Math Is The Language Of The Un Essay -- essays research papers

Mathematics, the language of the universe, is one of the largest fields of study in the world today. With the roots of the math tree beginning in simple mathematics such as, one digit plus one digit, and one digit minus one digit, the tree of mathematics comes together in the more complex field of algebra to form the true base of calculations as the trunk. As we get higher, branches begin to form creating more specialized forms of numerical comprehension and schools of mathematical thought. Some examples of these are the applications into chemistry, economics and computers. Further up the tree we see the crown beginning to form with the introduction of calculus based organization. Calculus, a theoretical school of mathematical thought, had its creation in the middle ages with Newton. The main use of calculus is its application in advanced physics. Mathematics is everywhere because that is where we put them, everywhere. We, humans, represent everything with numbers, which therefore me ans that we impose mathematics on to the universe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting at childhood, education begins with the forced mind track of comparison. Parents teach their offspring to be fair or equal, and that they should share to make it fair. This is the beginning of the mathematical state of mind which stays with the child for the rest of his/her life, the summing up of what they themselves have and comparing it to what the other person has, so that both sides can be equal. This lesson is considered essential in the raising of children and since everyone is supposed to understand, people assume that everyone does. This assumption is a flaw that begins early. An example of how this can have a not so positive effect on people is if the â€Å"spoiled brat† wants to have more toys than the other children, and thus becomes, mathematically superior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When one plus one is taught to be two, two plus two to be four and so on, the idea of a pattern emerges. Patterns are another rudimentary concept taught early to assist in the comprehension of numbers. When a child sees a cat being chased by a dog that is followed by his unhappy owner, the child subconchisly devises the pattern, cat-dog-owner, or a-b-c, a link to the alphabet. Such as in the film ?, where the main character believes that there are patterns in nature, the child begins to seek out o... ...thematical systems or ideas were created with the formation of the universe in the Big Bang, they were thought up by mortal men with mortal minds. With this fact in mind, there is no way to totally understand the universe or for example, predict what will occur when a material is cooled to absolute zero on earth. The human race devised the language of mathematics and numerals and digits in the same fashion we developed the exorbitante amount of spoken languages which litter the planet. To state that the universe imposed mathematics upon humanity is upsurd, nearly to the extreme of lunicy. The point of mathematics is to be able to represent the universe in numbers, which are the most rudimentary language in the know world, and organize everything to the point of universal enlightenment. Humans begin their knowledge of the world in a comparison view, two is greater than one, and mom does not equal dad, but how can we compare our world to anything else? We cannot, there is nothing t o compare our world to. With this perspective, people are submerged into a universe of mathematics where everything is represented with numbers and units infused upon the surrounding environment by humans.

The Met :: essays research papers

HICQUITAS: Hey..Sorry! My computer keeps freezing on me and then shuts off, it's so stupid NIKNSTYN99: hehehe NIKNSTYN99: sounds like mine when its sick CHICQUITAS: Yeah...Well mine must always be sick then. NIKNSTYN99: hhehe NIKNSTYN99: how much fun did you have on fri CHICQUITAS: Tons of fun...I'd go back in an instant! CHICQUITAS: I'm glad you talked me into going...Not in the bad way NIKNSTYN99: see:-D i knew it. NIKNSTYN99: its really a play to just goof off NIKNSTYN99: thats why i like it NIKNSTYN99: i think everyone had fun CHICQUITAS: I Know, but still I think that I wouldn't really like the bigger clubs like excite or maybe it is excell where people are all rolling and crap...I don't like crowds, so. yeah I think everyone had fun too, but I thought Jami and Kyle were a little quiet towards the end or middle NIKNSTYN99: yeah i know, they got boring. i wanted everyone to constantly have fun and stuff but they were sometimes killing it, but not bad. CHICQUITAS: No not at all...atleast they didn't kill everyone though that is what counts NIKNSTYN99: i am sore right now from all that NIKNSTYN99: yeah CHICQUITAS: I know! I thought I was just out of shape or something...and I was with Rich yesterday and we both agreed we kinda felt like crap yesterday like run down and achey and like light headed! NIKNSTYN99: dang i was just sore not all that NIKNSTYN99: hey guess what CHICQUITAS: I don't know what it was.. what? NIKNSTYN99: someone left me some kind of love song on my voice mail last nite and i dont know who it was. CHICQUITAS: Really! Well, was it sung by a person or like soemone famous? NIKNSTYN99: it was kind of an old song i think. i dont know, but i think i heard jami and kyle in the background for like a second.....but i called them and they said they didnt and i told jame ill ring her neck if i found out it was you. CHICQUITAS: It probably was...That was my first guess that it would be them...it seems like they do things like that to you! NIKNSTYN99: yeah those little shits CHICQUITAS: LoL! NIKNSTYN99: they like to mess with my emotions NIKNSTYN99: to me thats low CHICQUITAS: I know, it is! Hey~I have a question: NIKNSTYN99: jami was like......maybe it was julie CHICQUITAS: Do you ski or snowboard? NIKNSTYN99: what NIKNSTYN99: never have CHICQUITAS: Really! Does kyle or Jamie? NIKNSTYN99: i dont know CHICQUITAS: She would do that just to make you think it was Julie though... CHICQUITAS: Oh.

