Argument in college writing

This day makes us suspicious. Especially, our thoughts are always brought in question by the society, the teachers, friends, parents and, finally, by ourselves. Sure, there should be something that can turn over someones views and world outlook. Such a motive power actually exists, it is an argument. Exactly argument helps us to prove our thoughts and it has a great influence on our mind. Proving something to somebody is integral part of our life and college essay writing, the process which requires arguing time and again, is really inalienable part of our studies. Investigating in college writing should start from the definition of what college argument is. This concept of argument is based in the expectations of readers to see the reason, which will make them agree with precise thought. So, argument consists of few consecutive statements. It doesnt include just disagreeable disputes, but mostly kind of dialog with person whose thoughts are interesting and important to pay attention to. When we are writing a paper first of all we should not just express what we think, we should show our thoughts in such a way to make them clear, interesting and understandable to others. We should rouse the curiosity of our words among people. There is a wide-spread misunderstanding between students that they may express their opinions in any way they want, ignoring the main principle of argument. It doesnt mean that our private opinions are not important, but they should be supported by convincing proof. People must have grounds for accepting someones thought. The main aim of university is first of all to bring science in peoples thought. People shouldnt just express what they think; they should show and prove others that their ideas are mattered. Therefore, the argumentative paper should include two different points: the one for support and another to object. Only in this way the reader can choose whether agree or disagree with precise viewpoint. Thus, a comparison is the necessity for any decision to be taken. Sure we can not confirm that every our thought is absolutely right and each conclusion is complete. That is why we give people a possibility to choose whether they should agree or disagree with our point. So, as a conclusion we can state that an argument implies a conversation between people who want to find true basis. College education includes all those values. During the process of studying we gather information, do research and make decisions which influence our ability to evaluate, think and write to grow. So, our idea should be heard and proved. Thoughts we express should not be just simple information. They should be a palpable knowledge that can influence ones mind. In order to reach this goal we should be guided by a simple principle the principle of argument.

Sociology Relationship Between Individuals And Society

Sociology stresses the relationship between individuals and society. Self-influences society through actions of the individual; the self emerges in and is a reflection of society. Society influences the self in a reciprocal fashion. Through shared language and meaning the individual is allowed to take the role of other through social interactions. The self and what individuals do is dependent to a large extent on the society where they live. According to Sociology, there are two important factors that shape self and identity, social institutions and social location. Social institutions are family, religion, education, mass media and politics. Social location - meaning one’s places in society are factors that include class, sexuality, gender and race. As an individual or self within these larger frameworks, personal biography is influenced. An individual is the sum total of their experiences; self emerges and is reflected in the social institutions and social locations that one is exposed to. Families impact the identity of an individual more than the other institutions and according to Sociological Theorist will have the most lasting effect. In examining my personal family unit from the micro- sociological perspective of Symbolic Interactionism it is evident that the day to day interactions have impacted who I am at a fundamental level. My self-concept has been shaped by the interactions within my family of origin due in large extent by the way weShow MoreRelatedSociology: The Study of Humanity Essay1480 Words   |  6 PagesHowever new you are to sociology it is probable that you have an idea, however vague and general, regarding what sociology is supposed to be about. It may be that you have an idea that sociology is about people. And you would be right to think so. We might start then by noting that sociology is one of the human sciences and as such it is a subject to be distinguished from the so-called physical sciences. Sociology is the study of humanity. However this description of sociology is only partiallyRead MoreSociology : How Human Action And Consciousness Shape The Surrounding Of Cultural And Social Culture1734 Words   |  7 PagesZygmunt Bauman once said, â€Å"The task for sociology is to come to the help of the individual. We have to be in service of freedom. It is something we have lost sight of.† This quote means the main purpose of sociology is to help people with our freedom of service, because it is something we as people lost sight of. 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Taxonomy of Cognitive Learning Objectives †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Taxonomy of Cognitive Learning Objectives. Answer: Introduction: This article studied the application of Blooms questioning technique among the preschoolers to make them engaged in classroom. It inculcates a solid base of knowledge content among the preschoolers to make them prepared for complex thinking. Blooms taxonomy has six steps in the questioning level: remembering, understanding, applying, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. At every level of this taxonomy, questions start becoming difficult demanding deeper thinking than usual. This develops high level questioning ability in the child expanding their perspective on a topic. This revised method of taxonomy help teachers for the measurement and organization of the things what they want to measure. This article investigated taxonomy as a questioning tool that can be utilized by teachers to prepare the curriculum according to the pupils ability (3 to 4 year olds) to answer a question in the context to the next level of knowledge. This method in the given article showed that when it is employed in the classroom, the preschoolers follow abstract thinking concepts like analysis, evaluation and creation. The authors mentioned that remembering of information is important for the children to answer the questions of high order thinking. Before a child understand a question and try to answer it, it is important for them to remember the information. This taxonomy questioning help to extend thinking level of preschoolers and encourage high cognitive thinking skills in them. This further encourages children to understand content and invite higher thinking skills like making judgments, problem solving, evaluation, reflection and assessment of their knowledge. When teachers ask children complicated questions, it aid them in becoming self-directed thinkers. The taxonomy method mentioned in the article is an effective measuring tool used by early child educators to track child thinking ability and knowledge. In the new version, it helps the educators to frame type of questions that are required in classroom to make the children engaging and develop high order thinking skills. It also helps teachers to make the young pupils acquire in-depth thinking skills, improve and expand their subject knowledge using the Blooms questioning techniques (Rakap, Cig Parlak?Rakap, 2017). The technique illustrated in the article has positive implications on early childhood education and pedagogy where they know what kind of questions they need to frame and ask children in order to inculcate high thinking and cognition. This type of questions in the form of taxonomy is an important strategy that supports a childs learning and thinking ability (Adams, 2015). This article is useful for the teachers to keep a record of children progress by asking them high-le vel questions and documenting of their way of answering them. This article has a major limitation, as it did not address the question of values and transformation, rather mainly focused on behaviour change. Therefore, as an early childhood educator, this article is useful as it reflects on the child growth while considering the changes required and needs to inculcate high-level thinking skills in the preschoolers as well as viewing one as a teacher researcher. It also helps them in the preparation and examination of curriculum alignment using Blooms Taxonomy levels (Cannon Feinstein, 2014). References Adams, N. E. (2015). Blooms taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives.Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA,103(3), 152. Cannon, H. M., Feinstein, A. H. (2014). Bloom beyond Bloom: Using the revised taxonomy to develop experiential learning strategies.Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning,32. Mufson, L., Strasser, J. (2015). Moving Beyond Who, What, When, Where, and Why: Using Bloom's Taxonomy Questioning to Extend Preschoolers' Thinking. Teaching Young Children, 9(1), 1-4. Retrieved from https://education.ky.gov/curriculum/conpro/prim-pre/Documents/Moving%20Beyond%20Who%20What%20When%20Where%20Why.pdf Rakap, S., Cig, O., Parlak?Rakap, A. (2017). Preparing preschool teacher candidates for inclusion: impact of two special education courses on their perspectives.Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs,17(2), 98-109.

