choosing ASOS (As seen on Screen). ASOS is the United Kingdoms one of largest online-only fashion and Beauty store. The purpose to consider this organisation is to highlight in detail how ASOS using E-commerce Technology captured significant market share and Market Reputation. ASOS has targeted the people of age group 16-34, catering to both genders. I would like to focus how they formulated their E-Commerce strategy and how they have chosen a specific age group to Target their business to. ASOS has spent lots of money on Research and Developments. I would like to mention here very recent Example of their Advertising campaign in UK.I have seen in many places specially on Bus stops where they are advertising to give chance to every   individual to visit their website and upload your picture to participate in street style competition. I would also like to consider how their financial position has been significantly increased and showed positive sign of further progress in this Recovery Economic cycle. They also launched US, French and German specific language website which is another addition to their enhanced performance. I will also focus on their statement of core purpose â€Å" Our core purpose is to inspire and power your fashion discovery; without an internal brand and strong people strategy we would not be able to live up to that promise.† www.asos.com http://www.networksolutions.com/education/what-is-ecommerce/ Scope of the report: Here, I will discuss how still ASOS is achieving its target and maintaining its consistency in performance. The scope also included to focus on Business to Business(B2B) and Business to Consumer(B2C).The issues to be covered regarding birth of ASOS then how it has been built to reach at this stage, Development in progress, expanding abroad, organising events and their passion for more innovation. The report will also analyse Financial and Non Financial Ratios to reflect their position. Graphical Demonstration is also part of it. Key Results: Research of journals and ASOS financial statements shows the following split of its Fashion category: Women swear Clothing : 56% Womenswear Non-Clothing : 16% Menswear : 20% Beauty/Outlet/Kids : 8% There is significant growth in International markets, now ASOS is shipping to 167 countries. International sales has been increased by 95% in 2009-2010.In 2004/05, Uk sales was   94% and International sale was   6 %,   but in 2009/10, UK sales was 75% and International sales was 25%.It shows how ASOS has expanded all over the world by using its own brands and other existing brands. Currently, trading result has been issued at ASOS website and CEO, Nick Robertson has reported another successful year including highlights for the 2010/2011, Retails sales has been increased 58% on year (UK +24% and International +144 %). As Internationaly becoming an increasingly significant part of   ASOS future, Nick Robertson pleased to see International sales mix exceed that of the UK for the first time, accounting for 52% of retail sales.   http://www.asosplc.com/Doc/pdf/Announcements/Q4_Trading_Update_FINAL.pdf www.asos.com http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 http://www.asosplc.com/Doc/pdf/Announcements/Q4_Trading_Update_FINAL.pdf www.asos.com http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 Summary findings: The research finding shows a continuous growth in the financial and Market growth of the Organisation which is due to its strong E-Commerce bases Business Strategies. As ASOS is only online fashion retail store and up to 2010, 3 website in USA, France and Germany in their languages has been launched. It is E-Commerce who makes it not that hard to get access to one of the largest Economies otherwise it would have been quite costly to enter into larger fashion Markets such as of France and USA.Where physical presence in the form of Retail stores would have been quite challenging Financial and taking in context the strong competitors already present there. How greatly cost effective it is for ASOS, because they have Debt free financing. ASOS is one of those organisation where E-Commerce has played a vital role which are now Multimillion  £ organisation which are experiencing rapid growth due to E-Commerce base business. Chapter 2. Introduction. People thinke-commerceis just people browsing, but theres more to it than that. More and more people are using programs and agents to shop for the best deal, and thats how theyre going to be getting to your site. ~Tim Berners-Lee(June 08, 1955 ) Impact of an E-commerce on an Organisation plays a vital role on any Organisation, which has culture of Adopting this Approach and has Management to cope with approach, when most of the businesses now considering adopting this approach to enhance their performance and considering cost benefit analysis. I have chosen this topic because I mostly use E-Commerce websites and mostly read journals and Articles regarding organisations launching E-Commerce in their businesses. I strongly believe how E-commerce can cut down cost in any organisation. Many Businesses started to shift from Real time Market to Digital Market. The History of Online Shopping in Nutshell E-commerce can be described as: the sharing business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks where business transactions take place via telecommunications networks, especially the Internet describes the buying and selling of products, services and information via computer networks including the Internet the conduct of a à ¯Ã‚ ¬?nancial transaction by electronic means Since transactions go through the Internet and the Web, the terms I-commerce (Internet commerce), icommerce and even Web-commerce have been suggested but are now very rarely used. It goes unnoticed that E-Commerce and its underlying technology is around us since almost   4 decades. The term e-commerce was originated   to describe the process of doing   business transactions electronically using technology from the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These technologies, emerged in late 1970s, usually allowed many organisations   to share information among themselves, typically in the form of electronic purchase orders and invoices. EDI and EFT were theenabling technologiesthat laid the groundwork for what we now know as e-commerce. The Boston Computer Exchange, a marketplace for used computer equipment started in 1982, was one of the first known examples of e-commerce. Then it was in all 1980s when we have seen proliferation of these plastic cards, ATM machines and Phone banking, which was next step in evolution of   E-Commerce. In early 1990s, e-commerce has started to include other enterprise Resource planning (ERP ), Data Warehousing and Data mining. http://www.asos.com/infopages/pgeaboutus.aspx http://sellitontheweb.com/blog/history-of-e-commerce/ http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf http://www.retail-week.com/careers/etail-power-list-2010/01-nick-robertson/5019098.article The world of E-Business. The word commerce and Business doesnt have much difference. Instead it wont be wrong to say that e-commerce is a part of e-business.   