25th Hour Movie Analysis Essay

1. 25th Hour, directed by Spike Lee, presents men partially in a typical way. The typical representation of men in Hollywood film defines them as being aggressive and powerful. They are expected to bear pain silently, suppress their emotions easily, and dominate their women. Also, typical males usually don’t pay any attention to their sicknesses and try to prove their masculinity to others. However, the movie includes a hegemonic negotiation of emotional outbursts over the traditional image of masculinity. Therefore, the main character, Monty, is a famous and respected drug dealer who spends his last day of freedom. He is presented as being powerful throughout the movie because he was living the American dream, driving an expensive car, owning a fancy apartment, having a beautiful, exotic girlfriend and hanging out in luxurious clubs. Although he is independent, being a provider for Naturelle and living an expensive life, he depends on drugs to maintain his power. Monty’s apartment has hardwood floors and tall windows facing the brownstones across the street. There are some black-and-white photographs, lining the walls, and the largest photo, hanging above the sofa, represents Brogan’s Bar; the design of Monty’s apartment shows his power and wealth that came from drugs. Monty’s costuming and appearance illustrate his classy personality. His black and shiny shoes, sober and dark clothes, stylish and well-groomed hair reflect his past glamorous and wealthy life. Although Monty is going to prison in 24 hours, he suppresses all his emotions and sufferings. He walks slowly with Doyle, his dog, and reflects quietly on his life. The length of these shots is around fifteen seconds and shows his masculine insensitivity for the last day of his freedom. When he goes to the Coventry Preparatory School, he looks at his team picture smiling at his past happy memories. Monty goes to talk to Jacob about a change of plans as nothing has happened; he is very calm and doesn’t show any emotion. He even notices Mary saying that she looks cute. Monty tries to pretend that everything is fine, being indifferent and not affected by his imprisonment. Also when Naturelle asks him to talk to her, he answers as if there is nothing to talk about. Montgomery tries to show that he is emotionally powerful to overcome his fear of going to prison. Moreover, when Frank beats Monty, the latter ignores his pain and doesn’t even want to go to the doctor. He is getting prepared mentally and suffers in silence, as he would have to endure prison pain without complaint. Additionally, the traditional male expects to control females, and Montgomery dominates Naturelle throughout the movie. For example, when Montgomery comes home and they walk on the stairs he walks first and Naturelle follows him. He is in a dominant position and the woman just follows and listens to his concerns. Throughout Naturelle and Monty’s conversation Monty is shown in low camera angles, which present his power and control over his girlfriend. On the other hand, Monty shows indifference to people but inside he is furious and terrified. The hegemonic negotiation of traditional masculinity is presented because Monty also shows some emotional breakdowns showing his weakness and powerlessness. This is a more modern representation of masculinity similar to 1950s American films. There are several film form elements that present men as being weak. Monty doesn’t emulate his father but he follows his masculine instinct. The music emphasizes the hidden emotions and feelings of Monty and of other characters affected by his imprisonment. The music provides a very powerful perception of anger, fury, regret, and sorrow. It is in perfect equilibrium to Monty’s inner feelings. For example, from the opening scene the music played represents tension and sorrow and although the tempo changes constantly it is still in relation to Monty’s reactions and emotions of his last day of freedom. After the opening scene, Monty is sitting with his dog getting harassed by a drug addict; the mise en scene of this scene illustrating Monty behind bars foreshadows his future as being lonely, sad and weak. The high camera angles of Monty show him as fragile, humble and vulnerable. The depressing, gloomy and dark weather accentuates his vulnerability. Also, although he is dominant over Naturelle he cares about her future and tells her to forget about him. His strong, exterior armor is cracked by his emotional outbreak during Monty’s washroom monologue. In a collage of over-exposed images of different stereotype people, Monty curses and blames every group, and race for his downfall and for his wealth greed. More importantly he curses himself saying:† No, fuck you Montgomery Brogan† (25th Hour). He finally understands that it is not the society that is accountable for his actions but he is, and it is time for him to pay for the choices he made throughout his life. Therefore, this scene reveals his sensitivity and emotional pain. It presents how love for life can flip into hate. The dark light and self- reflection of Monty resent his inner fury that is ready to explode, while the intense music highlights Monty’s personal rage. Therefore, there’s a bright and heroic strength to Monty, together with a charismatic and sympathetic side, but also a quiet desperation and sorrow in Monty’s last hours of freedom. Monty’s friend, Jacob is presented as a simple teacher that has a crush on his rebellious teenager. He is unable to cope with his feelings. His character is a hegemonic negotiation of traditional masculinity