iTunes and the Future of Music Essay

Through its iTunes, iPod, and proprietary music software, Apple dominates the legal music download industry. But with the iPod contributing half of all the firm’s revenues, Apple faces intensifying competition posed by imitators such as the joint venture between Microsoft and MTV, and Samsung’s Helix. In addition to the competitive pressures, iPod also faces legal challenges. In France for example, legal enactments that compel firms with proprietary music management software to open their code to others are about to be passed. Such a law will also standardize formats across the industry so that songs from one vendor could be played on a digital player from any other system. Apple has also had to stare down the four largest record labels as far as pricing is concerned. While the four largest record labels preferred variable pricing in order to maximize earnings, Apple successfully argued for the flat 99 cents price which is more competitive (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). The success of Apple illustrates how commitment to the marketing orientation philosophy is useful in ensuring organizational success. Unlike the major record labels which insisted on selling music packaged in CDs, Apple realized that music consumers’ tastes and preferences had shifted in favour of the more convenient digital format, and developed a product around such needs. Through the strategy of product development as identified by the Ansoff Matrix, we see Apple adding on to its product line music videos, popular TV shows, and short movies (Mercer, 1996). Apart from the product, Apple also got other elements of its marketing mix right. In particular, its adoption of the flat $0. 99 price rather than the variable pricing pushed by major record labels ensures that the product remains competitive. Its ability to bundle together its three products – the iPod, iTunes and proprietary music software – is also a smart marketing gimmick that has enabled it to lock in customers (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). Apple derives its sustainable competitive advantage from its proprietary music software as well as its unique player iPod. By enacting laws that allow Apple’s rivals access to its code, and by standardizing formats across the industry so that songs from other vendors could play from the iPod and vice versa, the new regulations will in essence be eroding the source of the competitive advantage enjoyed by Apple in the digital music industry. For that reason, should the French legislation succeed, it would be better for Apple to pull iTunes out of the French market (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4).

English A Language And Literature Essay

These notes to examiners are intended only as guidelines to assist marking. They are not offered as an exhaustive and fixed set of responses or approaches to which all answers must rigidly adhere. Good ideas or angles not offered here should be acknowledged and rewarded as appropriate.  Similarly, answers which do not include all the ideas or approaches suggested here should be rewarded appropriately. SECTION A Candidates are required to compare a letter from John Steinbeck to his eldest son Thom with an â€Å"advice† comic strip by Ken Cursoe, both of which explore the virtues (or not) of being in love. An adequate to good analysis will: †¢ note the commonalities of the two texts, such as Thom and Luke both seeking advice about love, the â€Å"expert’s† opinion about love, male/female distinctions, etc †¢ note some of the differences between the two texts, such as father / Tiny Sepuku, sincerity / humor, letter / advice column/cartoon, etc †¢ comment on the different text types, noting some characteristics of each. (For example, the letter observes the conventions of the form and responds to a letter on a personal level and addresses the issues it raises in a clear and logical fashion. The cartoon, posing as an advice column, opens with a brief letter of two questions answered by Tiny in a â€Å"tongue-in-cheek† fashion through seven vignettes of the â€Å"super powers† that love gives to either the male or female in the relationship) †¢ comment on the differences of context as deduced from the times and situations in which the texts were generated and from issues and references made within the texts themselves, such as the vignettes of the cartoon, the implications of the gestures and language of the cartoon characters, as well as the relationships revealed in the letter and the attitudes expressed by Steinbeck †¢ comment on the differences of audience and purpose as deduced from the two text types. A good to excellent analysis may also: †¢ consider further the differences in the attitudes to â€Å"love† †¢ consider more closely the purposes of the writers as viewed through their choice of text types, considering closely the differences between seriousness and humour †¢ offer a more in-depth analysis of both the letter and the cartoon, looking  closely at the stylistic features and showing some familiarity with terms appropriate to each †¢ offer a more careful consideration of audience and purpose, for example, the original recipient of the letter and, now, the wider audience interested in the life and writings of John Steinbeck, and, for the cartoon, those who follow the comic strip (and write in) or the general public who are amused by the cartoonist’s treatment of the subject. –4– N13/1/AYENG/HP1/ENG/TZ0/XX/M SECTION B Candidates are required to compare the poem Eyepiece by Judith Beveridge with a message from the Yahoo forum Microscope – Microscopy as a hobby or profession, which present, respectively, figurative and literal views of the world seen through a microscope. An adequate to good analysis will: †¢ note the commonalities of the two texts: the viewing of the world through a microscope, the identification of what is being looked at in each case †¢ comment on the two text types exploring some characteristics of each (the blend of personal and scientific comments in the message, as well as the nature of observation, both general and specific, the use of scientific language, the global nature of the â€Å"group,† etc as opposed to the more refined qualities of the poem: stanzas, lines, enjambment, simile, extended metaphor, alliteration, etc) †¢ comment on the â€Å"view of the world† that is offered by these writers and how distinctions between their purposes, contexts and audience shape their use of language, style and technique †¢ offer a recognition of the distinction between literal and figurative. A good to excellent analysis may also: †¢ offer a more in-depth analysis of both text types, showing how choice of text type influences both the structure and style of the content †¢ offer a careful consideration of the world view that is presented in each text: looking at the distinctions between describing an evening as though it  were a vision seen through a microscope compared with the reality of looking at water through a microscope and the impact (such as â€Å"fascinating†, â€Å"shocked and horrified†) on the observer †¢ consider more closely the two speaking voices (the scientist and the persona of the poem), how they are characterized and to what effect †¢ offer a cogent comparison of the two text types that offers a clear understanding of purpose, context, content and audience.