Electronic business transactions involves money are â€Å"E-Commerce† activities. when we talk about E-Business, it means have think broadly as E-Business doesnt mean that it is Buying and selling goods   and accepting only credit cards. What about Customer, Marketing, Procurement? This is where E-Business broadly focussed on. Figure 1 is clearly a perfect demonstration of E-commerce and E-Business. http://www.ebusinessprogrammers.com/ebusiness/ecommerce_and_ebusiness.asp As with e-commerce, e-business (electronic business) also has a number of different deà ¯Ã‚ ¬?nitions and is used in a number of different contexts. One of the à ¯Ã‚ ¬?rst to use the term was IBM, in October 1997, when it launched a campaign built around e-business. Today, major Organisations are rethinking their businesses to switch through internet and its new culture and capabilities and this is what some see as e-business. E-business is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. Who is ASOS? ASOS has been established in June 2000 by CEO Nick Robertson. As Nick Robertson is Entrepreneur, he started ASOS with only 3 Employees and after 10 years, he has over 1000 Employees. Nick Robertson has started with step to step approach to capture market share. ASOS has been started in June 2000 and he submitted ASOS PLC holdings to AIM on London stock Exchange. ASOS has launched branded fashions good and then in 2004   first launched its own label product for women, then ASOS has launched ASOS Beauty in 2005 and with this consistent approach, ASOS was the first UK online store to Launch Catwalk in 2006, then ASOS own label for Men has been launched in 2007 and their performance doesnt stopped even in Recession and up to now, ASOS has their website in American, German and French Languages. ASOS has also launched ASOS Little which caters for babies for up to 24 months and Boys and girls from 2-8 years. It includes all High Fashion brands like Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, Miss sixty and True Religion. ASOS also launched its own Magazine, Facebook page and in final Quarter of 2010, had launched three international stores, ASOS USA, ASOS France, and ASOS Germany. ASOS Mobile has been launched In October 2010, which has been designed works through all devices like Blackberry, Android, Symbian and I Phone Operating systems. http://www.asos.com/infopages/pgeaboutus.aspx ASOS and E-Business: ASOS is one of the Largest Online Retail only, catering to the Fashion Retail sector specifically in UK and Great share in International market. They share some really Interesting Results for year 31st March,2010 which clearly shows the Profits they have reaped by adopting E-Commerce as their primary Business   Strategy. The company has gained rapid growth in the retail industry in a matter of few years. Limitation of E-Business: E-Business is not free of limitations as there are areas where any organisation has to be competent and keeps spending to improve what customer demands. In E-Business, Confidentiality and privacy is always key issue which could lead to distrust and hesitation among the customers to use services online Another drawback of the E-Business is that the customers cannot have exact feel and look of the product before purchasing so it depends on the organisation that how clearly and in detail they present the product or service. In this world of internet, networks failure could cause serious disruption customers and business alike, which could result in loss of revenue and productivity. Limitation for the ASOS is that they dont have retail outlets where they could probably miss their targets who may want to see and feel stuff before they buy. Summary of history: In Brief, we can say how ASOS have utilised the E-Commerce business strategy to established themselves in the fashion retail industry having rapid growth in a matter of only 10 years and has now become the one of the Major fashion player in E-Business and it is standing proudly shoulder to shoulder with some of the more established high street competitors. The organisation is a radiant example of a successful E-Business. Procurement : The company executives took a step by step approach, in targeting the customers and implementing the business plan. They have invested in parts and specifically targeted age group after a thorough market research. If we analyse the history of ASOS, we find that it has started with some Famous High Street brands the likes of Diesel, FireTrap, Karen Millen and French Connection etc and then gradually launched its own label products in interval of years. This was a part of their business objective to enhance their financial gains by starting their own company brand. ASOS promotes welcoming ‘Like Minded talent together .It says their people have no fear to enter into the unknown market. .http://www.drapersonline.com/people/next-generation/asos/5021069.article http://www.asosplc.com/Who_We_Are/Our_History/Default.aspx?id=15 http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 Risk Management and Financing: ASOS insisted that all of their investments have been funded using operating cash flows and if any additional working capital required, it uses short term facilities. ASOS group is continuously working to reduce Risk of Interest rates, Foreign Exchanges and other financial risk. Their hedging strategy is to hedge their future foreign currency risk for 6 and 12 months forward. That is the one of the reason that they have got DEBT FREE BALANCE SHEET with increase in net cash to  £ 15.6 million. http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 So how did this tiny start-up become the UKs leading fashion site, at a time when traditional rivals with a much longer heritage were and are struggling? There are many reasons: the site offers something for everyone men and women of course, but also maternity wear, beauty products and kids wear. Although it does sell premium items, the average price is reasonable and accessible, the site is easy to navigate, and it is painless to return items which is more, in Fashion Statements experience, than can be said for some far more expensive online retailers. Then there is the generation it sells to, its key demographic one that expects a snappy online experience as a matter of course. E-Commerce Diagram below describes how the key elements of E-Commerce connected to each other. Information Gathering: In Gathering information for my topic, I have used two main Approaches. Quantitative Approach Qualitative Approach. In Quantitative approach, Research regarding subject has been done through collecting it and then evaluating it through application of Mathematical Models and then demonstrate the Results in the form of Graphs, Statistical data and Tabular forms. Research usually been obtained through internally generated Financial information e.g., periodically (Monthly, Quarterly) performance report/statements with Graphs and statistics as well. In Qualitative approach, it is different in nature; it is like soft data, where data has been gathered through Interview, Observation to interpret the details of finding from the research methods. In the Annual report, it is really helpful to get these data where Company senior management Interviews, statements has been reported There has been both Primary and secondary research involved in my carrying out search for discussing impact of E-Business on an Organisation. For primary search purposes, ASOS website was the main point of getting information regarding their financial and Non financial performance. Primary: ASOS website investor section has been mostly used in my Research Analysis where their Annual report for the year ended March 2010 helped a lot. Structure of report and split of information in different categories, made it easy to focus on required area. It kept engaged while doing research when organisation about us gathering information is ASOS. ASOSs consistency in achieving its objectives and hitting all budgeted and forecasted figures has been exceeding in almost every single year since it has been started. Through participative observation, being a customer of ASOS, I have experience an easy to use feature enriched website which enables the customer to purchase the desired product in a matter of few clicks. Secondary:In secondary search, articles from various weekly magazines, Newspapers, other comparison websites of E-Business, ACCA Text books, Library, Case study helped a lot. Limitation on information Gathering: As ASOS is only virtual business, all relevant information regarding their Strategy, their growth plan, further expansion strategies, the main point of getting all data is online, Magazine Articles, Newspaper. Because if business has got outlets as well then it provides opportunity to get access to any outlets and ask their Management for interview, latest developments, events taking place. No doubt, having own experience by doing that kind of primary research enhance your information gathering. Business Techniques and Models: When we talk about E-Business, its all about Businesses,Goverments and Customers who originate E-commerce.E-Commerce can be divided into further categories, considering perspectives of producers/providers and customers: ACCA P3 Interactive study manual Business-to-Business(B2B_ Business-to-Consumer(B2C) Business-to-employee(B2E) Business-to-government(B2G) Government-to-business(G2B) Government-to-government(G2G) Consumer-to-consumer(C2C) Consumer-to-Business(C2B) http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf ASOS has mainly focussed on the following: B2B ( Business to Business) E-commerce is E-business enable organisations to connect their internal and external data processing systems more efficiently and flexibly which lead the operations among suppliers and partners to operate more closely, and needs of customers are satisfied and exceed the expectations. ASOS believes and confident to say that actions which has been taken   and there are still more exciting innovation in progress which will keep ASOS apart from other rivals and lead us to drive boost to sales. E-Business has impacting both party, means ASOS selling over 800 brands and plus their own internal brands as well. To some extent using other high street brands they are generating goodwill for their brands as well. It is B2B which are connecting and sharing data among themselves. There are normally 3 groups of B2B in which many E-business could fit in. Direct selling and support to Business. E-Procurement Information Sites. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Interactive LSBF, P3 study Manual. http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 Recent example of Business to Business is when ASOS has been targeted by Giant Super Market TESCO Plc for Fashion venture, after Tesco has found the excellent recession-Busting growth of ASOS. http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/4255-tesco-targets-asos-chooses-venda-for-fashion-venture B2C (Business to consumer) It is another split of Classification of E-commerce in any Business, where any transaction which ends on serving products or services for the consumer. Any E-business basically do Serve consumers plus retailers as well. ASOS is ambitious doing much for their consumers, they have launched free return to their UK customers in Sep, 2009 and also started Free Supersaver delivery for UK customer which in return gave us a positive reaction and our Items per basket, Frequency of orders have all increases as a direct result of this. http://www.asosplc.com/Investors/Financials/Annual_~_Interim_Results/JQueryTabs.aspx?id=45 For Ecommerce usability is one of the largest contributors to customer conversion and retention rates. Do ASOS follow best practice? If we follow a customer process through focusing onthree key stages of the buying journey, product page, shopping basket and the checkout. The shopping basket which follows many of the best practice recommendations shows clearly that the item is in stock. For reserved items it is clear how long it has reserved this product for this helps tackle the issue of visitors returning to their shopping basket on a subsequent visit only to find the product they had added previously is no longer in stock. ASOS have tried to ensure secure access and use securely on the button wording, which improves the customers sense of trust/security. There is no ambiguity about what standard delivery costs will be, so visitors dont need to wait until they are within checkout to know what delivery costs are. Along with the product thumbnail and title, there is just the right amount of product information provided to ensure you know that you have ordered the right size, colour and quantity Making the delivery costs clear on the shopping basket allows ASOS to make it absolutely clear what the visitor will be paying in total. ASOS makes this a much more customer friendly experience by allowing you to choose other delivery options at the shopping basket stage. This ensures you are going into the checkout process knowing what you will paying and what delivery period you have specified. They clearly display which payment methods are accepted ensuring that shoppers are not confused. Business Model: According to Michael Rapas (P3 Business Analysis Interactive book),General E-business models, ASOSs Business Model was based on Merchant but then as the company business grew, the business model evolved encompassing the Merchant and Manufacturer as well: Merchant:ASOS has started as retailers of goods by using other famous high street brands like All Saints, Mango, and Firetrap etc. A virtual merchant operates only over the web (e.g. Amazon, EBay). Business was started with an Initial Investment of  £1.4m.They has marketed high street market brands and then slowly on step by step Approach. Manufacturer:   After Advertising and hitting targets of their initial strategy of selling external High street brands, ASOS has developed their own internal brands. That is how they have been called as Manufacturer, because it relies on the power of the website to get access buyers directly and then provide distribution channel. ASOS this model is based on Improved, Efficiency, and Customer Service. Brokerage:   As we know, Brokers are those who make markets,they bring together buyers and sellers together and then provide Transaction Facility.Brokers play vital role in businesses like ASOS where there are B2B,B2C markets.ASOS is now operating on combination of Manufacturer and Brokerage Models. The E-business model has always been based on IT Applications and using B2B, B2C, ASOS has chosen CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Tools to support their Strategic Growth Plans. CRM is one the Internal Business Systems Application, is a Business Strategy focuses on Customers with objectives of Maximising Turnover, Customer Satisfaction and Profits. ASOS has chosen this tool from SMARTFOCUS which helps them to keep record of Customer buying, their feedback, refer a friend, Loyalty programmes. Mhairi Brown, CRM Manager for ASOS, said that using Smartfocus will facilitate easy solution and strong marketing strategy and choosing CRM will help to achieve their goal of a Truly Customer Focussed business. http://www.onwindows.com/Articles/Asos-chooses-CRM-for-growth/2812/Default.aspx P3 LSBF Study Manual. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf This framework, was à ¯Ã‚ ¬?rst developed by Kalakota and Whinston, who knows as a Professors of Information Systems, takes a holistic View and identià ¯Ã‚ ¬?es the different components of business and technology which will combine together to form E-commerce. In ASOS, this framework applies equally as in any other E-Business.The following are built on foundation of technology: People and Organisation: People of ASOS are the all key stakeholders like suppliers, customers, Employees, Government, Other regulatory Authorities, which any organisation prioritise according to their level of power and interest in organisation. It is a interaction between People and Organisation which manage to coordinate the Infrastructure, Applications and Businesses and it leads for the functioning of E-Commerce. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Public Policy: ASOS have to comply with relevant laws and Regulations according to their geographical location. They should follow the relevant tax policies and making sure all payments made according to the relevant Laws and Regulations. ASOS must follow internal procedures and making the most of Tax evasion policies. Company must maintain high level of confidentiality to proceeds as to retain customer confidence; this can be achieved by segregation of duties and applying strong internal control. They must also ensure that security systems are improved to keep the Organisation confidentiality policy competitive globally. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Technical standards: In Technical standards, all data has been converted into such a way that it can be use universally, means all data can travel seamlessly across different network where it is accessed by range of hardware and software like Palmtops, Computers and other kinds of browsers. ASOS have not got only one website now for user interface and they do meet all Technical standards globally. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf The next part of the Model is Infrastructure and E-Business work by Interlink of both Technology and Infrastructure. Common Business Service : In this part of Infrastructure, once all process of creation of data and content done, its been display and transmitted for user interface, other supporting services has to play their part to facilitate buying and selling. ASOS website in very well structured and one can see how this process works. For finalising transaction on ASOS, one should be feel safe and rely before authorise any payments because of confidentiality issue. This is where Electronic payment like PayPal in ASOS, directories/Catalogues help to check out. https://marketplace.asos.com/basket Message and Information Distributor: This part of Infrastructure is the Engines and fuel, which takes data around the network after Multimedia content of website, is created. But this content then has to be transported for sending and retrieving this information of content. ASOS has its own form of transporting information. Common Examples are EDI, Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, and Email. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Publishing: It is   Infrastructure of Warehouses and vehicles, where Electronic data and Multimedia content over the Network are stored and then transported using Publishing Infrastructure like World Wide Web(www), Web Servers transport. It depends on website how much Electronic data and Multimedia content it using. Usually HTML and JAVA are used to create Multimedia content. Some websites are Text only or some contain audio, video, graphics. ASOS website is mostly Text and Multimedia where Images has been mostly used. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Network: Once all of the above completed, and then Network needed to interconnect globally so it could be access anytime, anywhere. As now Technology is so advanced, we can even use ASOS in our Handsets like IPhone; Android Phones etc with Network provider browsing facility, Internet, Telephone wires, Intranets are all form of communication which forms this Network infrastructure. Interfacing: This is the infrastructure where finally customer can get access to all data on website and have user interface with all application. All Technology and infrastructure components interact together to produce the Ideal demonstration of E-Business. These applications are used by Online Banking Sector, Financial sectors, Marketing and Advertising Agencies, Online Shopping. This model really helps for Senior Management to see how important within business or outside for planning and development of E-Business or E-Commerce solution. http://www.sxccal.edu/msccs/ecommerce1.pdf Analysis: Last 3 years of ASOSs Financial performance are incredible. Where UK economy is in Recession and then in Recovery phase now, in these hard times ASOS has maintained their Growth with Consistency. Records sales, Earning per share and Profit has been recorded. Following is details discussion and Analysis of Financial impact on Income, Expenditures, and Profits for last 3 years. Revenue: ASOSs revenue has shown positive signs as in 2008 and 2009, 90% and 104% increased respectively have been reported in Annual report. Then in 2010, 35% increase had made. Increase was not that significant because of increase in international sales. Huge amount of investment has been made in these years for Warehouses to increase their sales volume. Clothes of all genders, Accessories and Footwear are the main sector which result in boost of Revenue Because online user who hit on daily basis the website is increasing day by day and according to latest record, ASOS.com attracts more than 8 million unique Users in a month of which 3.7 millions are registered users and 1.6 million active users (describes as they have shopped in last 6 months).It can be seen that, because of virtual nature of ASOS, the only way of boosting their income is to attract as much users as it can. In only 10 years, its not easy for any business to be in head to head in ranking in various categories in last 3 year s. In top UK shopping website, ASOS was ranked in 2008 17th (2007:40), 12th in 2009. Figure 2.1 and 2.2 give a birds eye view of Retails sales Split for the year ended 2009 and 2010, where we can see Quarterly sales figures for UK and International, which shows a huge increase in International sales of 103% for year 2008/09 and 144% for year 2009/10. Its indication of how just through E-Commerce, without any outlets overseas, ASOS is on way to Business success. Statistical representation of Split of Sales is shown below which compare quarterly change in retail sales as compare to year 2009 ASOS has been ranked 2 year continuously in 2008(4.74%) and 2009(5.13%), 2 nd to Next with 8.96% in 2008 and 6.31%in 2009, in top 10 player as % of Market share list. Figure 1 A demonstrate their actual and forecast % of market share. Annual Reports: for References Expenditures: Because of driving business with new initiatives taken and Passion to be on top of Online Retailers List, ASOS has spent Millions in Development, Management, Marketing and Infrastructure. They have spent Millions on Warehouses for hitting its Targeted Annual sales. ASOS has spent  £20 million for new warehouse with Initial Capability of  £600 million annual sales. They have done adequate investment in IT Systems and Infrastructure, as being a virtual business; it acts as a back bone for the Organisation to capitalise on their potential growth and to take full advantage of arising new opportunities. In last 3 years, E-Marketing Expenditure played vital role for capturing a p

Organs and Organ Systems to Organelles :: essays papers

Organs and Organ Systems to Organelles The human body consists of many different organs and organ systems, which are made up of billions of cells. Inside these cells there are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“tiny organsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬,or organelles. These organelles act in many ways like the organs and systems of the body. To better understand the relationship between them, I am going to compare and contrast their differences and their similarities. The brain is the control center of the human body. It sends and receives messages to the rest of the body. The brain is made up of many different parts, and each part has its own job. The nucleus of a cell is very similar to the brain because it is the control center of the cell. It too sends and receives messages, only throughout the cell. The nucleus is made up of many other parts, which have all have special jobs also. The brain and nucleus are alike in several ways, but contrast in one primary area. The brain sends messages by neurons and electric impulses, while the nucleus does it by means of messenger RNA. The body has a shape that is contributed to by the muscular and skeletal systems. Bones provide the body with framework, and the muscles allow movement. The cell has similar organelles, the cytoplasm and the microtubules, which provide the cell with form. The microtubules are tube-like structures that act like bones do in humans, they give shape and support to the cell. The cytoplasm is a jelly-like substance that keeps things in place, and restricts the movement of organelles in the cell. The main difference between them is the fact that microtubules arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t joined by anything like a ligament or a tendon and cytoplasm doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t contract like muscles do. The digestive system of the human body is made up of several organs that work together to break down food so it can be used in the body. Similar organelles in the cell are endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, and the golgi body. Endoplasmic reticulum is used in the synthesis of molecules entering the cell. The ribosomes produce protein and send them to the places in the cell that needs it. The golgi body is the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“packaging siteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬. All three of thes organelles play an important role in processing molecules in the cell.