because he is afraid of being judged for his feelings. He acts passively and seems weak in front of females. He is emotional and humble in front of Mary; but he is white so he doesn’t challenge the patriarchal dominance. High camera angles of Jacob show his inferiority and humbleness over other characters. His poor costuming represents his simple personality because he feels guilty for being born rich. When the bell rings and the class lecture is over, Jacob remains alone; a close up of his face show his deep emotions. In the teacher’s lounge scene, Jacob is presented as being stressed and unable to take control over his life. His glasses represent intelligence and rationality, as the typical representation of male. Jacob is afraid of expressing his feelings, so he is lying his friend Frank about his feelings for Mary, saying that Terry a colleague professor likes her. He even tries to make a good impression over Mary stating that he likes a young DJ. In the club Jacob can’t resist Mary’s seductions and he kisses her. The red lights accentuate the danger Jacob is going through. He acts frantically and the mixed song â€Å"but it’s alright â€Å" highlights Jacob’s feelings. He made the choice of kissing her, and his choice will be reflected throughout his life. On the other hand, Frank represents the typical representation of men. He is rich, powerful and successful. He works as a Wall Street stockbroker and is ready to take risk in order to achieve success. His costuming and makeup present him as a male that cares about his appearance and tries to create an impression on people. The mise en scene of his work environment presents a very busy, stressing and hectic workplace but in order to succeed he has to endure the hardship. When he talks to Jacob about Monty’s imprisonment he is very hard on Monty but realistic. He says that the friendship with Montgomery will end after that night; the music, the dark setting and visualization of the devastating Ground Zero depict the cruel reality. Some close ups of Frank portray his emotions and guilt concerning Montgomery’s prison years. Frank tries to make Naturelle feel guilty but doesn’t take into account his mistakes of not helping Monty. As other typical male who throw the guilt to everyone else except himself.  Therefore, throughout the movie males are represented in a typical Hollywood way but Spike Lee introduces a hegemonic negotiation where men appear more sensitive, emotional and vulnerable. 2. In the film 25th Hour, female’s representation is stereotypical. Naturelle, Monty’s girlfriend, is presented as the beautiful, loyal and exotic girlfriend. Naturelle might be considered the femme fatale being smart and sexy. Her smartness is reflected in the scene where she is waiting for Monty to come home, she is reading a book; so she is not as naive as people consider her. At the beginning, male characters think that she is the traitor, so she represents a threat for men. Monty has doubts and trust issues towards Naturelle because she knew where the drugs were. However, in the end Naturelle wasn’t the traitor, wasn’t the woman that destroyed the man that provided for her, instead it was Monty’s bodyguard. It turns out that Naturelle’s loyalty and love is genuine, as one of a housewife. When Montgomery comes home from his long walk, he finds out that Naturelle waited for him the whole day, which shows her concern for Monty’s life. She kisses him first and shows her care and affection throughout the movie. While Naturelle and Monty walk inside the apartment, Monty lies down on the couch whereas Naturelle goes first to kitchen, as a feminine instinct. Her fragility is shown when she tries to open the honey jar. Eating raw honey suggests that she is actually sweet and tender. Close ups of Naturelle deepen her emotions and feelings about Montgomery; and in the bathroom scene Naturelle expresses her love and happiness while being with Monty. Her Puerto Rican tattoo shows that although her boyfriend, who was providing for her didn’t agree with the tattoo, she still got it; her action shows her sense of independence while being faithful to her man. Throughout the movie, fetishization of Naturelle’s body occurs. During the bathroom scene, her legs are being fetishized while in the club close ups of her breasts accentuate her sexy curves. The men around her, such as Frank, always admire her; and her costuming and makeup emphasize her sexy figure. She is dressed in short, sexy, red, silver dresses that make her look powerful and sexy. During a flashback of Monty, when he remembers how he met Naturelle, she appears very sweet, innocent, young and with a provocative skirt. Monty admits that Naturelle is the only girl that he slept with and he keeps fantasizing about her. This demonstrates that she is a source of temptation and happiness for Monty. It is happiness because even in his illusionary ending Naturelle is the mother of his kids and he would have a happy life with her. On the other hand, Mary, the young student, is presented as a moist, innocent but tempting girl. She might also be presented as a femme fatale because she represents a threat for the professor. She is smart enough to argue for her marks. She uses her sexiness to make Jacob weak. Her makeup, costuming and tattoo present her as a rebellious and independent woman. She is independent because she fights for her opinions; for example she came to argue about the fairness of her mark. She is playful and tries to seduce her professor. Also, while she was reading a play in the class, Mary is shot in low angle while the professor in high angle; this implies that Mary controls Jacob through her sexiness and Jacob appears as weak and unable to defend himself from Mary’s seductive allure. However, Mary is still innocent because when Jacob goes to kiss her she has her eyes closed waiting for him, this show her inexperience and fragility. Fetishization of her legs and waist appears and Jacob is tempted by it. Therefore, women appear as a source of temptation for the actors and, their representation is stereotypical; Naturelle’s representation implies love and affection for her boyfriend whereas Mary’s representation presents a rebellious and provocative spirit. 