The Basics of Learning to Turn as Relates to Air Combat free essay sample

This will not be a definitive, doctorate level dissertation on the subject. I’ll go over the basics here and hopefully help get you on the right track. This discussion is geared toward the F-16 Fighting Falcon. However the principles discussed are just as valid for any fighter aircraft. First we’ll look at Turn Rate Radius, then corner airspeed and then how to lead turn. Energy Management also plays strongly into turning well. We’ll hit that up at the end of this lesson. Turn Rate: The rate at which an aircraft can turn or rate it’s nose while turning. In other words if you’re pulling a circle, rate is a definition of how fast you get around that circle. Don’t just think of rate in terms of complete circles though. I give that as an example to help you visualize and understand rate. Turn Rate is usually expressed in reference to instantaneous and sustained rates and is measured in degrees a second. We will write a custom essay sample on The Basics of Learning to Turn as Relates to Air Combat or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Instantaneous is exactly what it sounds like†¦. How much rate you can command from an aircraft immediately as you turn. Sustained is the rate you can sustain through a turn. The F-16 has a 26 degree/sec maximum instantaneous turn rate. I havent found reliable figures for the Vipers max sustained turn rate. In the Tac Ref in F4 it states 13 degrees/sec. I promise you I can pull significantly better than that, right around 18 deg/sec. Coincidentally several reputable online sources state 18 deg/sec sustained rate. Of course you’ll need to be at the right airspeed to capture the best rate, both instantaneous and sustained. It’s important to realize that the F-16 is one of the very, very few (in all probability the only operational) aircraft able to pull a sustained 9 G turn. This fact, along with the F-16’s extraordinary sustained turn rate capability, are among the things the Viper is most legendary for. In Falcon 4 we have to deal with the fact that the Viper as modeled cannot perform a sustained 9+ G turn as it can in real life. We’ll work around this as well as the fact that many other aircraft types are actually over modeled. At times throughout this training I’ll point out differences between actual vs. Falcon 4 performance info so that you’ll be knowledgeable on both. Rate is needed to achieve weapons parameters or defeat attacks. The F-16s turn rate increases very rapidly from slow speed up to 330 KCAS, at which point the rate is the highest. Rate allows the attacker to match or exceed the turn rate of his adversary and establish lead for a gunshot. The attacker needs a turn rate advantage that will allow him to pull his nose onto the bandit to employ the AIM-9 or point to lead pursuit for a gun shot. It is important to note an attacker with a higher sustained turn rate can maintain a positional advantage against a defender with a smaller turn radius but reduced rate (Figure 13). For example, in order to employ the AIM-9, you must have a turn rate that will allow you to keep your nose within approximately 30 ° of the bandit for tone acquisition and missile launch. The ability to maintain a high sustained turn rate while the defender sacrifices sustained rate for a tighter turn is another key concept in understanding BFM. In this sense, a turn rate advantage is more tactically significant than a smaller turn radius. Keep in mind an old fighter pilot saying that’s always been very true; â€Å"Rate Kills! † It’s important to note that the F-16 turns better with afterburner (AB). Believe it or not this is not always the â€Å"norm† for most combat aircraft. AB in the Viper gives a better turn capability because it allows the pilot to sustain airspeed and thereby sustain a higher turn rate (assuming near corner velocity). In addition, maneuvering at higher AOA’s results in a greater portion of the aircrafts thrust vector to be pointed toward the center of the turn, which also helps the F-16 maintain a smaller turn radius and greater turn rate. To achieve the highest turn rate possible, slow or accelerate towards corner velocity speed range as quickly as possible and turn hard to generate maximum angles in the shortest time. Be aware that this is not always the optimum thing to do. However when you decide it’s time to command the highest rate, this is what you need to do. Turn Radius: The diameter in which an aircraft can turn a partial or complete circle at a given altitude and speed. The higher the speed the larger the radius, or circle, the aircraft will make in the sky. Conversely the slower the speed the smaller the radius. Turn radius determines the size of the turn circle. This radius is based on the aircrafts TAS and radial G. In a fight, the size of the circle and the relative turn rate capability of the two aircraft, will determine how well the pilot can solve the angular problems the defender presents. The objective is to work to where available G will allow the attacker to point his nose at the defender to achieve a missile or gun shot with an acceptable specific power (Ps) bleed-off. How well an aircraft can turn is a function of the turn rate and radius it generates. As already stated, Radius defines the size of an aircrafts turn or its turning circle. In the F-16, turn radius at max AOA/G is relatively constant over an airspeed range of 170 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS) up to 330 KCAS. Above 330 KCAS, turn radius increases slightly as max G is obtained (440 KCAS). Above 440 KCAS, turn radius increases dramatically. The chart at left graphically depicts the effect of airspeed on radius. Note also how rate is affected. Understanding the concept of Turn Circles is another important principle for you to grasp in order to be a really effective BFM practitioner. Again, we’ll be going into this and many other things discussed in this lesson in greater detail later on in the course. For now concentrate on understanding how both radius and rate affect the fight. Knowing your adversaries capabilities in both these areas across his flight envelope and knowing your own in the Viper, or whatever other aircraft you are flying, will help you decide how best to approach employing BFM at different times in the fight. One thing to note here is that offensively, sustained operations are not possible in the same plane against a defender with a smaller turn circle (radius) assuming similar turn rates without inviting an overshoot/reversal situation. Alright. In plain English what this means is that if you run into a bandit that can turn in a tighter radius while maintaining a similar rate as you†¦. Things are gonna get really uncomfortable real quick if you continue a turn in the same plane with him. You need to use the vertical/get out of plane. That’s either vertical up or down and not necessarily 90 degrees for either. Depending on the situation a little either way may do. Corner Airspeed: Each aircraft has a specific speed at which it can turn at both the best rate and tightest radius. This is not to say the absolute best rate or the absolute tightest radius the aircraft is capable of, but rather the best combination of both. Because of the F-16 flight control system, the F-16 does not have a true corner velocity. It has a corner plateau which is an airspeed range of 330 440 KCAS that produces a good turn rate based on available G. In this chart you can see the â€Å"corner plateau† of the Viper. Note how both radius and rate stay fairly constant between 330 and 440 knots. Note also how rapidly radius increases and rate decreases above 440 as well as the decrease in rate below 330. As mentioned previously Radius stays fairly constant all the way from 170 to 330 knots or so. We’ve discussed turn rate radius as well as corner airspeed. Understanding how these factors play into the fight is key to your ability to not only survive but dominate your adversary. It’s more than just knowing your own aircrafts performance in these areas, it’s knowing the enemies as well. On top of that your ability to exploit this knowledge is what will make the difference in the end. As an example. F-4F’s from Holloman AFB’s 20th FTS routinely flew and won against F-15’s during the 114th FTS’s bi-annual Sentry Eagle Air to Air meet. The most interesting matches were the F-15 instructors vs. the F-4F instructors. Even though the F-15’s had the advantage in power, radius, instantaneous and sustained rate, the F-4’s were able to still come out on top. Why? Partly because the F-4 pilots had more experience and seat time. Many of the F-4 instructors had more than 3,000 hours in the F-4. Bottom line though is that they flew better BFM. They knew their jet and they knew their adversaries jet and it’s capabilities to a better level than their adversaries did. They used this knowledge to overcome the advantages of the enemy by taking advantage of their own aircrafts systems and flight characteristics. The moral of this story? Study and train hard. Know your jet inside and out and explore and become a expert at handling her. Know your enemy as well. Study of other aircraft and knowing what their performance actually translates to in the fight, will make the difference between killing or dying. Here’s another example. The F-18 has better nose pointing ability at lower speeds (below 240 knots down to 190) than the F-16. Nose pointing ability is rate G/AOA. Commonly referred to as Alpha in fighter pilot speak. Does this mean that the F-18 will always win in this speed range? Think about that question. What are the reasons you think so or not? We’ll use group discussion to answer it in depth. There’s way more to it than most people think.

VB.NET Imports Statement Versus References

VB.NET Imports Statement Versus References The actual effect of the Imports statement in VB.NET is often a source of confusion for people learning the language. And the interaction with VB.NET References makes for even more confusion. Were going to clear that up in this Quick Tip. Heres a brief summary of the whole story. Then well go over the details. A Reference to a VB.NET namespace is a requirement and must be added to a project before the objects in the namespace can be used. (A set of references is automatically added for the different templates in Visual Studio or VB.NET Express. Click Show All Files in  Solution Explorer to see what they are.) But the Imports statement is not a requirement. Instead, its simply a coding convenience that allows shorter names to be used. Now lets look at an actual example. To illustrate this idea, were going to use the System.Data namespace - which provides ADO.NET data technology. System.Data is added to Windows applications as a Reference by default using the VB.NET Windows Forms Application template. Adding a Namespace in the References Collection Adding a new namespace to the References collection in a project makes the objects in that namespace available to the project as well. The most visible effect of this is that the Visual Studio Intellisense will help you find the objects in popup menu boxes. If you attempt to use an object in your program without a Reference, the line of code generates an error. The Imports statement, on the other hand, is never required. The only thing it does is allow the name to be resolved without being fully qualified. In other words (emphasis added to show the differences). Imports System.Data Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDb.OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class and Imports System.Data.OleDb Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class are both equivalent. But ... Imports System.Data Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class results in a syntax error (Type OleDbCommand is not defined) because of the Imports namespace qualification System.Data doesnt provide enough information to find the object OleDbCommand. Although the qualification of names in your program source code can be coordinated at any level in the apparent hierarchy, you still have to pick the right namespace to reference. For example, .NET provides a System.Web namespace and a whole list of others starting with System.Web ... Note There are two entirely different DLL files for the references. You DO have to pick the right one because WebService isnt a method in one of them.

