Product and Innovation Management of Nokia

Introduction As competition in the markets intensifies and the consumers become increasingly sophisticated and selective in their consumption behaviors, companies have no option than to improve their innovation strategies and management techniques (Duncombe 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Product and Innovation Management of Nokia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Companies are nowadays seeking new ways to enhance the characteristics of their products to make them more appealing to the consumers. The Wall Street Journal reveals that mobile phone companies are some of the major industries that have witnessed remarkable growth in innovation (Gecevska, Chiabert, and Lombardi Cus 2010). As a multinational communications company, Nokia has improved its product innovation and is continually producing products that attract the consumers in the telecommunication industry. With its focus nowadays turned to the manu facturing of smartphones, Nokia has set its aims at ensuring that the company uses modern technologies (Kirshin 2014). This paper examines the market performance of the Nokia Lumia smartphones and explains the reasons for their outstanding performance. Overview of Nokia Lumia Smartphones One of the technological wonders that surprised the consumers of the 21st century was the integration of hi-tech operating systems into the mobile phones (Cagan Vogel 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After being superior in the business of computer technology for quite sometime, Microsoft Corporation collaborated with Nokia Corporation and entered the smartphone market (Anwar 2014). Nokia Corporation managed to introduce a new form of mobile technology that uses Windows 8.1 operating system rather than Android. Smartphones, being the trend and the most popular among communication tech nologies, have spurred a new wave of anxiety among the majority of the youngsters, which means investing in them is a worthy idea nowadays. Since 2013, Nokia Corporation has been radical in its innovation that has resulted in the development of the Nokia Lumia 435, Nokia Lumia 730, Nokia Lumia 535, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 830, Nokia Lumia 520, and now the Nokia Lumia 920. Smartphones are small laptops that people have found reliable and convenient in their communication, use, and maintenance (Grieves 2009). What makes the Lumia smartphones amazing is that they offer a new platform that includes the use of the innovated Windows operating system. Nokia and Microsoft experts have integrated mobile firmware that allows handset users to install and uninstall Windows mobile apps, access the Internet with ease, and surf there with the fastest speed (Kirshin 2014). The Nokia Lumia smartphones come in varieties of different colors, and consumers can choose the color they prefer, within the available range of colors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Product and Innovation Management of Nokia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The powerful high definition front and back cameras allow the smartphone users to take photos of their colleagues, or take personal photos, which they can use for their social media activities (Hussein 2012). Global technological reports claim that Nokia Lumia smartphones are increasingly becoming popular and steadily dominate the Asian, African, and American markets. The Theory of Diffusion of Innovation Innovation is a realistic subject that began reshaping in its practice and literature back in the 1960s, when industrialization became a significant growth aspect for the modern towns (Bernard Tichkiewitch 2008). Towards the end of the 1960s, E.M. Rogers came up with an innovation theory known as the diffusion of innovation model. Born by a father who loved electromechanica l innovations, E.M Rogers got interested in understanding the process of the diffusion of innovation (Chigona Licker 2008). In 1962, Rogers published the theory of Diffusion of Innovation that had changed the modern perceptions about innovations. In his view, Rogers claims that there are five main categories of innovation adopters, as the process is pragmatic and with various sections of transformation (Webb 2000). Rogers presumes that in an innovation process, there are five major categories of adopters, which include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and the laggards. The five main categories of adopters have unique definitions that are relative to their innovation roles. According to Rogers, innovators are the kind of people who initiate the innovation idea and invest in it regardless of its risky factors and other preliminary problems.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 early adopters are a group of people that represent the opinion leaders (Molla Licker 2005). These kinds of adopters often enjoy associating with leadership roles and embracing change opportunities. The third group of the adopters is the group of early majority, which is the group of people that needs to see substantial evidence that the innovation is really working for them to venture into the business of adopting or working with it (Chigona Licker 2008). The fourth group of people is the late majority, who are the kind of persons, skeptical about an innovative change and trying the innovation only when the majority population have tested it (Stark 2004). The last group of the adopters is the laggards group of individuals who are naturally conservative people. Unless highly persuaded, laggards can hardly adopt an innovation. With regard to such theoretical assumptions, most of the users of Windows handsets across the world have had their own opinions concerning the three mobi le phone operating systems (Rigby 2014). When Microsoft and Nokia merged efforts to produce the Nokia Lumia handsets, the first impression was that Microsoft was trying to regain its lost market dominance in the telecommunication industry (Rigby 2014). Nevertheless, the company has been very resilient about the criticisms that the two companies have failed to produce innovative smartphone designs that will influence the international mobile