3. Hero or victim, there’s no one to blame or honor for our actions than ourselves.  Each person has to take responsibility and hopefully survive the hard life trials. In 25th Hour, the protagonist has to be accountable for his own actions and not blame others for his imprisonment. All the viewers could relate to Montgomery’s situation because at one point we all have to pay for our mistakes even though it mentally destroys us; but we have to be able to isolate the cruel reality from the beauty of living a dream. The film opens with a black sky and two beams of light, which come from where the twin towers used to be. World Trade Center is presented as Ground Zero, an empty, devastating and ghostly space. This empty space reflects the future of Monty’s life because even though he had everything he threw it away, therefore he is responsible for neglecting what he owned. The music creates a more dramatic and mysterious effect. The viewers are expected to act sympathetically to Monty because although he did not perform heroic deeds, he expresses sincerely his feelings. The ending of the movie is as illusionary as Montgomery’s social power; it lasts till the reality takes over. Also, Monty’s father describes the happy and humble life Monty would have if he would not go to prison and run away. It is an illusionary representation of the typical Hollywood end living happily the American Dream. However, it’s just a dream and Montgomery takes responsibility for his actions because he cannot hide or blame others for what he did. Also, the director presents Monty in a smart way as being able to survive in prison, to become enlightened and who knows maybe after seven years to start an honest and simple life. The audience is given the choice of offering to the hero, a second chance, as he offered one to Doyle, his loving dog. The film ends with a road, which suggests that Monty’s life paths depend only on him. Although the weather creates a melancholic state, the presence of green trees symbolizes Monty’s rebirth. Therefore, there is still hope for Monty after he takes responsibility for his life choices. The ending of the movie makes us feel reflective because we start to contemplate over what is wrong or right in life, over what we should praise or value and that we are all heroes and victims, but is our individual choice that makes us distinctive.

Three Musketeers

Sunday night as I was staggering down the street with blood dripping from the gashes on my head † Oh yeah by the way it was Halloween and I was dressed up as a zombie, anyway we were Like the 3 musketeers me as a zombie, Each as a mummy, and Cattail as a witch all strolling down the streets with pockets full of sweets and I mean full as we turned the corner to go down Casey avenue there It was the lonely house at the end of the street with the creaky gate here no one went, but you know Each wanting to get sweets from every house so we went, the gate creaked as it opened the dead rose trees in the front garden and the odd rat scattering across the path sent a shiver up my spine as we approached the door bats flew around our heads the thick old wooden door creaked open I knew this wasn't a good idea an old strange man staggered towards the door we could slightly see his face in the moonlight he had a pointy nose thick grey curly hair red eyes, a pale mouth and a face as white as snowMay 3, 1999 was a day l, and many other Oklahoman, will never forget. It was Friday afternoon and I had just got off a conference call around 4:30. I was tired after a long week so I flipped on the TV to take my mind off of work. Well, there were live news reports warning there was a tornado around 70-80 miles south-southwest of Oklahoma City. I had no idea this tornado was going to stay on the ground for hours and create the strongest winds ever recorded – Ever. It started out small, like an Fl, UT as it got closer to Oklahoma City the thing – this monster off storm – got bigger and bigger and bigger! I'll never forget watching this whole thing live as it happened from the eyes of the local TV helicopters.The most chilling moments that really haunt me were to see destroyed neighborhoods moments after the tornado tore through them In the Bridge Creek/Moore suburbs that were hit the hardest. People were coming out of an elementary school, where they had taken shelter, and they were just walking around in a daze among the total destruction of what use to be heir homes. Most homes were gone and destroyed beyond recognition. I knew if the helicopters stayed on the scene long enough we would see people who had died. It was really uncomfortable to see this horror unfold as it happened while sitting in the comforts of my family room. Oh, the smell of natural gas! I can still remember how strong it was.It hung in the air for the longest time after the monster destroyed most everything in its path. We were 15 miles away, too. In all, there were over 60 rondos that day that ripped through Oklahoma and Kansas.