Arcangelo Corelli: the Period, Life, and Works

Brianna Hunter MUL1110-3060 Professor Kranz February 20, 2013 Arcangelo Corelli: The Period, Life, and Works Music was discovered thousands of years ago and has only progressively gotten better with the invention of instruments and the development of musical dynamics. During the baroque period, in which Arcangelo Corelli lived and died, music was beginning to evolve into a more diverse musical experience. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the few violin and musical composer pioneers that helped shape music and create some of the most recognized compositions of his era.According to Baroque Music, Corelli not only shared his musical knowledge with fellow musicians, but was known as the â€Å"founder of modern violin technique,† the â€Å"world’s first great violinist,† and the â€Å"father of concerto grosso. † The period, life, and works in which the great Arcangelo Corelli lived will be discussed in greater detail as the paper progresses. To begin, the baroque period, also known as the â€Å"age of absolutism,† is classified by the years 1600, in which opera began, to the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750 (Kamien 99).Opera was birthed in Italy within the baroque period and provided the people a show of â€Å"magnificent extravagance† with more emphasis on the words than the music (Kamien 118-19). Furthermore, the baroque styled opera marked the entrance of castrato singers. These singers were males who had been castrated before they hit puberty to ensure the lung power of men and the vocal range of women. â€Å"By combining virtuosity, nobility, and extravagance, baroque opera perfectly expressed the spirit of a grand age† (Kamien 120).As well as the start of opera, the texture of the music was imperative during the baroque period. In the early baroque period, from 1600 to 1640, musicians favored the homophonic texture of music. Early baroque composers thought the only way to clearly project the lyrics of the so ngs was to have a main, constant melody with stressed contrasting sounds by singers against a chorus or using voices against instruments. On the contrast, during the late baroque period, 1690-1750, the favored texture was polyphonic, just as it had been during the renaissance period (Kamien 102).According to NAU, â€Å"polyphonic texture contains two or more active melodies†¦ with emphasis placed upon the interplay between lines, rather than on a single melody or a stream of chord sounds† (par 1). In addition, the layering of voices shares importance with the polyphonic texture of the baroque period. â€Å"Layering is when two or more voices move at different but closely related levels of rhythmic activity, similar to different parts of a machine moving at different but related speeds† (â€Å"Polyphonic† par 2).Although homophonic texture paved a way for music of the baroque period, most of the baroque compositions that are well-known used the polyphonic te xture which helped â€Å"instrumental music become as important as vocal music for the first time† (Kamien 102) In addition, the form of the music in the baroque period was also important. The musical forms varied from sonatas to concerto grosso to the most basic forms. For instance, the two basic musical forms are ternary form, which is a three-part A B A sequence, and binary form, which is a two-part A B sequence.The most commonly used basic form of the baroque period was the ternary form, which had sounds that mirrored â€Å"a statement, a contrast or departure, and a return,† hinting an A B A sequence (Kamien 49-50). Next, the concerto grosso was very essential for late baroque. The concerto grosso, â€Å"a small group of soloists pitted against a larger group of players called the tutti (all),† was used by orchestras in upper-class palaces that provided the soloists with â€Å"brilliant and fanciful melodic lines† (Kamien 108).Finally, the sonatas we re popular in the baroque period for churches, performances, and for leisure. A sonata is â€Å"a composition in several movements for one to eight instruments. † In the same way, the trio sonata gained popularity with composers because they were composing for three melodic lines (Kamien 125). With that in mind, Arcangelo Corelli composed a trio sonata in 1689 for stringed instruments called the Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 with four movements (Kamien 126). Although the trio onata would appear to have three parts, the trio sonata in fact has four instrumentalists, with two high instruments and two instruments for the lower basso continuo (Kamien 125). Relatively, tempo was an important development of the baroque era. Before the seventeenth century, tempo was indicated by notations. Conversely, the baroque period was the beginning of using terms to describe tempo which originated in Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe. Consequently, the terms still used today t o describe tempo are in Italian.For example, allegro means a fast tempo, accelerando means becoming faster, and largo means a very slow tempo. Even though the terms were created, some composers still had confusion about the many different meanings that the words could denote. In correlation, â€Å"the invention of the metronome allowed composers to become very precise with their tempo markings, however most conductors and performers still tend to regard tempo as a matter of interpretation† (Miller par 4). In Fusignano, Italy, on February 17, 1653, over 360 years ago, Italian violinist Arcangelo Corelli was born to a prosperous family.Santa and Arcangelo Corelli Sr. had five children together, including Arcangelo— Ippolito, Domenico, Giovanna and Giacinto. Corelli was named after his father who unfortunately died a month before his birth and as a result, he was raised by his single mother, Santa Corelli (Talbot 181). Corelli’s initial musical studies were with th e local clergy near Faenza, Italy and then finally studied in Bologna, Italy in 1666. â€Å"His studies there were with Giovanni Benvenuti and Leonardo Brugnoli, the former representing the disciplined style of the Accademia filarmonica (to which Corelli was admitted in 1670)† (Whent par 1).According to Padre Martini, Arcangelo Corelli took his first violin lessons at Bologna from Benvenuti and then later Brugnoli (Talbot 181). In the mid 1670’s, Corelli established himself in Rome, Italy where he found himself in the service of Queen Christina of Sweden in 1679 (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 1). Prior to meeting Queen Christina, Corelli â€Å"appeared as a violinist in the orchestra that recruited for a series of Lenten oratorios at S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini† in 1676 (Talbot 182). In 1681, Arcangelo dedicated his Opus1 to the Queen of Sweden which he escribed as the â€Å"first fruits of his studies† (Talbot 183-84). In 1684, Corelli began to regularly pe rform at musical functions for an employer named Cardinal Pamphili. Shortly after beginning his services for Pamphili, Corelli dedicated his Opus 2 to him in 1685 (Talbot 185). Correspondingly, â€Å"on July 9, 1687 Cardinal Pamphili engaged Corelli as his music master at a monthly salary of ten Florentine piasters† (Talbot 186). At this time, Corelli and his pupil, Matteo Fornari, moved into Pamphili’s palace to serve their talents.Sadly, Pamphili moved out of Rome in 1690, which left Corelli to find a new patron. Fortunately, Corelli quickly found patronage in Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, to whom he dedicated his Opus 4 to (Kemp par 1). Luckily for Corelli, Ottoboni viewed him more as friend than a servant and allowed Corelli to live the rest of his life in his palace (Kemp par 2). Furthermore, Corelli