consumption trends. When they first announced their debut in 2011, after successful market trials, consumers had already familiarized with Android phones as well as iPhones (Rigby 2014). Creating a plan to enter the competitive market was a challenge for the investors of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. The initial process of venturing into these Windows mobile phones was tiring and challenging for these creative investors. While figuring out the billions of money that the companies were to invest and the amount that was to come as returns, the inves tors understood that there would be early adopters, the early majority consumers, the late majority consumers, and the laggards (Rigby 2014). To beat the market odds and maneuver with a new brand of smartphones, the Nokia Corporation and the Microsoft Corporation designed a strategic production and marketing strategy that has supported their continual survival in the handset business. The companies understood the need to incorporate the 4Ps marketing mix strategy to increase their market share and product revenues in the presence of the established Android smartphones and Apple iPhones. To provide an all-round strategic move, the Nokia Corporation and the Microsoft Company focused on the 4Ps (Von 2003). The 4Ps that formed the aims of production were the Product (Nokia Lumia smartphone), the Price (low pricing), the Promotion (strategic marketing), and the Place of distribution. With the 4Ps as their marketing strategy, high technological innovation and unique and user-friendly smar tphone design are some of the product development initiatives that Nokia Lumia began adopting. The pricing strategy of Nokia Lumia delved on the low pricing technique to win the business partners and new groups of consumers (Anwar 2014). Low pricing meant that the investors would sell more and earn low but regular profits. As their places of distribution, the Nokia Lumia marketers began targeting the most populated nations, such as China, Russia, and most of the Sub-Saharan Africa regions. These regions form the group of developing nations. These developing nations have a lot of late majority and the laggards groups of consumers and investors (Cooper Edgett 2009). These groups of people may have been skeptical about Androids and iPhones because Androids were relatively new and iPhones were extremely expensive. Such strategies have made Nokia Lumia suceed. The Current Market Performance of the Nokia Lumia Smartphones Nokia Corporation has generally been successful in the handset bus iness. In 2006, Nokia generated an income that for the first time in Finland’s history, seemed to be excess. Based on the assessment report of the Wall Street Journal, which is the leading business and innovation magazine, Nokia Lumia has been performing incredibly well as the demand for smartphones increases. In this $7.2 billion deal, Microsoft and Nokia Corporations have been ripping some extensive profits from the manufacturing and distribution of the Lumia windows smartphones (Fakhrutdinova, Fakhrutdinova, Kolesnikova, Yurieva 2015). The Nokia Lumia smartphones targeted the American smartphone markets, the Asian smartphone markets, and the African smartphone markets, which had been growing rapidly over the past five years (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). In a 2013 report about business innovation, it has appeared that Nokia possesses approximately 40% market dominance, with the Lumia smartphones contributing to about 16% in the increase of its market share. Perhaps, what re mains unknown to most of the consumers is that the Nokia Lumia phones have been increasing their market reputation in a steady process. The estimated profit returns are slowly regaining momentum and the process of dominating the major markets is on a gradual development (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). Just before the end of two years after its launch, Microsoft’s quarterly financial report revealed that the Nokia Lumia smartphones had generated about $23.20 billion worth of profit. In the subsequent year on 23 August 2014, Microsoft announced a growth of its profit margin to approximately 26.5 billion, which was a 10% increase in the net profits (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). In a separate financial report that Nokia released independently on 24 Oct 2014, Nokia Lumia smartphones had a sales record of $9.3 billion, even though the overall sales for Nokia phones had decreased by 14%. These statistics indicate an incredible performance of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. The above statisti cal facts stress the essence of the Nokia-Microsoft partnership in the smartphone business. It is important to consider that although majority of the ordinary consumers may not have the overall knowledge on how the Nokia Lumia smartphones have spurred a unique competition in the world of smartphones; the performance of the smartphone is incredible (Rigby 2014). The Nokia Lumia smartphones have blended well with the creatively designed windows-operating systems. The major sectors that may have caused an incredible market performance that has come within the shortest period of the investment are the management sectors, the production sectors, and the marketing departments (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). The three sectors were important in the product development and distribution because there was innovation in the management, innovation in the production, and innovation in the marketing departments. The ability of Nokia and Microsoft to provide an enabling environment for the existence of the partnership was a noteworthy idea. Reasons for high Performance of Nokia Lumia Smartphones The success or failure of a certain tech product relies on several aspects of production, management, and marketing (Eisenhardt Martin 2000). With the changing market demands, the complex consumer behaviors, and the increasing market competition, the performance of technological products has to rely on the stability of the management, the suaveness of the marketers, and the design of the products (Garcia Calantone 2002). Core innovation strengths, strategic