Example Solution Manual Essay

PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis, encouraging students to think wide. Exhibit 2.2 provides an initial PESTEL analysis of the airline industry, giving students the general idea. The first question asks for additional elements in the analysis. For example, under Political, you might add subsidies for local airports; under Economic, you might add the rise of Asian economies; and under Legal, you could add the trend towards airline privatisation. A key danger to highlight is of long lists of forces or influences that are too unwieldy for practical action. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. The end-chapter case example on the European brewing industry also asks students to do a PESTEL analysis. Illustration 2.2 Scenarios Scenarios help students think long term and very broadly: here the World Economic Forum and its members are looking a decade ahead, and thinking about geo-economics in general as well as just the market in a narrow sense. The question asks about whether companies have more influence over government policy or geo-economics. It then goes on to ask about how companies might influence government. This also obviously touches on issues of corporate social responsibility, pursued in Chapter 4. Companies probably do have more influence on policy coordination, but the issue is which governments they should be talking to (the United States, China?) and whether it is only governments that matter (United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation?). They should also consider how they can best influence governments, individually or collectively through, for example, the World Economic Forum or the Business Roundtable, the group of CEOs of leading American corporations. To some extent, the power is likely to be exercised negatively: through lobbying against and criticism of  proposals for financial re-regulation. It is worthwhile also asking about the influence these corporations can have themselves on geo-economic shifts: some Western company headquarters are shifting away from their home-countries, for example, the global headquarters of American civil engineering conglomerate Halliburton moved to Dubai and Swiss/Swedish engineering company ABB moved its global robotics business headquarters to Shanghai. Illustration 2.3 The Steel Industry The steel industry provides a fairly easy-to-understand case of rapid structural change, and one led by industry actors. Understanding how the leading companies are making an impact helps to counter a risk of ‘determinism’ in Porterian analyses; in other words, a sense that structures are given rather than changeable. The first question particularly invites a comparative analysis using the radar-plot introduced in Exhibit 2.5. The radar-plot might look roughly like the following, with the continuous lines indicating rough positions in around 2000 (10 years earlier than the illustration) and the dotted lines indicating positions in 2010. The comparative positions highlight the increasing power of suppliers such as the iron ore producers (negative); the high power of sophisticated buyers, somewhat mitigated by the declining power of the Big Three (mildly positive perhaps); and the beginning of decreased rivalry (positive) as the larger steel companies such as Mittal try to consolidate the industry. It might be said that the new entry threat has stabilised and even reduced, though continued investment by Chinese players may increase rivalry especially if they turn to overseas markets. Overall, comparing the size of the two radar plots over time suggests only a marginal change in favour of the steel producers. With regard to the second question, the acquisition strategies seem driven by the desire to reduce rivalry by reducing the number of players and even capacity. You might ask students what is necessary to make this work: here you might highlight the importance for reduced rivalry of both simultaneous cuts in capacity investments by, for example, the Chinese and strong barriers to new entry. With regard to the third question, success in raising barriers to entry (e.g. through technological change) and in  reducing rivalry (through continued consolidation) would make the industry more attractive. Vertical integration strategies into sources of supply (e.g. iron ore) would help too. A potential negative is significant progress with substitute materials. This depends on technological progress, hence providing a useful link between the Porter 5 Forces and PESTEL. Illustration 2.4 Chugging in the Charity Sector The aim of this Illustration of course is to show that industry structure analysis is relevant to not-for-profits as well. Indeed, charities appear ruthlessly competitive – hence the High Street chuggings. The first question points to at least three of the Porterian forces as causing problems: (i) There are low barriers to entry, with ‘constant refreshment’ of the industry by new charities; (ii) there is strong buying power on the part of local authorities commissioning services; (iii) there is intense rivalry because of the number of competitors and tendency towards overlap and duplication of charitable services. In addition, they face substitutes in the form of local authorities and other agencies performing services in-house, but at this point the trend in that respect was in their favour. The suppliers of funds – donors – have many alternative charities to give to. The mergers and increasing concentration levels (the largest are growing fastest) imply growing industry consolidation. At the moment, the industry structure might be described as highly competitive, but there may be widespread advantages to it moving towards a more oligopolistic situation. Illustration 2.5 Cycles of Competition The ‘wisdom’ in strategy theory has been that competitiveness is about building up a long-term competitive advantage and then defending it against competitors. The idea of cycles of competition takes a more dynamic view as to how competition in an industry will work its way out over time. It also highlights the potentially destructive nature of competition (at least from the point of view of industry players) and the value of trying to avoid it. Indeed, a key point is that these competitive cycles are not inevitable. Signaling to competitors, and interpreting the signals of others’  competitive moves, can help avoid head-on competition. Retaliation (Section 2.3 under barriers to entry) is a key principle here, as are the basics of game theory (Chapter 3). With regard to question 1, Francotop