Intellectual property commircialisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intellectual property commircialisation - Essay Example These elements are critical in ensuring sustainable growth and product security from unwarranted imitations or claimer of discontent. In particular, patent which is an exclusive right given for invention and production of goods including services is vital for the development of air purifiers. Patent rights give the innovator the authority to claim ownership of the idea and production of the products. Consequently, it provides requisite capacity that prohibits competitors or unknown individuals to claim ownership of a company’s idea. Company A, should integrate its practices to ensure that its innovations and creative idea is protected adequately under patent regulations rights (Andersen 2006)2. This draws a distinction between property owners and developers from unscrupulous individuals who seek to benefit from unwarranted sources. Similarly, Company A, should adopt trade secret system of property security, which is a viable form of IP. The element provides superior protection system to property invention and production guidelines that facilitate limited imitation. It protects innovative ideals of production from various individuals who would adopt such standards for competitive purposes. Ideally, Trade secret facilitates company’s and product registration and protects its information from being accessed by various competitors. The element would contribute in protecting the air purifier concept and development. Additionally, effective trademark system that equivocally defines an institution and its core products is also viable. IP form aids registration of the company’s by names and product portfolios to ensure distinct identity. Therefore, the elements are vital in ensuring superior management of air purifier identity in the company. Electric air purifier is a comprehensive model that is made up of various parts and accessories that facilitate its functioning. Its parts includes odor absorber plus,

Classroom management strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Classroom management strategies - Essay Example One of the pitfalls that educators oftentimes find themselves is finding an approach that works and utilizing this as a means of classroom management for the remainder of their professional teaching careers. As a function of understanding this to a more complete degree, the following analysis will seek to engage the reader with an understanding of how classroom management strategies can be utilized to affect the same goals even though a range of different strategies might be employed. Firstly it must be understood that the main goal of each and every classroom strategy is necessarily to improve the level of educational benefit that the student is able to derive. Ultimately, the classroom is merely an instrument through which this information is able to be presented. As such, it is incumbent upon the teacher/educator to ensure that an environment exists within the classroom that allows and facilitates the transfer of this information in an equitable, fair, and conscientious manner (Ga rrett, 2013). Notwithstanding the information that is thus far been presented, it must also be understood that specific strategies are appropriate for specific developmental levels. Furthermore, each strategy that is utilized within classroom management has the potential to encourage critical thinking in students. In such a way, it is the responsibility of the educator to assess the overall developmental levels of the students under his/her care prior to integrating with a particular strategy. All too often, the educator is eager to implement a strategy that is previously worked for them in the classroom setting, or they are very familiar with as a result of the educational setting, without further thought with regards to the overall level of acceptance and/or feasibility that such an approach may hold with regards the stakeholders within the given situation. In this way, it is highly important for the educator to utilize the first few days and hours of the classroom integration wit h new students to ensure that the appropriate response framework and classroom strategy is defined, delineated, and ultimately utilized. Thus far the information that is been presented has been concentric upon the idea an understanding that the educator has something of a perfect understanding of each of the strategies and can employ them at will. A more appropriate and reasonable understanding of this is the fact that most educators are more familiar with the given approach and had utilized in the past. However, rather than merely regurgitating the strategies that have been utilized previously and him placing them upon cultural, demographic, and group dynamics that are not appropriate, the educator is oftentimes required to step outside their comfort zone and integrate classroom management strategy that they are unfamiliar with or have never used at all (Hicks, 2013). Rather than shying away from these strategies and merely not employing them due to a lack of familiarity, it is inc umbent upon the educator to realize that the situation and the educational requirements and cultural/demographic needs of students might necessarily require them to step outside this comfort zone and implement