Problems with Included Tree Bark

Problems with Included Tree Bark Included bark or ingrown bark tissues often develop where two or more stems grow closely together causing weak, under-supported branch angles. Bark often grows around the branching stem attachment and into the union between the two stems. Bark has no strong supportive fiber strength as wood does so the connection is much weaker than a union without included bark. Pruning All maturing trees are subject to having bark inclusions and need pruning while limbs are smaller and easier to remove. Any signs of a cracked weak branch angle (shaped like a V) with included bark that occurs on the main stem or any included bark areas on larger, lower limbs should be considered a defect. Connected stems with a supported U or Y shape are desirable.  Proper pruning will help prevent included bark and encourage the proper shape. Dont Automatically Worry about Decay The presence of decay by itself does not make the tree a hazard tree. All trees have some rot and decay with advancing age. Decay is a problem where the wood is soft and hollowed out along with the presence of mushrooms/conks. Take immediate action if advanced decay is present or associated with weak branches or included bark. Signs for Concern   A weak branch union occurs on the main stem.A weak branch union is associated with a crack, cavity, or another defect.

Jay's Sporting Goods research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jay's Sporting Goods research paper - Essay Example Jay’s Sporting Goods is compared with the competitors from every possible aspect. Thus after considering the marked differences in the marketing strategy of all three of them we finally reached the SOV that is Share of Voice. After going through some of the survey data available the market condition is judged in terms of demand for any particular product or liking towards any particular game. The study was also done to see whether any segment is untapped or not. SWOT analysis was done to understand the company’s position more properly. Based on the findings, recommendations are made. The company’s market objective is outlined and the marketing strategy is planned. The plan includes type of promotions required by the company, target segment of the company, how can they be reached, the medium that can be used to reach them. To understand the medium again the survey data were referred to understand the most popular mode of advertisement. SITUATION ANALYSIS Marketing strategy and objective The marketing objective of a company can be achieved only by planning the marketing strategies in a correct manner. To outline the marketing strategy for Jay’s Sporting Goods understanding of the 4P’s of Marketing that is Product, Price, Promotion and Place for Jay’s is very essential. ... Pricing Jay’s Sporting Goods has a wide variety of product from different brands whose prices also differ. Since they have tie ups with many brands so the prices range is huge. One can get any item at cheaper price as well as at high price too (Jay’s Sporting Goods). Place Jay’s Sporting Goods is an online and outdoor superstore with two locations in Michigan. It’s a 41 years old business who started their operations in 1971 with 78,000 square ft building in Clare and a 40,000 Square ft building in Gaylord. So customers can visit them not only in their superstores but also online through their websites (Jay’s Sporting Goods). Promotion The various promotional strategies have been adopted by the Company. They offer discounts of certain percentage on certain products. They have also organized some seminars inviting some renowned personalities who are into the world of adventures. They have several outdoor partners, which are mainly different shows tel ecasted in television and radios. The company Jay’s Sporting Goods also has a product named Gift card which provides you opportunity for not only online shopping but also shopping at their store (Jay’s Sporting Goods). Thus we have thrown a light on the existing marketing strategy from where we can plan our future marketing and promotional strategies which will lead to the growth of the company. SWOT analysis of the company Strength The company deals in a wide variety of products both for men and women. So the company is not gender biased which opens up a huge market for them. The company has gone for an online store where one can buy any item right from their home, at a single click on the mouse. "Give the customer what they need and give them the best service possible" is the philosophy of

Definitional Arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definitional Arguments - Essay Example Notably, definitions appear in almost every argument, though sometimes they are hidden or tacitly accepted. But they rarely appear in isolation; the challenge in definitional arguments is for an individual to find the definitional claims that underlie other claims in academic, civic or other types of arguments. Pier Jennifer and Pattakos Alex provide a deeper understanding of definitional arguments through their respective articles â€Å"The Reprehensibility of the White Lie† and â€Å"The Meaning of Friendship in a Social-Networked World†. In each article there is a central issue or argument, which has been developed through a series of steps. In the article â€Å"The Reprehensibility of the White Lie†, the central issue is the white lies. In this article, Pier uses various examples that are familiar to provide an understandable definition of white lies. For instance, Pier uses daily conversations to define the concept of white lies. Amongst the aspects that Pie r uses to define white lies include of course, it was a blast, and it wasn’t me. Pier’s main concern is the evasion of responsibility in as far as white lies are concerned throughout her article. In order to support her definition, Pier uses various criteria. ... Another claim that Pier uses to justify the definition of white lies is the creation of the distinction between white lies and other forms of duplicity. Thirdly, Pier claims that white lies are destructive. The second criterion that Pier uses to justify the definition of white lies is crafting of definitions. One of the definitions crafted by Pier is the operational definition of white lies. Pier tries to find a common ‘perfect’ lie capable of fitting all the mentioned claims or qualifications. Lastly, Pier used the criterion of mapping the formulated claims and crafted definition to come up with a convincing conclusion in regards to definition of white lies (206-209). In the second article, â€Å"The Meaning of Friendship in a Social-Networked World†, Pattakos’ main or central issue is friends and how their acquisition contributes to a meaningful life. Just like Pier, Pattakos uses familiar examples and concepts to help in defining friends. In addition, Pa ttakos uses ideas from different stakeholders and scholars such as Aristotle and Mark Zuckerberg to try and establish the definition of friends and its relationship with meaningful life. In a bid to justify the definition, Pattakos employs various criteria. The first criterion employed by Pattakos in the article is the use of claims. Pattakos has employed various claims in a bid to justify the definition of friends. The first claim is that friends significantly contribute to meaningful life. Another claim that Pattakos makes in relation to finding the definition of friends is that various reasons prompt the search for the meaning of friends. For instance, the intrinsic motivation of persons and the fact that it is a megatrend within the 21st century to understand and