directed opera pieces at the Cancelleria and the Tordinona theatre. In â€Å"Naples, Italy on May 1, 1702, Corelli played Scarlatti’s Tiberio, imperator d’ Oriente† (Talbot 188).With his evidently superior skills, â€Å"in 1706 Corelli was elected as one of only a handful of musicians to the select the artistic circle known as the Accademia degli Arcadi† (Kemp par 2). Regrettably, after 1708, Arcangelo Corelli discharged himself from the public’s eye, and â€Å"busied himself with the composition of concerti grosso† (Talbot 189). A few years later, in December of 1712, his health began to deteriorate. Consequently, Corelli wrote his will on January 5, 1713, in which he left â€Å"all his violins, his manuscripts, the plates of his Opus 4, and his future Opus 6† to his pupil, Matteo Fornari.Three days later, Arcangelo Corelli, at the age of 59, died in Rome, Italy (Talbot 189) and was buried in the Pantheon, near Raphael Sanzio da Urbino, a famous painter (Kemp par 3). â€Å"The anniversary of his death was marked for several years afterwards by solemn performances of his concertos in the Pantheon† (Talbot 190). In relation to Corelli’s musical success, his musical style was revolutionary. â€Å"Corelli popularized certain rhythmical stereotypes, in particular the ‘walking’ or ‘running’ bass in which an inessential note is interposed between two harmony notes† (Talbot 196). His allegros are characterized by rapid changes of harmony underlining the metrical structure, repeated notes, widely ranging themes, idiomatic violin writing†¦ and a mechanically progressive rhythm† (Whent par 6). Even though Arcangelo Corelli was an innovator of sorts, the only device he is named after is the ‘Corelli clash’ (â€Å"where the late resolution on to the leading note at a cadence coincides with the anticipation of the tonic note in the companion upper part†) which was popular in 1680’s dance music (Talbot 196).According to Talbot, â€Å"in formal matters, Corelli is often credited with the clearest exposition of the difference between the ‘church’ and ‘chamber’ varieties of sonata, and the establishment of four movements as the norm in both† (196). â€Å"Few composers achieved so much so quickly, and with such economical means, as Corelli† (200). Undoubtedly, Arcangelo Corelli created many masterpieces that received much praise during and after his lifetime. His Opus 1, to whom he dedicated to Queen Christina of Sweden, is twelve church trio-sonatas. (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 8).Opus 1 (Opera Prima) was written for â€Å"two violins and Violone or Archlute with organ bass and in a somewhat serious contrapuntal style† (Deas 7). Admittedly, Opus 1 has been reprinted â€Å"through 35 known editions between 1681 and 1785† (Talbot 193). Following Opus 1 and 2, Corelli created Opus 3 (Opera Terza), which is a set of twelve trio-sonatas in dedication to the Duke of Modena in 1689 (Deas 6). According to Deas, in Opus 3 â€Å"there is plenty of vigorous independent part-writing in the many fugal movements and, in the slow introductions and middle movements, a poise and dignity that might be called Handelian† (7).In fact, Johann Sebastian Bach â€Å"borrowed the subject of the second movement of Opus 3 No. 4 for an organ fugue† ( Talbot 193). Not before long, Arcangelo Corelli was back at it again with his composition of Opus 5, the most popular opus of his career with 42 editions being reprinted by 1800 (Talbot 193). Opus 5 is a set of twelve violin and bass sonatas that were dedicated to Sophia Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg with no clear date of creation (Deas 6). Corelli’s Opus 5 continued to be performed and used as teaching pieces before and after his death (Zaslaw par 2).In fact, according to Zaslaw, â€Å"no other set of works enjoyed a comparable reception in the 18th century† more than Corelli’s Opus 5 (par 1). Before his untimely death, Corelli started, but never finished Opus 6 (Opus Sesta). Opus 6, dedicated to John William, Elector Palatine, was finally finished and published in 1714 (Edwards 526) with help from Corelli’s former pupil Matteo Fornari (Talbot 189). In Corelli's Opus 6 concerto grosso, â€Å"the smaller group consists of two violins and a cello, and the larger of a string orchestra† (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 5).Although Corelli did not invent concerto grosso, â€Å"it was he who proved the potentialities of the form, popularized it, and wrote the first great music for it† and if not for him as a model, â€Å"it would have been impossible for Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach to have given us their concerto grosso masterpieces† (Arcangelo† par 4). Corelli â€Å"reached his creative peak and climaxed all his musical contributions† with the publication of his concerto grosso (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 3). In final consideration, Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist, was a heavy hitter of his time p eriod.Corelli had many pupils that included Francesco Geminiani and Antonio Vivaldi who later went on to influence the famous Johann Sebastian Bach (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 9). â€Å"His contributions can be divided three ways, a violinist, composer, and teacher. It was his skill on the new instrument known as the violin and his extensive and very popular concert tours throughout Europe which did most to give that instrument its prominent place in music† (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 2). â€Å"As a violinist, he was one of Europe’s most sought-after teachers, exerting an influence on instrumental technique which spread well into the 18th century† (Kemp par 3).Point in fact, according to Kemp, â€Å"his 48 published trio sonatas, 12 solo violin sonatas and 12 concerti grossi were quickly recognized as offering supreme models of their kind† (par 3). â€Å"As a composer he was the first to become famous based solely on instrumental composition, the first composer whose reputation was directly influenced by music publishers, and the first to produce instrumental works that would become classics† (Cole par 1). Arcangelo Corelli â€Å"has taken a place among the immortal musicians of all time, and he maintains that exalted position today† and will forever remain a pioneer for baroque music (â€Å"Arcangelo† par 10).Works Cited â€Å"Arcangelo Corelli. † Baroque Music. Internet Arton Publications, n. d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Cole, Richard. , et al. â€Å"Arcangelo Corelli. †Ã‚  Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. Virginia Tech Department of Music, n. d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013 Deas, Stewart. â€Å"Arcangelo Corelli. † Music & Letters Jan. 1953, Vol. 34, No. 1: 1-10. JSTOR. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Edwards, Owain. â€Å"Corelli and The Violin. †Ã‚  History Today  26. 8 (1976): 525-531. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hi ll, 2011. Print. Kemp, Lindsay. Arcangelo Corelli. † BBC News. BBC, 2003. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Miller, R. J. â€Å"The Baroque Era. †Ã‚  clem. mscd. Appassionata Music Pub. , 2002. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Polyphonic Texture and Genres. †Ã‚  NAU. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Talbot, Michael. â€Å"Arcangelo Corelli. † Italian Baroque Masters. Ed. Stanley Sadie. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984. Print. Whent, Chris. â€Å"Arcangelo Corelli. †Ã‚  HOASM. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Zaslaw, Neal. â€Å"Ornaments for Corelli's Violin Sonatas, Op. 5. †Ã‚  Oxford Journals. Oxford University Press, 1996. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.