might have slowed down or rebuffed entirely Deutschespitze’s invasion of the French market by retaliating hard against its initial move: even though the youth niche was not so important to Francotop, a determined response there would have signalled the likelihood that attacking the core French market would be so fiercely opposed that it might not be worth Deutschespitze’s while even to try. With regard to question 2, Francotop would have been hard-pressed to avoid escalating competition in the business market. However, one possibility might have been for Francotop to focus on a particular neglected niche (say the small firms segment). By signaling clearly through advertising or similar that this niche was the extent of their ambitions, Francotop might have encouraged Deutschespitze to concentrate on its best opportunities, leaving the French get on with their specialism in peace. Illustration 2.6 Key Debate: How Much Does Industry Matter? This debate addresses an enduring source of controversy in strategy research, and allows students to review the importance of the contents of Chapter 2 (particularly the ‘five forces’), at the same time as introducing the more internally focused issues of Chapter 3 that follows. For Porter, industry matters a lot. The sceptic might argue ‘he would say that, wouldn’t he’? After all, this is exactly what his training in industrial economics and the standard products of his consulting firm would favour. However, the important thing here is to recognise the extent of the research he (and collaborators such as Anita McGahan) draw upon to make their case. It is worth pointing out to students that strategy theories are more than ‘just theories’: there is solid empirical research involved too. When meeting a new theory, students should get used to asking: where is the research evidence? What the research seems to suggest is that an industry is no t the be-all and end-all, but that choosing an attractive industry is a very good starting point in strategy: industry accounts for about two-fifths of the explained variance in the Porter and McGahan study (leaving aside control variables etc.). Turning to the precise question, the kinds of industries  that influence members’ profitabilities more than others seem generally to be service industries (explaining the greater industry effects in the Porter and McGahan study than in Rumelt’s). But to go on from here, industry influences are most likely to be strongest in highly competitive and mature industries. In such industries, sources of firm-specific differentiation are likely to be few, easily imitated and easily competed away, so making it hard to earn above-normal profits. At the same time, standard recipes for competing would have been established, so only the incompetent would perform substantially below the norm (and competition should have eliminated most such incompetents by the industry maturity stage). These conditions would probably prevail in service industries such as hotels, restaurants and retail. Newer industries are likely to offer more scope for innovation and differentiation, and have fewer commodity competitors and suppliers, so allowing persistent variability in profitability. Video Questions Hiscox Hiscox is a specialist insurer in the Lloyds of London insurance market. The company specialises in niche areas such as property and casualty insurance for high net worth individuals and companies, as well as cover against such risks as hacking, kidnapping and satellite damage. The video case is quite complicated, so best viewed after a thorough working through of the chapter material. 1.The industry is facing more buyer power, with the rise of online price comparison sites. On the other hand, there is a process of consolidation with the rise of ‘consolidators’ (companies such as Resolution), who are acquiring weaker companies in order to build position. This is likely in the long term to reduce rivalry. Major failures such as that of the American giant AIG (American Investment Group) are likely to reduce rivalry too. It is clear that general recessionary pressures are also influencing the market at the time of the video, reducing demand and likely to make it more price-sensitive. 2.Hiscox has a specialist position, aside from companies like AIG or the general insurers that Resolution is trying to buy, and its power in its niche is reinforced by its brand (well known in the United Kingdom). It also has the advantage of having both an underwriting (issue of insurance policies) and investment business, which mean that Hiscox is protected from short-term cycles or crises in one part  of the business, probably helping to buffer it from price competition in the short term too. Assignment 2.1 PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis. Illustration 2.1 provides a model. A ‘blank’ of the basic template of illustration 2.1 can be provided to students who can then be asked to complete it for the forces at work in a particular industry. The danger is that long lists of forces or influences can be generated by this device. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. See the discussion of the PESTEL for the end-chapter case on the European brewing industry for an example. Assignment 2.2 Building Scenarios Assignment 2.2 requires students to focus on change in industry characteristics and competitive forces through the construction of scenarios. Guidelines for the construction of scenarios are given in Section 2.2.2 it is recommended that students follow these, building either two or four scenarios for a given industry. The work done in Assignment 2.1 should provide the bases of identifying the key industry forces or influences which will enable them to do this. Some of the problems of scenario building should be emphasised to students: Students may try to build in too many factors and, therefore, not be able to limit the number of scenarios. They may find difficulty in generating scenarios with a coherent and compatible set of factors. Some may be wary of having to exercise judgement; and others will confuse judgement with hunch. Try to encourage a realistic debate that tests out assumptions and projections against known facts and trends. A particularly useful exercise is to ask stude nts to build scenarios for an industry for which there is a company case (or for their own industry/company if possible) and then to assess the company’s strategic position in the light of the different scenarios (e.g. see the notes above on the brewing industry). One of the issues that might surface is the ease  or