Strategies For Reducing Violence Essay Example for Free

Strategies For Reducing Violence Essay There are many causes of death but violence can be considered one of the leading causes worldwide. The most recent violent act was a tragic event that took place at an elementary school in Connecticut that killed 28 children as well as some teachers. Violence can be defined as the use of physical force or power against oneself, another person or against a community of a group, which may result in injury, death, mental harm or physical harm. Acts of violence include suicide, terrorism, child abuse, rape, and bullying. This essay will explore how violence can be reduced through changing social and cultural norms, and the teaching of social skills. Violence can be reduced through different school programs that teach the students ways to reduce violence. Olweus (1972) conducted an experiment in schools in Norway and had the whole-school faculty participate. He developed a seminar that taught the school faculty how to deal with bullying which included strict supervision on playgrounds and lunchrooms. He advised that if any bulling took place, the counselors should conduct therapy with the bullies. Olweus reported that this program reduced 50% of all bullying activities. However, on the downside, this research only took place in Norway, which is a country that already emphasizes on social importance and bullying. This could mean that the research may just be adding on to the progress already made. In addition, the policies and programs may only be effective if everyone is aware and is committed in changing. This research is a qualitative research, which can lead to bias and there is no control group for this experiment. However, a nti-bullying programs have been shown to be effective. Another method to reduce violence is through the teaching of social skills. Aronson (1979) used cooperative activities in classroom with the idea that everyone must work together. He used jigsaw puzzles and allowed the class to work together to come to a common goal, or consensus. Everyone had something to contribute and students had to collaborate to move forward. This forced children to help one another and contributed towards the learning process. Aronson also found that this lowered the rate of bullying in schools and increased interaction between out groups. There are also more positive interaction between students. However, this research cannot measure the interaction between students outside of school because it was limited within school grounds. The research was qualitative research, which can lead to possible biases. Although the research emphasizes cooperation and collective norms that would reduce bullying, this research is 20 years old. But there are newer research conducted by Figueireido et al in 2007 with computer training which shows similar effects. This activity alone will not reduce violence because there should be school monitoring of the students. Overall, this method is quite effective and schools should emphasize in training the students. Violence can be reduced through the changing social and cultural norms. There have been many studies that show that norms can increase violence. For example, the American south have a culture of honor that forces men to not accept insults or inappropriate conducts from others. One way to change the social and cultural norms is through education. In a study conducted by Foshee et al where he aimed to prevent adolescent dating violence, the participants’ attitudes towards violence were measured through a series of questionnaires before and after the program. Foshee et al, found that there were less psychological abuse and sexual violence reported in the treatment than in the control group. However, these effects were only reported through questionnaires and the conclusions of the results were based on self-report, not actual behavior. In addition, the effects were explained by changes in the dating violence norms, awareness and gender stereotyping. But reducing the adolescent dating violence through education is a possible option to consider. In conclusion, violence can be reduced through educating children about bullying and changing social and cultural norms. These are the bases of whether a person will be violent or not. If the root cases of these bases are solved, then there will be less violence in the future. It is important for people to educate the young about violence but it is difficult to change a communities’ social norm. However, it is possible if people are cooperating, there will be less more tragic incidents like the shooting in Connecticut.

Sociology: Privilege :: Sociology Essays

1. (a) Privilege is defined as a favor or right granted to some people, but not to everyone. (b) Power is defined as strength, ability, or a driving force. (c) Difference is defined as the way in which two things are not the same. (d) According to MacIntosh there are two types of privileges. The first is based on what she calls â€Å"unearned entitlements,† which are things that all people should have. Some examples are feeling safe in a public place or working in a place where they feel that they belong and are valued for what they can contribute. The other type of privilege is what MacIntosh calls â€Å"unearned advantage,† and occurs when â€Å"unearned entitlements† are restricted to certain groups. An example would be a white person feeling out of place at a downtown nightclub. (e) The paradox in privilege is that individuals are the one’s who experience privilege or the lack of it, but individuals are not what are actually privileged. Instead, privilege is defined in relation to a group or a social category. For example, race privilege is mo re about white people than it is about white people. Privileges are only granted in society when people identify the individual as belonging to a specific category, race, gender, or cultural background. By saying that oppression is the flip side of privilege the author means that for every social category that is privileged, one or more other categories are oppressed in relation to it. Oppression points toward the social forces that â€Å"press† upon people and hold them back, thus blocking their pursuit of a good life. 2. (a) Capitalism is defined as an economic system based on ownership of resources by individuals or companies and not by the state. Capitalism as it relates to sociology has to do with the fact that it not only produces enormous amounts of wealth, but that it creates extreme levels of inequality among social classes and societies. Capitalism also has made the rich richer and the poor poorer and has opened the gap in the U.S. class system. The matrix of domination says that each particular form of privilege, whether based on race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, or ethnicity, exists only as a much larger system of privilege. It works by simplifying and clarifying the gray areas that we encounter in privilege. It allows us to see that each form of privilege exists only in relation to all the rest and keeps us from trying to figure out which is the worst or most oppressive.

Optimal Capital Structure Essay

The optimal capital structure for a company should be the mix of equity, debt and hybrid instruments that minimizes the overall cost of funding, i.e. it should minimize the company’s weighted average cost of capital. In practice, however, it is not possible to specify this optimal capital structure exactly, for any individual company. It clearly makes sense to obtain funds at the lowest possible cost. In the long run, debt is cheaper than equity. However, when a company’s financial leverage increases as it takes on more debt capital, there is an increasing risk for stockholders. The cost of equity therefore will rise, perhaps offsetting the benefits of raising cheap debt capital. Although management cannot be specific about the optimal capital structure for their company, they should at least be aware of †¢how banks and the capital markets might respond to an increase in the company’s leverage level if it were to borrow new funds, and †¢Whether the company is sufficiently low geared to make new debt capital an attractive option, compared to a new issue of equity as a fund-raising measure. There are two approaches to managing a company’s capital structure: a reactive and a proactive approach. The reactive approach is to take funding decisions when a requirement for more—or less—funding becomes apparent, and to raise or reduce capital by the method that seems best at the time. The proactive approach that is found in companies with large and well-organized treasury functions is to †¢forecast future funding requirements or funding surpluses as much as possible †¢establish targets for capital structure, in particular a target leverage level (a target range) and a target maturity profile for debt capital †¢If appropriate, raise funds early when new funding requirements are anticipated, in order to take advantage of favorable conditions in the capital markets or low bank lending rates. This approach calls for accurate and flexible forecasting skills, and good treasury management systems. A proactive approach also can be taken to reducing funds, whenever a company considers its current funding to be in excess of requirements for the foreseeable, long-term future. By having a target leverage level and a target debt maturity profile, management can decide which method of removing surplus capital might be more appropriate, i.e. †¢reducing equity, by raising dividends or buying back and canceling stocks, or †¢Redeeming loans early. Company’s capital structure is never static and will change over time. Retained earnings that should be earned continually add to equity and reduce leverage levels. It is not unusual, therefore, for companies to experience funding cycles of high leverage, as new loans are obtained to fund capital expansion, and decreasing leverage, as retained earnings are earned. The cash flows generated from profits could be used to redeem loans and thereby replace debt capital with equity in the company’s capital structure.

How Man Is Changing the Environment and Biomes

How is man changing environment or biomes? Man is drastically changing the environment with all the needs he has. Humans cut down entire forests in the course of a month. Then we build buildings in its place making it impossible for anything to grow there. Those trees were a crucial part to the ecosystem and environment, which are now changed forever. We also drive cars, which emit exhaust, which in turn hurts our ozone layer and heats up the Earth. Once the ozone layer is damaged the ice caps melt a little and now the entire environment is changed, all thanks to man.Not to mention that biomes are changed as well due to global warming; the ice caps melt a little and the world gets hotter, thus the biomes near the sea are changed because the water level rises and the weather there is hotter. Another way man is changing biomes and the environment around the world is by building cities. Humans build new buildings every day and those buildings take up space, space that was once a tree, a bit of grassland, or maybe a little pond.The cities we build are all around the world and some of the places where those cities are used to be entire ecosystems. For example the Thames and the area surrounding it in London, England; they were once their own environment and we built over the land surrounding the river and dumped a bunch of garbage into the Thames. The same goes for Denver; it lies on a mountain, the area it lies on used to have creeks and trees, but now it just has buildings and roads. Another part of the environment changed forever due to us humans.