Power And Culture Within Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Power And Culture Within Organisations - Essay Example According to Edgar Schein (1985), organizational culture is that pattern of basic assumptions that are shared, and that a group learns in its endeavour to solve problems of internal integration and external adaptation. Further, these shared assumptions should have well worked in the past and are therefore qualify to be taught to the organization’s new members as a right way to think, perceive and feel with respect to these problems. These values and norms are the ones that control the way people act and interact with one another and with people outside the organization including other stakeholders. In the actual sense, an organization’s culture is actually its personality according to McNamara (2000). In this sense, different organizations have different organizational cultures more like people have different personalities. An organization may have a weak or strong culture generally (Parker, 2000). A strong culture exists where members of staff respond to stimulus as a result of their respect and appreciation for organizational values. In such a case, people tend to act in a given way since they believe that is the right way to act. A weak culture on the other hand is in place when staff members have little commitment to the organization’s values and therefore must be controlled through the application of bureaucracy and/or extensive procedures. According to Kennedy and Deal (1982), organizational culture is the way things are â€Å"here† done. In one of their research, the two measured organizations using two parameters – risk or uncertainty and feedback or response. According to the findings of this study, Kennedy and Deal noted that organizations may be distinctly classified into four with respected to culture. The four cultures include the process culture, the bet your company culture, the play hard/work hard culture, and the tough-guy macho culture. The process

Government Website Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government Website Evaluation - Essay Example Next, the program talks with a Diplomat in Residence to discuss student internship with the America Department of State. The audience in the US Department website is students, who visit website to find opportunities for student internship. Students are the main stakeholders of this government website while the department has its website designers who carry out programming (Webdesign n.d.). Other stakeholders of this website are internal website users, including managers, marketing professionals, customer service reps, IT, and sales people. These stakeholders create programs in the website where students can find important information and learning facilities (Webdesign n.d.). Study level, age, location, and family backgrounds are some of the characteristics, which define audience members who visit the website. This website invites users or audiences to comment on a certain issue facing students within their class environments or the community. Students can achieve this, by sharing and chatting. Therefore, the opportunity engages students to contribute their story to the public by sharing their experiences. The search feature on this website helps students look for open opportunities for an internship. The internship program caters for all students in US institutions and uses a language that students can understand and comprehend. The tone of the writing is specifically tailored for students to easily understand. The government websites exhibit several ethos that are explained in its privacy policy and terms of use. The website highly regards the confidentiality of its users as outlined in its privacy policy. Trust and breaching of contracts are additional ethos detailed on the website. The purpose of the government website is to help the student start a new career in foreign countries. The opportunities detailed on the website give students an

News & Views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

News & Views - Essay Example What is never mentioned, however, is that everybody has the right to read and get the most basic information about any disease including breast cancer. This news brief seeks to inform everyone that breast cancer is real, and with ever increasing research, the root cause hence the cure for the diases shall be known. Since it was rerpoted that breast cancer exists, a number of studies have sought to understand the its real cure. In most recent studies, it has been indicated that KLf8 to MMP14 signaling is the principle facilitator of metastasis of breast cancer (Lu et al, 2013). According to Lu et al KLf8 to MMP14 signaling helps in progression of breast cancer in human. Lu et al hinted that KLF8 also called the Kruppel-like factor 8, plays a significant role in regulating critical transcription gene, which is a gen responsible for causing cancer. However, what remains unclear is the conditions and mechanism of the operation of this gene. According to Lu et al, KLF8 facilitates the act ivity, rather than the matrix metalloproteinase expression. Background. The debate on the cause and treatment of breast cancer has never ceased. There is lacking scientific proof that breast care can be cured. The number of studies that have sought to ascertain the real cause of this deadly disease has always increased (Ara, & Deyama, 2000; Cristofanilli, 2006). However, most were focused on the initial stages of breast cancer. According to Nawrocki-Raby and Gilles (2003) metastatic cell can help increase the survival chances of a breast cancer patient. Symowicz and Adley (2007) noted that Kruppel-like factor 8 an important cancer promoting protein occurs in different categories of cancers. Zhao and Reiske (1998) KLF8 is one factor that targets the promoters of different oncogenes or the genes that suppress tumor for the transcriptional repression or activation. The function of KLF8 in breast cancer was identified, when KLFB was identified as a kinase focal adhesion downstream effec tor.KLF8is known to be overexpressed in the human cancers that are invasive, such as breast cancer, hence promoting the invasion of the breast cancer cells togehte rwith metastasis. This happens through the propulsion through cycle cell progression. Due to the valid functions of KLF8, the protein is always regulated at the post transitional and transitional levels together with the localization of the nuclear. From the conducted studies, there is no documented study that reports on the molecular mechanism signalling by KLF8 and known to facilitate breast cancer. IN metastasis, and tumor invasion the matrix metalloproteinase has a vital function to play. They operate downstream of FAK by enhancing tumor metastatis. Another study on this field identified MMP9 as one direct transcriptional target of activation by KLF8 together with the mediator promoting KLF8 breast cancer invasion of cell. Togehter with that finding, the study established that KLF8 can regulate the MMP2 3nzyme functio ns with no effect to the expressional levels. Explanation. For the invasiveness of breast cancer ceel, the KLF8 upregulation of MMP14 is vital. A study by Lu et al (2013) showed that the KLF8 overexpression in the cells of MCF-10 would facilitate the knockdown and invasion of the KLF8 inside the MDA-MB-231 invasion cells. This study found that MMP9 is a transcriptional target of activation of the KLF8 in the cells which take part in the invasion of KLF8 invasion dependent (Symowicz & Adley, 2007). The activity of MMP2 is reported to be upregulated