management techniques, and efficient marketing skills are some of the major performance determinants that determine the performance of tech products (De Wit Meyer 2010). Since its debut into the smartphone business in 2011, Nokia Corporation has developed several strategic moves to enable the telephone products to maneuver in the smartphone market. To make a sensational market dominance, the Nokia Corporation has enabled a smart str ategy that entails the strategic use of mobile designing technologies, the strategic planning of the management systems, and the strategic development of the marketing techniques that match the market demands. Innovation in the Product Designing An important factor that makes a mobile phone worthy and appealing to the modern consumers, who are nowadays very knowledgeable, is the techniques used in designing the phones (Eisenhardt Martin 2000). The innovation that Nokia Corporation has used in manufacturing of the Nokia Lumia smartphones is exceptional and outstanding. Nokia Lumia smartphones use the famous windows operating systems, although mostly the windows 8 operating system that has numerous tech features that are appealing to the phone users (Fakhrutdinova et al 2015). Although windows 8 operating system initially recorded a diminutive market performance in the computer technology, the operating system has boosted the selling of the Nokia Lumia smartphones. Nokia Lumia phones are 3G and 4G compatible, have powerful photo-sharing capabilities, and have features that enhance social media communication (Carlson, Walden Bowman 2006). Nokia Corporation collaborated with Google and Skype to allow consumers to enhance their access to social media communication in the Lumia smartphones. Nokia also collaborated with Yahoo Corporation to allow photo sharing through their Flicker service. Innovation in the Marketing Strategies The marketing technique of companies is one of the foremost determinants of the market performance for any new product that is seeking a quick market penetration (Roman 2003). Since the Nokia Corporation ventured into the smartphone business, the company designed radical marketing strategies that supported a market growth for the Nokia Lumia smartphones. Nokia Corporation designed a strategic market penetration approach that dwelled on the modern advertising platforms to maneuver (Grieves 2009). As Anwar (2014) claims, the company used the advantage of the growing influence of the digital televisions, the social media platforms, and the unique printed media. Concerning the strategic use of social media, Nokia Corporation implemented attractive mobile photos, effective product description techniques, and an easy communication to attract consumers in Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (Anwar 2014). The Microsoft-Nokia alliance opened an online marketing website, attractive facebook pages, and several tweeting platforms that constantly updated the users about the new Lumia arrivals. Digital televisions also played a vital role in advertising Lumia Smartphones. Innovation in the Pricing of the Phones One of the elements that can make a product in the telecommunication industry to permeate into the market and gain an incredible performance is the idea of strategic pricing (Bailur 2006). While launching the Microsoft-Nokia partnership of manufacturing and distributing the Nokia Lumia smartphones, Nokia Corporation knew the esse nce of using a strategic pricing plan that would enable an easy market penetration. When Nokia merged with Microsoft to develop the Lumia smartphones, the companies agreed on the high-production, low-pricing strategy as their market entry strategy (Anwar 2014). To compete effectively with the Iphone and the android smartphones, Nokia Corporation endorsed a marketing strategy that concentrated with the low-pricing approach. Even for the first-time buyers who admired the smartphones, Nokia sold its Nokia Lumia phones at as low as $200 (Rigby 2014). The focus of Nokia Corporation concerning the pricing of the Nokia Lumia smartphones has been persistent with the issues of regional assessment of the markets and production of affordable smartphones. Proper Financing of the Product Financial stability of a company in the marketing and promotion of a recently launched product is a crucial success factor that determines the performance of a product (Gorski 2003). When Nokia ventured into the business of manufacturing and distributing smartphones, the partnership deal with Microsoft considered the essence of financial stability in the production process. Since the year 2013, Microsoft has been offering Nokia with financial backing to support the mass production of cheap smartphones (Hussein 2012). Such an innovative financial strategy assisted the Nokia Corporation to regain market momentum within the large markets like China, Russia, and America. Recently, Microsoft Company has produced an extra of 2.3 billion to support Nokia Corporation to develop low-end Nokia Lumia smartphones (Anwar 2014). Despite Iphones and Androids having significant market dominance, adequate financing of the Nokia Lumia project has made the Nokia Corporation to expand their market share in Africa, Asia, and parts of America. Innovation in the Service Sector Nokia, being a leading brand in the telecommunication industry, understood the need to improve the customer service while marketing its N okia Lumia smartphones across the nations. According to Fakhrutdinova et al. (2015), the first service innovation that Nokia thought was essential, was the incorporation of the physical customer care services where consumers could send complaints about the phones, receive an instant assistance on technical problems, and fix the problems associated with the windows mobile-phone operating systems. In each of the countries that Nokia invested in the marketing of its smartphone products, there were strategic physical offices that consumers could send inquiries concerning the operations of the phones and the challenges that pertained to the performance of the Lumia smartphones (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). Although the Nokia Lumia smartphones needed the physical