Execute and Run Applications and Files From Delphi Code

Execute and Run Applications and Files From Delphi Code The Delphi programming language provides a quick way to write, compile, package, and deploy applications cross-platform. Although Delphi creates a graphical user interface, there are bound to be times you want to execute a program from your Delphi code. Lets say you have a database application that uses an external backup utility. The backup utility takes parameters from the  application and archives the data, while your program waits until the backup finishes. Maybe you want to open documents presented in a file list box  just by double-clicking on them  without opening the associated program first. Imagine a link label in your program that takes the user to your home page. What do you say about sending an email directly from your Delphi application through the default Windows email client program? ShellExecute To launch an application or execute a file in a Win32 environment, use the ShellExecute Windows API function. Check out the help on ShellExecute for a  full description of parameters and error codes returned. You can open any document without knowing which program is associated with it- the link is defined in the Windows Registry. Here are some shell examples.   Run Notepad uses ShellApi;...ShellExecute(Handle, open,c:\Windows\notepad.exe, nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Open SomeText.txt With Notepad ShellExecute(Handle,open,c:\windows\notepad.exe,c:\SomeText.txt, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Display the Contents of the "DelphiDownload" Folder ShellExecute(Handle,open, c:\DelphiDownload, nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Execute a File According to Its Extension ShellExecute(Handle, open, c:\MyDocuments\Letter.doc,nil,nil,SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Heres how to find an application associated with an extension. Open a Website or a *.htm File With the Default Web Explorer ShellExecute(Handle, open,http://delphi.about.com,nil,nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Send an Email With the Subject and the Message Body var em_subject, em_body, em_mail : string;begin em_subject : This is the subject line; em_body : Message body text goes here; em_mail : mailto:delphiaboutguide.com?subject em_subject body em_body ; ShellExecute(Handle,open, PChar(em_mail), nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ;end; Heres how to send an email with the attachment. Execute a Program and Wait Until It Finishes The following example uses the ShellExecuteEx API function. // Execute the Windows Calculator and pop up// a message when the Calc is terminated.uses ShellApi;...var SEInfo: TShellExecuteInfo; ExitCode: DWORD; ExecuteFile, ParamString, StartInString: string;begin ExecuteFile:c:\Windows\Calc.exe; FillChar(SEInfo, SizeOf(SEInfo), 0) ; SEInfo.cbSize : SizeOf(TShellExecuteInfo) ; with SEInfo do begin fMask : SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS; Wnd : Application.Handle; lpFile : PChar(ExecuteFile) ;{ParamString can contain theapplication parameters.}// lpParameters : PChar(ParamString) ;{StartInString specifies thename of the working directory.If ommited, the current directory is used.}// lpDirectory : PChar(StartInString) ; nShow : SW_SHOWNORMAL; end; if ShellExecuteEx(SEInfo) then begin repeat Application.ProcessMessages; GetExitCodeProcess(SEInfo.hProcess, ExitCode) ; until (ExitCode STILL_ACTIVE) or Application.Terminated; ShowMessage(Calculator terminated) ; end else ShowMessage(Error starting Calc!) ;end;

Harun Al-Rashid Abbasid Caliph Profile

Harun Al-Rashid Abbasid Caliph Profile Harun Al-Rashid Was Also Known As Haroun ar-Rashid, Harun al-Raschid or Haroon al Rasheed Harun Al-Rashid Was Known For Creating a fabulous court at Baghdad that would be immortalized in The Thousand and One Nights. Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph. Occupations Caliph Places of Residence and Influence Asia: Arabia Important Dates Became caliph: Sept. 14, 786 Died: March 24, 809 About Harun al-Rashid Born to the caliph al-Mahdi and the former slave-girl al-Khayzuran, Harun was raised at court and received the bulk of his education from Yahya the Barmakid, who was a loyal supporter of Haruns mother. Before he was out of his teens, Harun was made the nominal leader of several expeditions against the Eastern Roman Empire; his success (or, more accurately, the success of his generals) resulted in his earning the title al-Rashid, which means the one following the right path or upright or just. He was also appointed governor of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, which Yahya administered for him, and named second in line to the throne (after his older brother, al-Hadi). Al-Mahdi died in 785 and al-Hadi died mysteriously in 786 (it was rumored that al-Khayzuran arranged his death), and Harun became caliph in September of that year. He appointed as his vizier Yahya, who installed a cadre of Barmakids as administrators. Al-Khayzuran had considerable influence over her son until her death in 803, and the Barmakids effectively ran the empire for Harun. Regional dynasties were given semi-autonomous status in return for considerable annual payments, which enriched Harun financially but weakened the power of the caliphs. He also divided his empire between his sons al-Amin and al-Mamun, who would go to war after Haruns death. Harun was a great patron of art and learning, and is best known for the unsurpassed splendor of his court and lifestyle. Some of the stories, perhaps the earliest, of The Thousand and One Nights were inspired by the glittering Baghdad court, and King Shahryar (whose wife, Scheherazade, tells the tales) may have been based on Harun himself. More Harun al-Rashid Resources Iraq: Historical Setting Encyclopedia article on Abbasids Harun al-Rashid on the Web Harun al-RashidInformative collection of data at NNDB. Harun al-Rashid (786-809)Brief overview of Haruns life at the Jewish Virtual Library. Harun ar-RashidConcise bio at Infoplease. Harun al-Rashid in Print The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the books page at one of the online merchants. Harun Al-Rashid and the World of a Thousand and One Nightsby Andre Clot Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the Narrative of the Abbasid Caliphate(Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)by Tayeb El-Hibri

Protecting Personal Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Protecting Personal Information - Essay Example But there are many concerns which consumers must consider if they want to enter into protected and secure transactions with the seller companies without any security risks involved. They must watch what PII they are going to share with the companies online. Companies might ask them to give their PII like name, address, phone number, e-mail address, spouse’s name, name of parents and children, social insurance number, bank account number or credit card number. Consumers should make sure that the seller companies have a privacy policy mentioned on their websites and that the security of their credit cards or any other mode of payment is also guaranteed. If the credit card number has been given, then the statement must be checked regularly so as to make sure that there are no unknown charges that are not in the consumer’s knowledge. It is also a sensible idea to keep a copy of all agreements, transactions, and communications that have been carried out with the online vendo rs so that a proof is always there in case of complaints- minor or severe.Two of the many laws regarding identity theft are discussed below:Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)CFAA was designed in 1984 and deals with penalties for the intruders who gain access to sensitive information stored in a computer without authorized access. Computers have to be protected when the consumers carry out commercial activities, engage in cross-border e-commerce, and make online business transactions and email communications with online traders.... It is also a sensible idea to keep a copy of all agreements, transactions and communications that have been carried out with the online vendors so that a proof is always there in case of complaints- minor or severe. Laws and Legislation Two of the many laws2 regarding identity theft are discussed below: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) CFAA was designed in 1984 and deals with penalties for the intruders who gain access to sensitive information stored in a computer without authorized access. Computers have to be protected when the consumers carry out commercial activities, engage in cross-border e-commerce, and make online business transactions and email communications with online traders. The Act applies penalties upon the identity thieves starting from 10 years to 20 years of imprisonment. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) This law was passed in order to eliminate the menace of identity theft. The need for secure online networks initially arose when issu es like computer viruses and internet fraud posed a threat to the security and privacy of data stored on online servers and health records. HIPAA was passed by U.S. Congress on August 21, 1996. It deals with the privacy issue of the consumer’s data and presents Privacy Rule which ensures fines and punishments for fraud and violation of the rule. Ethical, Moral and Social Issues It is important to educate the users of internet and computer systems about â€Å"intellectual property rights issues, privacy/ surveillance issues, access to data issues and issues of human-computer interaction† (Stahl, Carroll-Mayer and Norris, 2006, p.298). They should know that

Job resume Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job resume - Essay Example Excellent communication skills, good negotiation skills, passion in travelling, fluency in English and the ability to undertake difficult responsibilities are some of the plus points which made me suitable for this profession. Apart from marketing skills, in my opinion, a marketing professional needs management skills and the ability to work in a team. My diverse experiences in Bobby Brown Cosmetic Shop, Samsung life insurance and Oriental Spoon Restaurant have added more value to my leadership, marketing and management skills. It is difficult to market a product using the same marketing strategy all over the world. Each market has its own identity and characteristics because of the cultural, social, political and economical differences. In other words, custom made marketing strategies are necessary for each market. Korea is one of the rapidly developing economies in the world even amidst tensions with the neighboring countries like North Korea. In United States, FedEx has succeeded in monopolizing the logistics market whereas in Korea same thing cannot be said about FedEx. I have studied many of the marketing strategies of the FedEx in America and I think I can implement those strategies in Korea with a little bit of fine tuning. Currently, FedEx failed to deliver even in-state deliveries on the same day of shipping in Korea (Max). But in United States the case is different. In fact same day delivery of goods made FedEx the number one logistics company in United States. In my opinion, FedEx should try to deliver as much as goods on the same day of shipping in Korea also in order to become the market leader there. I have an extensive 150 days marketing plan for my Korea operations if succeeded in getting a marketing profession in FedEx. If FedEx provides me an opportunity to work in Korea, I will use the initial 30 days for studying the market. Market study is