difficulty with which scenarios can be constructed. It usually emerges that scenarios are much easier to construct where the number of key forces at work in an industry is relatively few. They are less easy to construct if the number of important forces is high because the number of variables the student is trying to handle becomes too great. This, in turn, raises another issue. Scenarios are of particular use in uncertain environments as a means of helping managers to think through possible futures. However, uncertainty may arise for a number of reasons. If uncertainty arises because of the unpredictability of a few forces, then arguably scenarios may be very helpful, but what if uncertainty arises primarily because there are a large number of forces at work: to what extent are scenarios of use in such circumstances? There are a limited number of very important forces at work in the brewing industry: but what of fast-moving hi-t ech industries where there are many different forces at work? Assignment 2.3 Five Competitive Forces Five forces analysis is an absolutely fundamental technique in strategy. Section 2.3 should give students the ability to carry out a basic five forces analysis of any industry. They should be encouraged to consider all of the elements of each of the five forces: so for example, under barriers to entry, scale and experience effects, channels, retaliation and so on. The radar-plot technique of Exhibit 2.5 should only be used as a summary once the full analysis is complete; the danger is of it being used to short-circuit the analysis. Students should be expected to do more than simply list elements; they should clearly identify the implications (positive or negative) of each. The second question about conclusions for industry attractiveness should underline the importance of drawing out implications, rather than just listing. Assignment 2.4 Comparisons between Industries and Over Time This assignment allows students to build on Assignment 2.3 in order to consider the investment implications of differences between industries and change over time. The assignment is a substantial one if relying on students’ own research. However, time can be saved if two case studies are used (e.g. brewing, pharmaceuticals or hi-fi, perhaps looking backwards at  change over the past three to five years, rather than change in the future). Similarly, students may save time by using the radar-plot technique (Exhibit 2.5), as in the discussion of Illustration 2.3. It is important to note the two follow-up questions. Explicitly asking for justification helps students avoid the superficial analysis which is easy to do with five forces. Asking the question about investment helps students think about concrete implications, again something that five forces analyses often neglect. By looking over time, students will learn to be cautious about investing in industries with declining attractiveness. By comparing industries, students can also consider industry attractiveness in their diversification decisions, an issue picked up in Chapter 7. At the same time, it is worth countering the implications of five forces analysis with two thoughts: Industries that are highly attractive are likely to have high barriers to entry, so the costs of entry may outweigh the benefits of entering. An industry that is becoming relatively unattractive may be neglected by competitors, and, if you enjoy a strong competitive advantage in that industry, it may still be a source of profit to you. Assignment 2.5 Strategic Groups This assignment builds on the notion of strategic groups and strategic space outlined in Section 2.4.1 in the text. Figure 2.8 provides an example of how the exercise could be carried out. This could, for example, be applied to the European brewing industry: Key strategic dimensions might come under either of the scope or resource commitment characteristics in Section 2.4.1 – for example, product range or extent of vertical integration. Possible key strategic dimensions in the European brewing industry might include geographical coverage, strength of brands, diversification, size of firm, type of distribution, and so on. Students are encouraged to draw more than one strategic group map if they believe that more than two dimensions are important. It is useful to ask them to consider the extent to which different bases of such maps give rise to similar or different configurations. They might find, for example, that however the maps are drawn up, some companies always tend to end up in the same groups. In other words, some companies may have a very similar set of strategic characteristics along many dimensions. Students are asked to examine the  strategic group maps to see if there are any under-populated ‘white spaces’ in the industry. For example, in brewing, is there an opportunity for a giant specialist in making ‘own brand’ beer for the large retailers? However, students should assess carefully why there are few competitors in any such white spaces. White spaces can often turn out to be dangerous ‘black holes’ rather than attractive opportunities. Assignment 2.6 Critical Success Factors and the Strategy Canvas It is very likely that students will concentrate on success factors that are salient to them as consumers – for example, the product ranges of a clothing retailer. Less visible elements, such as ownership by a diversified parent company, may be neglected. However, for a short assignment, this need not matter too much: the essence is comparison in order to identify areas of (potential) competitive advantage. The key insight of a strategy canvas is to encourage competitors to compete where it is relatively easy to secure a significant advantage (Blue Ocean), and not necessarily to compete fiercely over the top-rated success factors if advantage can only be obtained at very considerable cost (Red Ocean). You can introduce less visible, but strategically significant elements after they have done their basic analysis. Integrative Assignment Full Analysis of an Industry or a Sector This assignment would be a demanding research project over a significant part of the course. It is however a very good test of students’ ability to apply tools to real data appropriately, as well as developing their research skills. Students will see it as practical and, if allowed a choice of sectors, relevant to their own interests. Good research resources are essential. As well as free web-based resources such as company reports, trade association statistics and some government or supra-governmental (EU, UN) reports and statistics, students