Nepenthes Rafflesiana trap structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nepenthes Rafflesiana trap structure - Essay Example Keywords: Nepenthes Rafflesiana, Pitcher trap Nepenthes Rafflesiana of genus Nepenthes which belong to the family of Nepenthaceae are one of the most famous carnivorous plants having pitcher traps (Slack & Gate, 2000). Nepenthes have a total of more than 100 species with the bulk of species populated along the islands of Borneo and Sumatra (Bonhomme et al., 2011). Nepenthes pitcher plants including Nepenthes Rafflesiana have also developed specific adaptations like all other carnivorous plants due to lack of nutrients. This nutrient deficiency is a result of the habitat in which these plants grow and they are mostly dependant on insect derived nitrogen (Gaume, Gorb & Rowe, 2002). As a result Nepenthes have these pitcher traps in order to catch and trap insects and then getting the nourishment by digestion and absorption. The structural architecture of the traps of Nepenthes Rafflesiana varies according to the geometry and surface features (Gaume et al., 2002). The pitcher trap is gen erally composed of three distinct parts (Gaume & Di Giusto, 2009). The three parts named as peristome, waxy zone and digestive zone are all involved in their respective functions of attention, capture and digestion. A lid known as operculum is present above the peristome. The lid prevents the rain water from accumulating inside the pitcher and thus helps to prevent nutrient loss. According to Di Guisto et al. (2010) Nepenthes Rafflesiana show heteroblastic development defined by pitcher dimorphism according to their growth and maturity. Terrestrial pitchers or lower pitchers are linked to the young species whereas the aerial or upper pitchers are associated with the mature and climbing life forms. The two pitchers thus also show different characteristics. While the aerial pitchers are elongated, shaped like a trumpet and greenish yellow in colour the terrestrial pitchers are more winged shaped, globular and reddish green in colour. Aerial pitchers have an approximate length of 3-12 inches while terrestrial pitchers are around 3-10 inches long. The pitcher traps mostly develop during summer. Although most leaves have a trap it is not a necessity that a leave must have a pitcher trap. Often due to lack of light, low humidity or difficulties in cultivation might cause a leaf to not develop a pitcher trap. The initial sign of pitcher formation is a swelling on the tendril of a recently formed leaf. Leading towards maturity this minute swelling becomes filled with air and the first sign of colouring appears on it. A few days after the variegation appears, the lid of the pitcher opens and they become operational. In a week time the walls of the pitcher strengthen and they finally become completely mature. The pitcher trap consists of a mouth and a body. A hard, glistening and rounded collar or rim makes up the mouth of the trap (Bauer and Federle, 2009). This rim is frequently furrowed with very apparent and obvious parallel ribs. Each and every rib ends inside the mouth in a very sharp downward direction. The angles created due to this downward pointing, house single nectar secreting glands between them. The body of these traps also varies from pitcher to pitcher. The body is more or less like a cylinder with a rounded base. The lower half of the body is often more bell shaped than the rest of

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories Essay

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories - Essay Example From the research it is clear that early specimen of graphics manifested in the form of symbols, signs and writings on any surface. A myriad of graphic designs were developed through time applying different techniques to capture the attention of the admiring audience. It was not until the 1920s when a group of German psychologists namely: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka, devised a systematic approach in graphical design perception. They based their interpretation of graphical design on the notion of completion, where audiences sub-consciously view separately arranged entities as a single item. According to the paper finding colors were incorporated into graphics. This was so because colors were able to convey emotions and moods unlike previous monotonous colors (black and white). From the latter events, it can be presumed that colors breathed life into graphics. Most people’s initial knowledge on color, seem to suggest that all colors are simple mixture of three primary colors; green, red and blue. The color theory vehemently disputes this notion. It is crucial to understand the basics of color formation so as to accurately utilize those (colors) in graphic design to imply various moods. The contentious issue of color formation dates back to the 15th century where a number of disciplines were used in explaining the concept, namely; chemistry, mathematics and physics. Not all yielded to viable conclusion.