Implementation Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementation Plan - Case Study Example This design of the proposed system will save on cost and subsequently increase the profit margins by the end of the financial year. The implementation report will also highlight on the systems approach for building a technological software application that universally integrates all the end user entities within a central information system. Automation of this project passes will go through specific software development phases. These processes start from feeling the need of automation (Requirement analysis) to reaping the benefits of automation (project execution) within the proposed environment. In huge organizations like the DaimlerChrysler (DC) Company the implementation partners in this project have to be kept informed in order to ensure a fruitful completion of the implementation plan. A poor implementation in important IT project like this one may result in big operational troubles, huge business loss or even closure of operations. Identifying and examining the business goals of this project form the basis for achieving the objectives of the IT project proposed for the DaimlerChrysler (DC) Company. The project goals and objectives mainly define the sole purpose for carrying out the implementation of the technology project. The objectives of this implementation plan can be divided into two sections, namely: The sharing of technical and general information, for example, the CATIA files can be easily communicated to both internal and external entities authorized to participate or interact with the organization’s system. This is achieved via consolidating activities for the various entities involved with the system. For example, the time for suppliers to make and receive approval orders for mechanical is greatly reduced. Operating a universal or unified system that can be monitored from a central or remote location by a system admin facilitates reducing corruption or fraud that might

Standard American Diet Versus a Nutritarian Diet

Standard American Diet Versus a Nutritarian Diet Essential Nutrients Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fat; they supply the calories to our body for energy and growth. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals; they do not contain calories but are essential for health and growth. They are found in whole foods, vegetables, beans, berries, and seeds. Standard American Diet In the standard American diet (SAD) about 85 percent of calories come from low-nutrient, high-calorie processed foods, animal products, dairy products and sweets. All these foods contribute to weight gain, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Only 10 percent of the SAD is from natural plants such as vegetables, beans, seeds and nuts, which contain micronutrients that help protect blood vessels and prevent cancer. Thats why we have an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The Nutritarian Diet, Health Equation, and ANDI Scores A nutritarian diet is a diet plan rich in micronutrients based on the health equation: Health (H) = Nutrients (N) / Calories (C) This means the more nutrient dense your diet, the healthier you become. The Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) ranks the nutrient value of many common foods based on the amount of nutrients per calorie. This system ranks foods on a scale from 1 to 1,000, with the most nutrient-dense cruciferous leafy green vegetables (kale, collard greens, mustard greens, and watercress) scoring at 1,000. The table in Dr. Fuhrmans ANDI Scores (https://www.drfuhrman.com/learn/library/articles/95/andi-food-scores-rating-the-nutrient-density-of-foods) is a list of ANDI Scores of many common foods. The Eat to Live Plan is a nutritarian diet plan with the following features: Large portions of green vegetables, raw or cooked Animal products limited to no more than three small servings per week No dairy, white flour, and white rice No processed foods, cold cereals, and sweets No sweeteners, except fruits and limited unsulfured dried fruits Carbohydrates with high ANDI scores, such as beans, peas, squashes, lentils, and intact whole grains Protective foods such as walnuts, mushrooms, onion, berries, and seeds. Food Pyramid Beef, sweets, cheese, milk, processed food, hydrogenated oil Rarely Poultry, eggs, oils Once a week or less Fish/Fat-free dairy Twice a week or less Raw nuts/Seeds 10-20% of calories Fruits 15-25% of calories Beans/Legumes 20-30% of calories Vegetables half raw and half cooked 30-70% of calories Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Refined grain products-such as bagels, white bread, pasta, white rice, most breakfast cereals, and other processed grains- have low nutrient value. These foods are rapidly digested and converted to sugar, raising the glucose level in the bloodstream in the same way as if you had consumed a cube of sugar. Studies have shown that long-term intake of refined grain products causes weight gain and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. The glycemic index (GI) ranks food on a scale from 0 to 100 according to their impact on blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are digested and absorbed rapidly, producing steep rises in blood sugar and insulin levels. Low-GI foods are digested and absorbed slowly, producing gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels. The glycemic load (GL) measures the actual calories of glucose produced by a serving of the food. Carrot is a good example of the lack of precision inherent in using only the GI measure. Carrots GI is 35, which is fairly high. But when carrots are eaten raw, their glycemic effect is lessened as the body does not absorb all the calories in raw foods. Carrots GL is only 3. It is not a negative food, even for the diabetics. The Glycemic Index (GI) Food Chart (http://documents.hants.gov.uk/hms/HealthyEatingontheRun-LowGlycemicIndexFoodList.pdf) shows the GI for many common foods. Studies have shown that a diet with a higher GL is associated with a greater risk of colorectal, endometrial, and breast cancers. Refined grain products, soft drinks, and fruit juices can cause weight gain and lead to diabetes. Studies also show the this link becomes stronger as the individuals weight and insulin resistance increases.

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating Education Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet My first memory of plagiarism is from grade school. I can remember having to do book reports. The teacher would always say, "write this report using your own words, do not just copy out of the book". So what did we do, we used a combination of both. In grade school we didn’t realize the seriousness of plagiarism. For the most part we didn’t even really understand what the word meant. It was something the teacher talked about when she assigned essays or book reports. Webster’s dictionary defines plagiarism as this, "to take and use as one’s own the ideas or writings of another." I would suspect plagiarism is as old as the written language. Inevitably, as soon as someone committed their thoughts to paper, someone else read it and used the words to express themselves without giving credit. Plagiarism goes on in all aspects of our society. It does not discriminate. Plagiarism is an issue in our schools, on our college campuses, and in our media. It weaves its thread through our entire culture. The news media and book publishers are all too aware of the nasty concept of plagiarism. Just recently the author J. K. Rowlings of the popular Harry Potter series came under heavy fire. She was accused of stealing another female author’s ideas. It seems in the early 80’s this author published books about the character Larry Potter. Her character names were the same as those in the J. K. Rowling’s series. The differences between the characters in the two series were what the characters actually were. Nimbus is a name used in both series. Nimbus in the Harry Potter series is a broom, however in the other author’s series Nimbus was an actual being. So, there in lies the crux of the matter. Almost every article I read, mentioned the importance of intent. Did the writers style of writing lead him in the direction to naturally produce the work or did the writer intentionally pass off someone else’s work as their own. In the above mentioned case, J. K. Rowlings stated Harry came to her fully formed. She did not willing use the other authors ideas. In the news media pointing the finger of plagiarism at a journalist can set off an event similar to the Salem Witch trials. Plagiarism is taken very seriously in the news media. After all, credibility is at stake, not to mention ratings as well.