would likely need limited-access resources such as the business press and journals available through BusinessSource Premier, Factiva or Proquest, and reports from organisations such as Euromonitor, Key Notes and Mintel. Your institution’s librarian will advise you on what is available to students and how proficient they are likely to be in using such sources. You would also want to guide students  on which industries or sectors to choose. Very broad industries – for example, the world airline industry – are likely to overwhelm students with data. It might be helpful to encourage focus – for example, the airline industry in India, or similar. Industry focus also reduces the risk of plagiarism. There are many student assignments of a similar nature available for a fee on the web, and it would definitely be wise to avoid allowing students to research the same industries in successive years. Requiring a specific focus on particular themes (e.g. internationalisation) or some less common concepts (e.g. the strategy canvas, cycles of competition etc.) can also reduce plagiarism. Insisting on precisely citing sources for key data and points (through an end-note system or similar) makes simple plagiarism harder too, as well as being good practice. If allowed, students will find very helpful a couple of example assignments from previous years to guide them roughly on what they are supposed to do. A report length limit of around 2000–2500 words would encourage students to focus on what is really important. Requiring an ‘executive summary’ would also force students to consider what is really important and what are the key implications. Over a two semester course, this assignment could be stage one of a two-part assessment regime; the second semester could have as an assignment asking students to consider implications of the first part for the strategy of a particular company in the original industry or sector. Case Example The European Brewing Industry This case focuses on the key techniques of PESTEL and five forces analysis that are central to this chapter. Full cases such as the pharmaceutical industry can be used develop students’ skills in seeing trends in industry data and drawing conclusions as to the likely impact of those trends on particular companies in an industry. PESTEL Here it would be helpful to ask the students to draw on wider knowledge or research (you may have beer drinkers from many countries in your class). Depending on how extensive students’ additional research and thinking are, a wide-range of issues may be raised. To highlight some for the purposes of illustration: Political: government campaigns against drink driving Economic: the rise of the Asian economies Social: rise of beer consumption in southern Europe Technological: few clear in the case, but innovations around products such as ice-cold lager might be raised Environmental: few clear in the case, but packaging issues are likely to be important Legal: few clear in the case, but changes in licensing laws and permitted alcohol limits for driving are relevant. PESTELs can often seem somewhat inconclusive, so it is important to pull out key issues and conclusions. The increasing hostility to drinking (under P and L) and the rise of Asian economies and southern Europe (under E & S) seem particularly important trends. One way of drawing some simple conclusions is to assess the overall balance (positive or negative) under each of the PESTEL headings: in the case of the European brewing industry, most of the headings are likely to be negative. The Five Forces There has traditionally been a wide variation of industry structures across Europe. The United Kingdom is fairly competitive. Denmark, Holland, Italy, Belgium and France, on the other hand, have been in near monopoly situations. However, with increasing exports and imports and cross-border acquisitions, national markets are becoming less protected. An interesting issue, then, is at what level to conduct industry structure analysis. If at a European level, the broad issues to consider under each of the five forces are as follows: Buyers: With more than one fifth of beer sold through supermarkets, and increasing resort to ‘own-label’, these buyers are increasingly powerful (underline that buyers are not the ultimate consumers). Suppliers: The high concentration of the packagers suggests that these are becoming increasingly powerful. Substitutes: Wine is clearly a dangerous substitute. New entrants: Internationalisation through M&A and increased trade is introducing new entrants into previously protected markets: most countries see increasing imports (Table 2). Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller are two obvious new entrants into Europe. Students might be alerted to the potential threat of TsingTao and the other Chinese brewers. Although not prominent in the case, there is still the potential of small new brewers entering using micro-breweries or contract brewers (e.g. Cobra). Rivalry: falling demand,  international entrants and over-capacity obviously increase the scope for rivalry. However, note that sales values are rising, that innovation and branding can mitigate price-competition, that there has been a history of price-fixing cartels, and that leading players are attempting consolidation through M&A. It might be useful to ask the students to compare industry concentration ratios in 2000 and 2009: that is, the share accounted for the top three or five players (Tabl e 3). As ever, it is important to draw conclusions. On balance, the European brewing industry does not seem attractive, and unlikely to become more so until the current round of consolidation is completed and brewers achieve greater leverage against their buyers and suppliers. Impact on Particular Brewing Companies The three companies are chosen to represent different types of ‘player’. A–B InBev is the largest player, after a succession of spectacular mergers. It is remarkable how the company is withdrawing from fast-growing China and Eastern Europe, however. Greene King is tiny in comparison to A–B InBev, with just one key domestic market, the United Kingdom. However, domestic focus and its own pubs may be giving it a strongly defended local position. You might ask whether there are competitors who might be tempted to buy such a company. Tsing Tao is the wild-card here. It is strong in its booming home market, but it is also interested in moving overseas. But would it make Europe a priority region for expansion, or choose another market?

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