Application of Machiavelli

Application of Machiavelli Introduction Theories presented by Machiavelli were introduced when development, modern exposure, and knowledge were almost obsolete. It could probably explain the research studies performed by the present researchers against these ideas. However, other researchers have identified their potentials and laid strong bases to support and strengthen the perceptions of this author (Ledeen 138). In fact, the quotes of Machiavelli have been populated in the world using the internet to guide people in life issues.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Application of Machiavelli specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, these theories boost personal motivation and direct critical thinking that facilitate mind expansion. After studying about Milton in the previous research, a proposal was made and implemented leading to a working promotion. In this regard, there is need to perform an assessment in relation to Walmart Company. The assessment will aim at applying ideas of the author in order to facilitate development and proper modifications of the company’s processes. Consequently, the potent of the philosopher will be established and encompassed with Walmart. Machiavelli ideology and Walmart Company Fitting Ideas Machiavelli’s ideas have a common ground with most politics and businesses. However, the current papers perception identifies various issues in regard to business management that could lead to their success. First, company managers must keep some degree of fear to the workers. In essence, gracious managers could allow employees to take advantage and misuse their role within the company. Essentially, the management of Walmart Company pays attention to workers’ activities ensuring that clients receive quality services. This sensitivity of the general manager gains support because of proving that the end justifies the means through the great sales’ achievements (Jenster and Hussey 214). The company has a pervasive management that monitors workers and clients to increase customer satisfaction, reduce inactivity, and promote hardworking employees. Moreover, the author stated that it is, â€Å"better to be feared than loved† (Machiavelli and Marriott 79). Primarily, modern world assumes these ideas where fear comes with respect and care. Jenster and Hussey (2001) state that when workers fear their managers, they work to provide quality services and avoid encounters with the seniors. The ideas indicate that one person has to lead whereas the others follow. The leadership should avoid too much fear to accommodate some trust. In response to this statement, the Walmart’s general manager does not only regulate personal interaction with the workers, but also allocates other managers to share in providing directions within the company. This implies that fear is divided among the managers according to their roles.Advertising Looking for ess ay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, Machiavelli states that, â€Å"the first opinion which one forms of a prince is by observing the men he has around him; and when they show that they are capable and faithful, then he will be considered wise† (Machiavelli and Marriott 112). Vices of betrayal and corruption have affected many companies including Walmart Limited. In regard to this company, the issues arise during employments and deployment, provision of services to clients, theft of displayed products, and purchase of goods for sale. The author advises that the manager should monitor the employees and manage surveillance of clients properly. Otherwise, the vices could lead to theft of company’s properties, poor services and mismanagement. Unfitting Ideas The author does not give opportunities to management that excludes fear and applauses socialization. The Walmart Company requir es a system to make workers feel appreciated so that they can work and seek advices from top managers freely. The models of Machiavelli could restrict workers to seek ideas from the managers and cause poor services. Therefore, implementation of the fearful management should be dropped to raise an interactive model where sharing of ideas have been enabled. The power of business was not present when Machiavelli was writing the book. For instance, the available powerful force at the moment was the government that had not been influenced by business. In fact, the author was directing the writing towards the government. However, the ideas were revised and noted to be vital in the business sector that plays a vital role in the governmental proceedings. Probably, the author would have perceived these influences to direct the ideas accordingly. Information Technology was voided during the time making the perception and application of the ideas ineffective to Walmart Company. For instance, s urveillance cameras and efficient marketing strategies have been adopted in the company. Manifestation of Machiavelli Philosophies The manager of the company provides fulltime monitor services to ensure that all issues are noted early and resolved as fast as possible. This is in accordance with the postulation of the author stating that â€Å"†¦if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can quickly remedy them; but if one is not at hand, they are heard of only when they are great, and then one can no longer remedy them† (Machiavelli and Marriott 6-7).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Application of Machiavelli specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This idea allows managers to access problems for the provision of abrupt solutions without taking a lot of time. Moreover, the manager can give suggestions on issues that the workers are not aware of. Consequently, the presence of the manage r is beneficial to the company for provision of adequate resources and directions. Machiavelli also points out the need for preparation in regard to dangers. Apart from insuring the facilities and business assets, Walmart has initiated protective measures to handle hazards appropriately. For instance, there is adequate provision of carbon dioxide to extinguish fire in cases of fire hazards. Moreover, security has been maintained by inspecting the individuals entering the premises and ensuring that goods are frisked properly before they are allowed into the stores. In another instance, the author warns that the prince (manager) must make people earn trust. Trust should not be given freely to all people who request. Instead, they should show their desires and needs for it before they could be trusted. For instance, Walmart’s promotions are based on determination, trust, and reliability defined by a long period of working and great achievements within the company. Therefore, the people promoted should not be corrupt or possess some distrustful acts within the company. Working classes are varied according to the complexity of duties, their period, and trust allocated by the managers. This implies that the upcoming managers will have contributed significantly to the success of the company. Finally, trust comes with genuineness that prohibits theft and corruptions. Walmart and other electronic dealers, such as Tech-Shield limited, have antitheft security measures referred to as closed circuit television (CCTV) that monitors people in the company. Machiavelli argues that a business have a competitive structure seeking prosperity through earning profits regardless of other factors. In this respect, the Walmart Company faces competition from other small and large scale service/product providers such as WinCo and smart technology services. The fast advancement of IT has led to crowding of businesses in the market because people invested strongly in this area that customers demanded. The argument states that a prince â€Å"must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war† (114). These factors are experienced adversely by Walmart Company due to the easy market entrance allowing companies, such as WinCo, to reduce the prices of products and services. The establishment of partnerships with other businesses is evident from this company analysis. This attribute aligns with the postulation of the author. He suggests that since managers cannot avoid hatred, they should seek love and prevent hate from people with power (Machiavelli and Marriott 93).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has roles to explore the market and ensure that adequate partnerships and association with other leading businesses are profound. In response to this aspect, Walmart have been in partnership with Jackson Hewitt Tax services and Bharti Enterprises. Subsequently, the company makes profits and enjoys this association for its beneficial outcomes. Finally, the manager of Walmart Company operates openly when identifying the individuals to receive salary promotions in regard to determination and commitment. Moreover, charitable actions to help needy people are evident in Walmart’s Community Giving Program that aims at helping people to live better. The author has pointed out that it is â€Å"unnecessary for a prince to †¦ appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite† (Machiavelli and Marriott 85). This action of giving back to the public not only benefits the community, but also facilitates the creation of preferences from customers due to the charitable work. Counterarguments The ideas of the author were made to help the governments existing in the 16th century. Therefore, the application of these ideas to business is a matter of correlation and chances. Another person could have a different opinion with different supporting statements. The important issue is to search for ideas that could prosper the sector of business rapidly. In addition, these differences are expected due to the time differences that brought about great development stages. For instance, corporations and information technology were not present during the sixteenth century. Their rise has lead to manipulation of business strategies, such as electronic advertisement and other modifications in the operational structures. Moreover, various lessons learned from the quotes could be applied to handle counterarguments. This could be exemplified by the statement, â€Å"where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great† (Machiavelli and Marriott 127). This implies that the action is reliant on how a person perceives information. Maybe, the