Providing Free Wi-Fi to New York City

Providing Free Wi-Fi to New York City Defining the Solution: New York City is a city with a large population of people, lots of skyscraping buildings, numerous businesses, and a lack of available free WI-FI service. Today we will be working on developing a way to provide free WI-FI to all of New York City. First we have to look at the reasons, resources needed, and problems which will be on the road to providing such service to New York City. To define the problem a little in depth, we need to find out the necessities needed. 1.There needs to be a study conducted to figure out how a system can be placed in a city that is so rich in life, but cluttered with buildings and minimal available space for equipment installation. 2. The city needs to campaign a project, letting the people know what they are trying to do to bring such service to them. 3. Bring in network companies to provide the service. 4. Chart a project cost budget: i. e. -material cost, man power, and location cost. 5. Sur vey areas where service will be needed most. 6. Survey and gather information from the population on what service provider they use and service plans are used most.This will ensure that there are no network conflicts when the free WI-FI project is completed. 7. Schedule meeting with companies and experts in these technical areas to gather information. This will be information that can be charted or graphed. 8. Analyze all information, graphs, and charts that they have, to see problem areas and solutions to other problem areas. I am expecting that there will be many roadblocks to the road success. There will be many obstacles that will have to be problem and we will overcome these problems.But to develop a way to make WI-FI available to all of New York City will be tough project. It will be a tough project, however with great organization it can be a successful project. I believe with reliable and professional teamwork, it will be available in the future. Generating a Solution: Defin ing the problem for developing a solution to provide free WI-FI for all of New York City has been addressed. We have categorized where the problems lay and discussed what is needed to show the problems that exist. Now that the problems are defined, solutions need to be generated to piece together he problems. In order to generate a solution, a team comprised of technology professionals, state officials, city officials, private and non-profit developer organizations, the voice of the people, and a list of detail equipment needed and the cost of the equipment will need to be brought together as one. First is to assemble a group of broadband and wireless experts, so we can gather possible answers to the defined problem. After getting a starting point, data needs to be portrayed on charts, reports, and diagrams. This information can then be brought to the attention of city and state officials.The voice of the people can be a key to what is being used and what is needed to suit their nee ds for wireless connection. So surveys need to be sent out, public hearing need to be set up, and gather information from wireless companies to see what is being used today by the people. When setting up a public hearing, a panel of expert will be needed to answer the question that the people may have. Also to seek answers the experts will have for the people so they can configure the amount of technology is needed to make the project possible.The roles of the city government and the private and non-profit developers can be a major factor on how and where to start the wireless project. We would need the approval from these groups to have a starting point. Also we would see what resources the city already have and what is needed to included in a report for financial purposes. The financial report is essential to show what is already available for use in the project and what resource is needed plus the cost for the needed equipment. Then a starting location(s) will be needed to begin the project.Possible locations (ie: city parks) for wireless hotspots can be a good starting expansion point. To generate a solution we need: 1. Broadband and Wireless Experts 2. Approval from the City Government 3. Private and Non-Profit Development Organizations 4. State Agency Resources 5. The voice of the people 6. Locations 7. Financial Resources 8. Financial Report of Resource and Equipment Cost The next step is to gather all the possible solution information and analyze the data. Deciding a Course of Action:In generating a solution, we have learned that there are a variety of resources that have to be looked at in order for a solution to be found. We found that a team of technical professionals (ie: wireless carrier companies, IT organizations, and city electrical development department) is needed for wireless development. The voice of the people; to see what wireless carriers are being used, to survey where they use it more, and where they would like to use the wireless serv ice at. State and city officials are needed to help implement the project by vote of approval. Private and non-profit organizations are needed to fund this project.Last is to purchase the equipment for wireless capability. Deciding a course of action for the solution means that we need to take a look at what is at the top of the priority list. At the top of the priority list would be to speak with technical professionals, to see if it is possible to supply the wireless without any possible signal problems to disrupt the use of wireless service. Through this we can generate a list of resources that are needed. After speaking with various technical professionals, we see that location is also a factor when it comes to wireless service.After conducting a grid survey, a decision is made to use local and state parks as areas for project development. Through this detailed reports and charts are made for state and city officials and private and non-profit development organizations to view t he results. Next a survey is sent out to the people to see if the technical professionals and grid survey team studies are correct. As the surveys are collected and read, it is determined that the studies are correct and the parks will be accurate locations for project development. With the completion of the surveys from the people, the information is then added to the project report.In addition to the report, survey charts are created to show the mapped locations for possible WIFI development service. Plus, bar and line charts will show why these locations were chosen, as well as additional charts to show the results of the surveys sent out to the people. Third course of action is to petition to speak with the state and city officials and present the report that can provide the Free WIFI access to the city and its people. By doing this, we can seek approval to start the development and to seek the both private and non-profit development organizations.These development organizations will help finance the development project and make it a reality. After attending numerous meetings with state and city officials, technical professionals, development organizations, and getting the approvals that is needed to start development. The last course of action is to purchase the equipment that will provide the WIFI service. The WIFI project will only give access in state and local park areas, this type of WIFI access service will be considered Hotspots or Hotzones for the free WIFI access. Implementing the Solution:Deciding the course of action has shown what the top priorities are and has helped develop the steps to getting started. Next is to implement the solution to make it a reality. A proposal was submitted to address state officials and local city council about the proposed project development. In turn we received a response from these governing offices that we will be heard on the subject of providing the Wi-Fi service to the city. Before we attend the scheduled d ay, we must overlook the project report and charts, to see that all the information is correct and formal.By going back and double checking everything will help us be more confident when we sell the idea, plus we will be well prepared to answer any questions that may be addressed. After looking over all the charts and the project report, it was noted that a project schedule timeline and a budget chart was not created. So we decided to send out a research team to determine how much time will be needed to complete the project and at what cost. First a Gantt chart is created to show the activity process, along with the months and year that each activity will be taking place.We can also have a visual schedule to see what task is in development and at when the deadline should be. Next is to create a budget list (chart). The chart will show the cost for employment of personnel (salaries& contracted personnel), equipment use (purchased or rented), Travel expenses (if any), technology suppl ies and equipment, and last is to show the projects overhead cost. A budget chart is vital when speaking to government officials and organizations funding the project. The project budget cost can be a factor if we get the funding and/or approval.Now that project report is completed and all the required information is within the report, we are now ready to present it to the government officials. As the day comes and all the important variables are presented to the council of officials, we wait till they discuss the development project. The development project finally receives the approval, which moves the project to the next part of the implement stage. Checking the Gantt chart, we see that we need to employ a development team. This team needs to consist of IT experts and professionals, project managers, and a team of hands on working professional.We also need to purchase all the necessary technological (laptops, desktops, software, and communication devices) and development equipmen t needed to start the project. Next we need to schedule several meeting with the major wireless carriers to introduce to project in development and to try to influence them to be the wireless provider company. In order to choose the right companies to contact, we will schedule a public meeting to speak with NYC residents. By doing this we can see who is the major providers that the public use.Through several public meetings, we find out that AT&T and Verizon is the two providers that are used to most. So we call and schedule a meeting with the board of directors from both companies. Plus we have to schedule the proper flights to get to the corporate offices for these companies. After several physical and telephone conference meetings, both corporate providers agree to be involved in the development and would immediately put together a team to assist our development team in installing the necessary networks that we need. Through this, a change is made on the Gantt chart to include th ese companies and their team.Plus any cost will also include into the budget chart. With all the project resources that is needed for this project have been brought together, the deployment stage of the project needs to be started. Several meetings are set up to introduce all the executives, project management, government officials, and funding organizations. Construction crews and technical personnel need to be hired. Equipment needs to be ordered and purchased before the start of the project. Checking the development location charts, it has been determined that wireless systems need to be placed on high level areas.So checking city maps and blueprints, we choose city skyscrapers that have the high altitude we need. Checking with the buildings management and owners, we started to implement the wireless system construction. As the project goes through the various stages of the development; we consistently monitor the Gantt chart to make sure that the project is on schedule, continue to check for any potential paradigm shifts that can cause a delay, make sure that there is coordination of all tasks and personnel, and evaluate each completed task along the way.Experimental test are conducted throughout the development stages, to make sure that all equipment if properly functioning and compatible with our needs. To avoid any possible setbacks, contingency plans are implemented and alternate plans are made. Any changes to the project must always be reported and charted to keep all departments updated and informed. As we can see, this development project has many variables while implementing any solutions. We have to keep on track during the process and evaluate all solutions as they presented.Evaluate the Solution With the implementation of the project development, we need to consistently evaluate the solution. By doing this we will see: if the solution is logical and solves the real problem, if the solution is (economically, environmentally, politically, and ethn ically) responsible and safe, does it meet all the criteria and constraints, is it blunder-free, have we argued the positive and negative sides of the project, and check the procedure and logic of the arguments.We also have to create an ethics checklist to see if it is legal (will it violate civil law or company policy? ), will it be a win/win situation, will it be fair to all concerned in both the short term and long term, and will I be proud during the development stages and/or conclusion. We also have to remind ourselves about â€Å"purpose†. What is the purpose of why we started this project and what is the purpose of seeing this thru till the end? I see this as a motivation tool to make sure that we maintain the excitement of the project.While we are evaluating the solution, we need to implement a contingency plan for each stage of the development process. This will ensure that there is a back-up plan if we experience a paradigm shift or the project is at a development d own fall. After conducting a thorough evaluation of the solution and development process, we come to the conclusion of the project. By taking the steps to seeing the project through from defining the solution to evaluating the