offices from the Nokia Corporation to enhance their customer care, the phones already had user-friendly interfaces that supported easy phone operations. Such strategic moves made Nokia to perform incredibly fair in the competitive smartphone market. Innovation in the Management Sector One of the important factors that support radical innovation is an efficient strategic management (Aspara, Lamberg, Laukia, Tikkanen 2011). The theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) states that when innovation is in progress, there is a group of people known as the innovators (Hofstede 2003). In Nokia Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, leaders were the innovators who were venturesome, opinionated, skilful and with creative ideas (Fakhrutdinova et al. 2015). Most of the leaders from the Microsoft team and from the Nokia Corporation were sure about their dedication and risk taking approaches towards the improvement of the Nokia Lumia ideas. The two companies found the best innovators who could strategically incorporate the features of windows 8 in the mobile phones (Sell, Mezei Walden 2014). The leaders also knew the importance of collaborating with giant Internet companies, such as Google and Yahoo, to incorporate their best features in the mobile phones. The leaders motivated aggressive research and development strategies that supported in the marketing of the phones. Conclusion The assumptions of Rogers concerning the Diffusion of Innovation are paramount in understanding the concepts of product development and management. The five forms of innovation adopters help companies design strategic marketing plans. Product innovation and management are two aspects of the commercial world that continue to pose concerns for the surviving businesses. The mobile phone industry is one of the principle sectors where innovation seems to influence product marketing, distribution, and performance. With a special attention given to the phones that come with computerized operating systems, innovation seems to affect the presence and performance of the modern smartphones. Nokia Lumia smartphones emerged through a partnership deal between Microsoft and Nokia Corporations. Despite the dominance of the Android smartph ones and the Apple smartphones, the windows-based Nokia Lumia smartphones are increasingly gaining prominence. This occurs because the two partners focused on understanding the 4Ps of marketing. Innovations in the product marketing, product pricing, and product management have been fantastic. References Anwar, M 2014, ‘Voice of Editors: Rationale to the Crisis of Nokia Smartphone Portfolio’, International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 122-124. Aspara, J, Lamberg, J, Laukia, A and Tikkanen, H 2011, ‘Strategic Management of business model transformation lessons from Nokia’, Management Decision, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 622-647. Bailur, S 2006, ‘Using stakeholder theory to analyze Telecenter projects’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 61–80. Bernard, A Tichkiewitch, S 2008, Design of Sustainable Product Life Cycles, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Cagan, J Vogel, C 2 002, Creating Breakthrough Products: Innovation from Product Planning to Program Approval, FT Press, New York. Carlson, C, Walden, P Bowman, H 2006, ‘Adoption of 3G+ services in Finland’, Journal of Mobile Commerce, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 369-385. Chigona, W Licker, P 2008, ‘Using Diffusion of Innovations Framework to Explain Communal Computing Facilities Adoption among the Urban Poor’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 53-73. Cooper, R Edgett, S 2009, Product Innovation, and Technology Strategy, Stage-Gate International, London. De Wit, B Meyer, R 2010, Strategy Synthesis: Resolving strategy paradoxes to create competitive advantage, Cengage Learning EMEA, Andover. Duncombe, R 2006, ‘Using the livelihoods framework to analyze ICT applications for poverty reduction through microenterprise’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 81–100. Eisenhardt, K Martin, J (2000). Dynamic Capabilities: What are they?. Strategic Management Journal, vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 1105-1121. Fakhrutdinova, E, Fakhrutdinova, R, Kolesnikova, J Yurieva, O 2015, ‘New Start of Nokia’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 61-66. Garcia, R Calantone, R 2002, ‘A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: a literature review’, The Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 110-132. Gecevska, V, Chiabert, P, Lombardi, F Cus, F 2010, ‘Product lifecycle management through innovative and competitive business environment’, Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 323-336. Gorski, P 2003, The Disciplinary Revolution: Calvinism and the Rise of the State in Modern Europe. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Grieves, M 2009, PLM: Driving the Next Generation of Lean Thinking, New York: McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, 2003, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Hussein, M 2012, ‘Open innovation Mill: Utilization of Nokia’s Non-Core ideas’, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 58, no.3, pp. 765-773. Kirshin I 2014, ‘Modeling the long-term trend of accumulation of knowledge’, Life Science Journal, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 482-486. Molla, A Licker, P 2005, ‘Ecommerce adoption in developing countries: A model and instrument’, Information Management, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 877–899. Rigby, B 2014, Microsoft Sees End to Nokia Losses, https://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/2014/07/23/microsoft-sees-end-to-nokia-losses/wcm/80ae76d0-1f7f-4521-ba73-6402568be1aa Roman, R 2003, ‘Diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework for Tele-centers’, Information Technologies and International Development, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 55–68. Sell, A, Mezei, J Wald en, P 2014,.’An attitude-based latent class segmentation analysis of mobile phone users’, Telematics Informatics, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 209-220. Stark, J 2004, PLM: 21st century Paradigm for Product Realization, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Von, E 2005, Democratizing Innovation, MA: MIT Press Cambridge, London. Webb, A 2000, Project Management for Successful Product Innovation, Gower Publishing, New York. This essay on Product and Innovation Management of Nokia was written and submitted by user Enzo O. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Bespoke