counterargument could be right in some instances depending on how it is perceived. Summary of Machiavelli Ideas The author pays attention to the ways that could raise a prince. In this case, the prince will be viewed as Walmart or its general manager. The person uses evil means such as corruption and crimes to become a price. The individuals are immoral and irreligious as depicted by their actions. However, even when they attain power, they cannot achieve glory because they butchered and betrayed countrymen. The author uses Agathocles who attained power through killing leaders to show how leadership could become threatened by false princes. He urges that when power is attained through cruel means, the leader can only apply the same styles to lead people be cause they will be resistant to his rule. Therefore, a prince must determine the pain to cause when seizing a city due to the resulting hardships and hatred. On the other hand, the prince could arise to power through justified/constitutional principles. In this case, leadership is affected by oppression initiated by people at different levels and classes of responsibilities. This leads to conflict and opposition in the ideas rose. Therefore, leaders apply influential strategies to attract people to a decision. People are moved towards following the strategies suggested by the managers/princes. Probably, this case arises because the people involved do not have a better suggestion than the ones given by managers. Also, the author argues that leadership through unjustified means does not live for long. This aspect allows other nobles to gain access to the ownership of the leading territory because they participated in the attainment of power. However, if a prince is selected by the pub lic, he is able to rule alone without problems. The author argues that this form of leadership prevents nobles from directing the actions or decisions of the prince. Moreover, the prince works hard and therefore wins the affection of the people who chose him. Finally, it was suggested that leadership/management should be done through splitting power into small levels that are answerable to the prince. According to Ladeen (1999), a person who dictates and monitors all operations within a territory is deemed to fail due to close monitoring from people. Therefore, the prince must give roles to minor workers and reduce the attention directed to him. Moral, religious, and vulnerable actions facilitate attainment of success for a prince because he is loved and praised for his charitable work and proper rule. Ideas Application to Corporation The term â€Å"prince† has been used to signify aspects including actions and people. However, the term could be applied to refer to corporatio ns and other forms of business. A company is taken like a person in business functionality. The actions described in the previous paragraph could be applied into corporations through various ways. A corporation should have precise ways and rules of choosing managers to prevent corruption. The success of a corporation could be determined highly by the reputation and leadership of a manager. Therefore, tainting the reputation of a manager could influence the achievements of the corporation. The corporation should identify how workers are promoted and provide evidence for the actions leading to the promotion. Otherwise, the corporation could be corrupted leading to poor services and choosing of inexperienced managers. The management of a corporation must be divided into sections that prevent workload to the general manager. This reduces the effects of negative attitude towards the general manager. Otherwise, the workers can lose respect and trust to the manager. Management can be separ ated into sections that cater for operations, productions and communication. The problems are solved at these levels before they can be viewed by the general manager. Other Ideas Promoted by Machiavelli There are other lessons that can be learned from the authors work. For instance, the author stated that it is vital to learn from the actions of great men (Machiavelli and Marriott 15). Corporations could review the operations of successful businesses to determine how they managed to prosper. Moreover, they indicated that selection is vital to determine the best worker (Machiavelli and Marriott 56). Therefore, the corporations should apply these techniques to facilitate successful results. This attribute could allow a corporation to promote workers who are committed. These workers could be the future managers of the corporation. Conclusion It has been deduced that Machiavelli’s ideas play a vital role in the development of corporations. Particularly, Walmart Company has many i dentified alignments to these philosophies and other modifications that require to be implemented for its success. Consequently, the early writing of the author could lead to business and government modifications for the best. Other corporations should consider his arguments to raise income, customer satisfaction and corporation reputation. Jenster, Per, and David Hussey. Company analysis: determining strategic capability. Chichester: Wiley, 2001. Print. Ledeen, Michael. Machiavelli on modern leadership: why Machiavellis iron rules are as timely and important today as five centuries ago. New York: Truman Talley Books, 1999. Print. Machiavelli, Niccolo, and William Marriott. The prince. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1955. Print.

Common Punctuation Pitfalls

Common Punctuation Pitfalls This article should help to clarify when and how to use various marks of punctuation. Each section contains explanations and examples of common punctuation mistakes.Comma splices (commas between independent or main clauses)When the comma is used to separate independent clauses, there must be a conjunction connecting them. If the conjunction is not there, we have a comma splice. You can fix this mistake by using a period instead of the comma or by adding a coordinating conjunction such as but, and, or, yet, and so on.Right: The purse costs $75.00. I am going to buy it.Right: The purse costs $75.00, and I am going to buy it.Wrong: The purse costs $75.00, I am going to buy it.Missing commas after set-off/introductory words or phrasesWhen you want to give an introduction or provide a background to a certain sentence, use a comma to signal a pause between the introductory element of a sentence and the main part of the sentence. Notice that an introductory element can be a sentence (like i n the example below) or a single word (e.g., however, moreover, and so on).Right: Before going to the work, Michael stopped at the coffee shop.Wrong: Before going to the work Michael stopped at the coffee shop.Missing nonrestrictive commas (commas setting off nonessential elements)Use a comma to signal the presence of a nonrestrictive element, that is, a word, phrase, or clause that gives additional information about the preceding part of the sentence, but which can be deleted without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. If the element is in the middle of the sentence, use a comma before and after the element.Steve, who was the CEO of the company, was the first to speak.Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony until 1898, when it was ceded to the U.S.Unnecessary commas between subjects and verbs (often after restrictive elements)Do not use a comma with a restrictive element, that is, a word, phrase, or clause that restricts the meaning of the word or phrase it modifies. A restrictive element cannot be deleted without changing the sentences basic meaning.Right: Ill return the necklace that I borrowed after I wear it tonight.Wrong: Ill return the necklace, that I borrowed, after I wear it tonight.Right: The people who set the house on fire were never caught.Wrong: The people, who set the house on fire, were never caught.Unnecessary commas between compound elements that are not independent clausesCommas in the wrong places can break a sentence into illogical segments or confuse readers with unnecessary and unexpected pauses. Do not put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it. Reminder: A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought.Wrong: Bob was late for work, because his alarm clock was broken.Wrong: The cat scratched at the door, while I was sleeping.Mistaking its or its for itsThe word its, spelled without an apostrophe, is the possessive form of it, meaning of it or belonging to it. The word its, spelled with an apostrophe, is a contraction of it is or it has. Even though an apostrophe usually indicates the possessive form, the possessive in this case is the one without the apostrophe.The car is lying on its side in the ditch. Its a white 1986 Buick.Missing apostrophes in possessivesApostrophes are often omitted in possessives referring to time, as in a good days work and two weeks vacation. To see if you need to make a possessive, turn the phrase around and make it an of the†¦ phrase.three days journey = journey of three daysHowever, if the noun after of is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed!room of the hotel = hotel roomdoor of the car = car doorMissing hyphens in unit modifiersUse a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective/unit before a noun:a one-way streetchocolate-covered peanutswell-known authorHowever, when compound modifiers come after a noun, they are not h yphenated:The peanuts were chocolate covered.The author was well known.Semicolons for colonsUse a colon at the end of a business letter greeting.Wrong: Dear John;Use a colon after an independent clause when it is followed by a list, a quotation, appositive, or other idea directly related to the independent clause.Wrong: We have three concerns;Capitalization errors when quoting materialCapitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.Jessica said, I cant believe that Chicken of the Sea is really tuna.However, do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original materials complete sentence.Although Jessica really wanted to buy the new shirt, she stated that her credit card had hit the limit.Finally, if a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.I didnt buy the shirt, Jessica said, but I sure wish I had.Bonus tip: The serial comma–the comma before the conjunction in a series of three or more items–may be used or omitted. Both practices are correct as long as one or the other is followed consistently.