Bespoke Bespoke Bespoke By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked for a discussion of the word bespoke: I keep reading it in articles, and at least half the time I see it I end up looking it up because it just doesn’t seem correct to me. Bespoke is an adjective that comes from the archaic English verb bespeak. One of the meanings of the prefix be- is â€Å"about.† When miserly Samuel Pepys dreads that a man wants him to be his son’s godfatheran honor that would require some outlay of cashhe says, [The man] who I feared did come to bespeak me to be godfather to his son. That is, â€Å"who he feared had come to speak to him about the prospect of his standing godfather.† In early usage bespeak could also mean â€Å"to speak out,† â€Å"to ask for,† â€Å"to tell about,† and â€Å"to predict,† as well as the meaning that has survived in the bespoke of the reader’s question: â€Å"to engage beforehand; to order goods.† Bespoke and bespoken are past forms of bespeak. For example, A new set of chains was bespoke. (A new set of chains was ordered.) She had arranged or bespoken to have him killed. (She had talked about a hit.) In its current use as an adjective, bespoke refers to custom-made goods in contrast to goods that are ready-made. The adjective can also refer to a person who provides such goods, (e.g., â€Å"a bespoke tailor†). In England the expression â€Å"bespoke suit† is a common way of referring to a tailor-made suit. In the context of conspicuous consumption, bespoke seems to have something to do with the desires of hedonists who don’t know what to do with their money. Watchmakers look to bespoke design to court the super-rich: We will offer a bespoke service where the customer has a say on everything: the material, the case, the dial, the hands, said Thierry Andretta, president of the firm where prices for custom-made watches start at 100,000 Swiss francs ($113,000). Gourmet dining, private flights, bespoke safaris, slimming clinics and art auctions emerging as top status symbols The Privileged World City: Private Banking, Wealth Management and the Bespoke Servicing of the Global Super-Rich American speakers of less extravagant means and tastes are more likely to refer to the things they special-order as â€Å"custom-made.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)The Possessive ApostropheParticular vs. Specific

Macbeth Summary

'Macbeth' Summary William Shakespeare’s Macbeth takes place in Scotland in the 11th century AD, and it tells the story of Macbeth, thane of Glamis, and of his ambition to become king. This Shakespearian tragedy is loosely based on historical sources, namely Holinshed’s Chronicles, and there is historical documentation on several characters, including Macbeth, Duncan, and Malcolm. It’s unclear whether the character of Banquo really existed. While the Chronicles depict him as an accomplice to Macbeth’s murderous actions, Shakespeare portrays him as an innocent character. Overall, Macbeth is not known for its historical accuracy, but for the portrayal of the effects of blind ambition in people. Act I Scottish generals Macbeth and Banquo have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, which were led by the traitorous Macdonwald. As Macbeth and Banquo wander onto a heath, they are greeted by the Three Witches, who offer them prophecies. Banquo challenges them first, so they address Macbeth: they hail him as Thane of Glamis,† his current title and then Thane of Cawdor, adding that he will also be king. Banquo then asks of his own fortunes, the witches respond enigmatically, saying that he will be less than Macbeth, yet happier, less successful, yet more. Most importantly, they tell him that he will father a line of kings, though he himself will not be one. The witches vanish soon after, and the two men wonder at these pronouncements. Then, however, another thane, Ross, arrives and informs Macbeth that he has been bestowed the title of Thane of Cawdor.  This means that the first prophecy is fulfilled, and Macbeth’s initial skepticism turns into ambition. King Duncan welcomes and praises Macbeth and Banquo, and declares that he will spend the night at Macbeths castle at  Inverness; he also names his son Malcolm as his heir. Macbeth sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about the witches prophecies. Lady Macbeth unwaveringly wishes for her husband to murder the king so he can usurp the throne, to the point that she answers his objections by casting doubts on his manhood. Eventually, she manages to convince him to kill the king that same night. The two get Duncans two chamberlains drunk so that the next morning they can easily blame the chamberlains for the murder.  Ã‚     Act II   Still plagued by doubts and by hallucinations, including a bloody dagger, Macbeth stabs King Duncan in his sleep. He is so upset that Lady Macbeth has to take charge, and frames Duncans sleeping servants for the murder by placing bloody daggers on them. The following morning, Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive at Inverness, and Macduff is the one who discovers Duncans body. Macbeth murders the guards so they cannot profess their innocence, but claims he did so in a fit of anger over their misdeeds. Duncans sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing they might be targets too, but their flight frames them as suspects. As a consequence, Macbeth assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland as a kinsman of the dead king. On this occasion, Banquo recalls the witches prophecy about how his own descendants would inherit the throne. This makes him suspicious of Macbeth.   Act III Meanwhile Macbeth, who remembers the prophecy concerning Banquo, remains uneasy, so he invites him to a royal banquet, where he discovers that Banquo and his young son, Fleance, will be riding out that night. Suspecting Banquo of being suspicious of him, Macbeth arranges to have him and Fleance murdered by hiring assassins, who succeed in killing Banquo, but not Fleance. This enrages Macbeth, as he fears that his power won’t be safe as long as a heir of Banquo lives.  At a banquet, Macbeth is visited by Banquos ghost who sits in Macbeths place. Macbeth’s reaction startles the guests, as the ghost is only visible to him: they see their king panicking at an empty chair. Lady Macbeth has to tell them that her husband is merely afflicted with a familiar and harmless malady. The ghost departs and returns once more, causing the same riotous anger and fear in Macbeth. This time, Lady Macbeth tells the lords to leave, and they do so.   Act IV   Macbeth pays visits to the witches again in order to learn the truth of their prophecies to him. In response to that, they conjure horrible apparitions: an armored head, which tells him to beware of Macduff;  a bloody child telling him that no one born of a woman will be able to harm him; next, a crowned child holding a tree stating that Macbeth will be safe until Great Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. Since all men are born from women and forests cannot move, Macbeth is initially relieved. Macbeth also asks whether Banquos sons will ever reign in Scotland. The witches conjure a procession of eight crowned kings, all similar in appearance to Banquo, the last one carrying a mirror reflecting even more kings: they are all Banquos descendants having acquired kingship in numerous countries. After the witches leave, Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled to England, and so Macbeth orders Macduffs castle be seized, and also sends murderers to slaughter Macduff and his family. Although Macduff is no longer there, Lady Macduff and his family are murdered  Ã‚   Act V   Lady Macbeth becomes overcome with guilt for the crimes she and her husband committed. She has taken to sleepwalking, and after entering the stage holding a candle, she laments the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff, while also trying to wash off imaginary bloodstains from her hands. In England, Macduff learns of the slaughtering of his own family, and, stricken with grief, vows revenge. Together with Prince Malcolm, Duncans son, who raised an army in England, he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeths forces against Dunsinane Castle. While encamped in Birnam Wood, the soldiers are ordered to cut down and carry tree limbs to camouflage their numbers. Part of the witches’ prophecy comes true.  Before Macbeths opponents arrive, he learns that Lady Macbeth has killed herself, causing him to sink into despair. He eventually faces Macduff, initially without fear, since he cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Macduff declares that he was from his mothers womb / Untimely rippd (V 8.15–16). The second prophecy is thus fulfilled, and Macbeth is eventually killed and beheaded by Macduff. The order is restored and Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland. As for the Witches’ prophecy concerning Banquo’s descendants, it is true in that James I of England, previously James VI of Scotland, descended from Banquo.

Western civilization and western culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western civilization and western culture - Essay Example Western Civilization and Western Culture have many examples of fascinating masterpieces,and these masterpieces were created by famous and significant people or were made under their rule.It is possible to compose a list of 100 Most Important or Most Interesting Individuals in Western Culture The aim of this paper is to underline great significance and importance of this person and his actions for Western Civilization and Western Culture and explain why Charlemagne should be included in the list of 100 Most Important or Most Interesting Individuals in Western Culture.Charlemagne became an Emperor of the Romans in A.D.800, but before his coronation as an emperor he had created a vast empire in the West, and the territory of his empire included the Western part of the old Roman Empire and some new territories. Under Charlemagne's rule Western Europe made a transition from antique Hellenistic and Roman culture to medieval culture. His rule united three main types of culture and life patt ern of that time: "His reign was based on harmony which developed between three elements: the Roman past, the Germanic way of life, and Christianity. Charlemagne devoted his entire reign to blending these three elements into one kingdom (Kreis, 2000)". So, his rule was based on interaction of three main cultures of his time, and this interaction became one of numerous merits of Charles the Great. He created a strong cultural fundament of his Empire, and this fundament resulted in such important cultural phenomenon of medieval history as Carolingian Renaissance which began in Charlemagne's epoch. One of the most tremendous cultural achievements of Charlemagne was literacy and knowledge revival in Frankish state. In that time there were a few people who could read, even among monks who were concerned the most literary men in the Empire. There were no official standards of writing, and there were many different errors in books of that time. For changing the situation Charlemagne invited Alcuin who was one of the most educated persons in Europe. Under Charlemagne's rule Alcuin founded the basics of education system in Frankish Empire which became widely spread in Europe for centuries: "Here we find the origins of the seven liberal arts: the trivium comprised grammar (how to write), rhetoric (how to speak) and logic (how to think) while the quadrivium was made up of the mathematical arts, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music (Kreis, 2000)". Under Alcuin's leadership Palace School in Aachen (the capital of Frankish Empire) was founded. The Palace School developed interest for philosophy, literature and other spheres of education. In addition to that in Charlemagne time Latin language became the status of official language of the Church - this unification played a great role in medieval history. The writing style was improved, and now it became easier for people to read religious texts. Clergymen were the most educated people in that time, so churches became centers of education and culture. Education became more accessible for many people. In his adulthood Charlemagne learnt to read Latin and Greek and encouraged education. So, Charlemagne contributed much in culture and education of Frankish Empire and medieval world in general. Charlemagne also contributed much in Western Catholic Church rites. Under his rule liturgical rite and music were greatly reformed: "Using the liturgical rite of St. Gregory the Great and the chant form of the Church of Rome as the basis, Charlemagne undertook to create a liturgical and musical standard for his recently founded Holy Roman Empire (Western Catholic Liturgics)". This reform led to unification and standardization of Catholic rites and made Charlemagne one of the leading Christian emperors in medieval history. As was mentioned above, Charlemagne unified Latin as the official language of Catholic Church; he restored Holy Roman Empir

Management of human resource Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management of human resource - Assignment Example This will result to errors in assessment. The last factor could be the changing job circumstances that may shift the goal post that were being used in the assessment (Hosie, 2006). Proper communication of the results and findings is a way that an individual can apply to bride the gap between the expectation and the actual outcome (Hosie, 2006). Another way that can be applied to cover this difference is through problem solving, which will eliminate all forms of errors, and wastages in the operations. Errors contribute to a decrease in performance, and therefore, avoiding them would be worthwhile. A person who is being rated can also work on interpersonal relationships that will foster teamwork and cooperation among the fellow workers (Chingos, 2002). The person assessing the rating should reconcile the difference by promoting the leadership spirit among the workers (Chingos, 2002). This will encourage continuous self-evaluation in the as an employee performs the tasks that are assigned to them, and enjoy more job satisfaction. The person should also acquire a better understanding of the multisource method to avoid ant y possible mistakes. The method that he chooses to use should be relevant to the nature of the business operations (Chingos,

Brown v Board of Education Essay -- Civil Rights Movement

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the seventeenth day in May 1954 a decision was made which changed things in the United States dramatically. For millions of black Americans, news of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education meant, at last, that they and their children no longer had to attend separate schools. Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court ruling that changed the life of every American forever. In Topeka, Kansas, a black third-grader named Linda Brown had to walk one mile through a railroad switchyard to get to her black elementary school, even though a white elementary school was only seven blocks away. Linda's father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white elementary school, but the principal of the school refused. Brown went to McKinley Burnett, the head of Topeka's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and asked for help. The NAACP was eager to assist the Browns, as it had long wanted to challenge segregation in public schools. Other black parents joined Brown, and, in 1951, the NAACP requested an injunction that would forbid the segregation of Topeka's public schools (NAACP). The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas heard Brown's case from June 25-26, 1951. At the trial, the NAACP argued that segregated schools sent the message to black children that they were inferior to whites; therefore, the schools were unequal. The Board of Education's defense was that, because segregation in Topeka and elsewhere pervaded many other aspects of life, segregated schools simply prepared black children for the segregation they would face during adulthood. The board also argued that segregated schools were not necessarily harmful to black children; great African Americans had overcome much more than just segregated schools and became very successful. The request for an injunction pushed the court to make a difficult decision. On one hand, the judges agreed with the Browns; saying that: â€Å"Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children...A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn† (The National Center For Public Research). On the other hand, the precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson allowed separate but equal school systems for blacks and whites, and no Supreme Court ruling had overturned Plessy yet. Be... ...tock market among black Americans have rocketed since the 1980s. The political and economic force of that black middle class continues to bring America closer to the vision of racial equality that Dr. King might have dreamed of 50 years ago. The Supreme Court's May 17, 1954, ruling in Brown v Board of Education remains a landmark legal decision. This decision is huge not only because it changed the history of America forever but also because it was a huge step for blacks in the United States. This decision would eventually lead to the full freedom of blacks in America. Brown v Board of Education is the "Big Bang" of all American history in the 20th century. Works Cited Cozzens, Lisa. â€Å"Brown v Board of Education.† Watson.org. 1995 . NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. â€Å"Brown v Board of Education Matters to All Americans.† Brown Cronicles. 2003 . Patterson, James. â€Å"Brown v Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy (Pivotal Moments in American History).† Oxford University Press., 2001. The National Center For Public Research. â€Å"Brown v Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) (USSC+).† Supreme Court of The United States. 1982 .

Murabaha Essay

Bai-Murabaha may be defined as a contract between a Buyer and a Seller under which the Seller sells certain specific goods permissible under Islamic Shariah and the Law of the land to the Buyer at a cost plus agreed profit payable in cash or on any fixed future date in lump sum or by instalments. The profit marked-up may be fixed in lump sum or in percentage of the cost price of the goods. In respect of dealing parties Bai-Murabaha may be of two types. 2. 01Ordinary Bai-Murabaha If there are only two parties, the seller and the buyer, where the seller as an ordinary trader purchases the goods from the market without depending on any order and promise to buy the same from him and sells those to a buyer for cost plus profit, then the sale is called Ordinary Bai-Murabaha. 2. 02Bai-Murabaha on Order and Promise If there are three parties, the buyer, the seller and the Bank as an intermediary trader between the buyer and the seller, where the Bank upon receipt of order from the buyer with specification and a prior outstanding promise to buy the goods from the Bank, purchases the ordered goods and sells those to the ordering buyer at a cost plus agreed profit, the sale is called â€Å"Bai-Murabaha on Order or Promise†, generally known as Murabaha. This Murabaha upon order and promise is generally used by the Islami Banks, which undertake the purchase of commodities according to the specification requested by the Clients and sale on Bai-Murabaha to the one who ordered for the goods and promised to buy those for its cost price plus a marked-up profit agreed upon previously by the two parties, the Bank and the Client. In this Bank, Bai-Murabaha is treated as a contract between the Bank and the Client under which the Bank purchases the specified goods as per order and specification of the Client and sells those to the ordering Client at a cost plus agreed upon profit payable within a fixed future date in lump sum or by fixed instalments. Thus it is a sale of goods on profit by which ownership of the goods is transferred by the Bank to the Client but the payment of the sale price (cost plus profit) by the Client is deferred for a fixed period. It may be noted here that, in case of Bai-Muajjal and Bai-Murabaha, Islamic Bank is a financier to the Client not in the sense that the Bank finances the purchase of goods by the Client, rather it is a financier by deferring the receipt of sale price of the goods sold by the Bank to the Client. If the Bank does not purchase the goods or does not make any purchase agreement with seller, but only makes payment of any goods directly purchased and received by the Client from the seller under Bai-Muajjal/Bai-Murabaha Agreement, that will be a remittance of the amount on behalf of the Client, which shall be nothing but a loan to him and any profit on this amount shall be nothing but Interest (Riba). Therefore, purchase of goods by the Bank should be for and on behalf of the Bank and the payment of price of goods by the Bank must be made for and on behalf of the Bank. If in any way the payment of price of goods is turned into a payment for and on behalf of the Client or it is paid to the Client any profit on it will be Riba. It is permissible for the Client to offer an order to purchase by the Bank particular goods deciding its specification and committing himself to buy the same from the Bank on Murabaha, i. . cost plus agreed upon profit. 3. 02It is permissible to make the promise binding upon the Client to purchase from the Bank, that is, he is to either satisfy the promise or to indemnify the damages caused by breaking the promise without excuse. 3. 03It is permissible to take cash/collateral security to guarantee the implementation of the promise or to indemnify the damages. 3. 04It is also permissible to document the debt resulting from Bai-Murabaha by a Guarantor, or a mortgage, or both like any other debt. Mortgage/ Guarantee/ Cash Security may be obtained prior to the signing of the Agreement or at the time of signing the Agreement. 3. 05Stock and availability of goods is a basic condition for signing a Bai-Murabaha Agreement. Therefore, the Bank must purchase the goods as per specification of the Client to acquire ownership of the same before signing the Bai-Murabaha agreement with the Client. After purchase of goods the Bank must bear the risk of goods until those are actually sold and delivered to the Client, i. e. after purchase of the goods by the Bank and before selling of those on Bai-Murabaha to the Client buyer, the Bank shall bear the consequences of any damages or defects, unless there is an agreement with the Client releasing the Bank of the defects, that means, if the goods are damaged, Bank is liable, if the goods are defective, (a defect that is not included in the release) the Bank bears the responsibility. The Bank must deliver the specified Goods to the Client on specified date and at specified place of delivery as per Contract. 3. 8The Bank shall sell the goods at a higher price (Cost + Profit) to earn profit. The cost of goods sold and profit mark-up therewith shall separately and clearly be mentioned in the Bai-Murabaha Agreement. The profit mark-up may be mentioned in lump sum or in percentage of the purchase/cost price of the goods. But, under no circumstances, the percentage of the profit shall have any relation with time or expressed in relation with time, such as per month, per annum etc. 3. 09The price once fixed as per agreement and deferred cannot be further increased. 3. 0It is permissible for the Bank to authorise any third party to buy and receive the goods on Bank’s behalf. The authorisation must be in a separate contract. Request potential Client to open an Al-Wadia Current Account. Let him maintain the Current Account satisfactorily for a reasonable period. (This will generally mean six months). 4. 02Hold preliminary discussion with the prospective Client regarding his Investment needs and business experience. 4. 03Brief him on the salient features of â€Å"Bai-Murabaha† Mode of Investment. Apprise, in particular, the usual terms and conditions under which the Bank makes such Investment. 4. 04Look to the past performance of the Client. Check-up Head Office Current Investment Policy and Branch’s track record of Bai-Murabaha Investment of the item(s). 4. 05If the Proposal is found suitable, advise the Client to submit formal Application (F-167A -as per specimen at page 34). If not found suitable, regret politely.