Hypercompetition

Jouma! of Marketing Management, 1997, 13, 4 2 1 ^ 3 0 Evert Gummesson Stockholm University, School of Business, Stockholm, Sudden In Search of Marketing Equilibrium: Relationship Marketing Versus Hypercompetition This paper is a discussion on work in progress conceming tke development qf relationship marketing (RM). It is particularly focused on the concept of marketing equilibrium which is a marketing management correspondence to market equilibrium, the traditional concept of neoclassical economic;. The paper starts with a brief introduction to the author's approach to RJ4.It proceeds with a summary of the concept of marketing equilibrium. The next section is a discourse on hypercompetition, a partiailarly intense type of competition that has been observed by several authors. RM offers a marketing theory based on collaboration with various stakeholders through long-term relationships, customer retention and loyalty. In contrast, hypercompetitiett claims that customers uHU switch bet ween suppUers at an inaeasingly faster rate and that competitors will become increasingly hostile to one another.Two basic questions are raised: do RM and hypercompetition represent two conflicting but coexisting trends that arc both growing in intensity? and How can this coexistence or conflict be conceptually handled? Tlie aim qf this paper is not to be complete and provide an answer, only to draw the reader's attention to hypercompetition as an opposite trend to RMand to offer a platform for further analysis and constructive and reflective scholarly dialogue. The 30R Approach to R M The 30R approach to RM is the outcome of an ongoing research project on â€Å"the new markedng† (Gummesson 1994, 1995). 0R refers to thirty reladonships that were found to exist in marketing. During the research process, three core variables stood out: relatiorahips, networks and interacdon. A consequent definidon of RM then became â€Å"RM is marketing seen as reladonships, networks and inter acdon†. The 3ORs wiU not be listed here, but their basic structure wiU be given. A distinction is made between market reladonships (reladonships between actors in the market such as suppUers, customers, compedtors and intermedieiries), nd two types of non-market reladonships which exercise an influence on market reladonships, but are not part of the market propier. These are mega reladonships (reladonships in society, above the market reladonships, such as reladonships to governments) and nano reladonships (reladonships inside organizadons, such as intemal customer reladonships). Services markedng and ttie network approach to industrial marketing have provided the primary theoredcal impietus for the author to explore the shortcomings 0267-257X/97/050421 + 10 $12. 00/0  ©1997'nte Dryden Press 422Evert Gummesson of traditional marketing management theory. ^ Both theories were bom in the 1970s and have continued to giow in importance. The author's idea to merge the two goes bac k to 1982 and has since been pursued and broadened (Gummesson 1983, 1987, 1995). The term RM, however, was not used in a general sense until about 1990 (see e. g. Christopher et al. 1991; Groru-oos 1994; Gummesson 1994; Hunt and Morgan 1994; Sheth 1994). Instead, terms Uke long-term interactive relationships, interactive marketing, network approach and a new concept of marketing were used.My resejtrch approach is theory generating and based on comparative, qualitative analysis and syniiieses between data from inductive, real-world studies^ received theories and new theories in the process of development. Marketing Equilibrium This section is an introduction to the general concept of marketing equilibrium and a discussion on certain aspects of the equilibrium. Marketing equilibrium is a serendipitous outcome of the author's research on RM. The concept is further elaborated in Gummesson (1995, 19%). The three forces of marketing equilibrium are competition, collaboration and regulatio ns/institutions.Although Western economies are repeatedly referred to as market economies with free competition as their ethos, in reality they are mixed economies in which competition coexists with collaboration and regulations/ institutions. Marketing equilibrium contends that a sound market is the outcome of an optimal combination of the three forces of competition, collaboration and regulatiorw/institutions. As all kinds of equilibria in dynanuc envirorunents are unstable, it is a matter of heading toward a moving target, orJy rarely reaching it and only rarely staying there for any longer period of time.Whereas traditional marketing management literature primarily deals with competition, RM highlights collaboration. Collaboration implies that aU parties actively assume responsibility to make relationships functional. The author's conclusion is that: The focus on collaboration is the most important contribution from RM, with an impact on both marketing management and economics, and that collaboration in a market economy needs to be treated with the same attention and resped as competition. Although the third force, regulations/institutions, is not the theme of this paper, a few words will be said about it.Regulations indude both formal regulations through legislation, and informal codes of conduct through culture; institutiorts are both formal authorities whose task is to ascertain that regulations are enforced, and phenomena such as the family or religion that enforce a certain behaviour. In marketing rhetoric, regulations/institutions—and to a large extent also collaboration— are treated with suspidon and as inhibiting competition and the dynamics ^Inputs to the 30R concept also came from traditional marketing management, sales management, quality management, orgaruzation theory, and other areas. The term real world data is iised here instead of empirical data. Thereasonis that too often researchers in business subject mistake empirical for qiiantitative, while in the geiieral language of sdence empirical refers to all types of data, whrther they come as qualitative, quantitative, or in any other format. In Search of Marketing Equilibrium: Rdationship Marketing vs Hypercompetition 423 of an economy. In narketing practice, however, they are ubiquitous. Douglass North, Nobel Prize laureate in the economic sdences in 1993, has shown that regulations/institutions are dynamic and necessary elements of a narket economy (North 1993).Marketing equiUbrium attempts to see the role of marketing management in the context of sodety and on an industry and economics level. It should not be confused with the market equiUbrium of neoclassical theory of economics (also referred to as microeconomics or simply price theory). ^ In neoclassical economics, the core variables are supply and demand balanced by the invisible hand of price in a market of free competition. The market is assumed to be striving in the direction of a longterm equiU brium in which aU prices are equal and all products are standardized. Customers and suppliers are anonymous masses.Companies and industries are not managing their production and sales, they are orUy adjusting to exogenous market influences. All deviations from this idealized model axe referred to as unwanted imperfections. Although marketing management is offen described as an adaptation of neodassical economics, it is blatantly obvious from even a simple real-world study of markets, industries and individual companies, that a different foundation for a marketing management theory is imperative. For example, services which constitute anything from 60 to 90% of today's economies (depending on definition) are not considered.The assumptions of neoclassical economics are simply not vaUd. There are signs that the interest in coUaboration is gaining ground not only in real business life but also in marketing theory; the most obvious being the upsurge of literature on RM and related subjec ts such as customer loyalty and alUances. Brandenbui^er and Nalebuff (1996) introduce the term â€Å"co-opetition†, which is a combination of co-operation and competition. They show that game theory is one possible way of exploring this combination (â€Å"the prisoners' dilemma†).Gray (1989) points to coUaboration as a solution to multi-party problem and says (p. 54): â€Å"Despite powerful incentives to collaborate, our capacity to do so is underdeveloped†. In the same spirit Senge (1990), in his treatise on learning organizations and the need for dialogue says (p. 10): â€Å"Interestingly, the practice of dialogue has been preserved in many â€Å"primitive† cultures†¦ but it has been almost completely lose to modem sodety. Today, the prindples and practices of dialogue are being redbcovered and put into a contemporary context†.EMalogue UteraUy means â€Å"tlunking together† There is ein extensive literature on competition both in mark eting and economics. Particularly the books by Porter (1979, 1985) have received the attention of marketers. No effort wiU be made here to review the various aspeds of competition; the treatment of competition will be directed to its role in the marketing equilibrium and to the properties of hypercompetition. In market economies, competition is hailed as the driver of economic evolution and a necessary condition for wealth. The customer is given a choice, and a supplier can never be sure to have the customer in its pocket.ITiis is a traditional view advocated by the business community, and to an extent also by the pubUc sector in many countries where deregiilation and privatization have become foreeful strategies. The countries of the Westem world—the capitalist sodeties—are not genuine ^See Hunt and Morgan (1995) for further analysis of the shortcomings of neoclassical theory. 424 Evert Gummesson market economies. They are mixed economies in which market forces and re gulations have entered into wedlock. In totally unregulated markets only few can obtain the necessities of life.For example, free markets give large corporations the freedom to offset competition, and those who cannot compete on the labour market are left to charity or misery. The opposite—total regulation — leads to rigidity. There is no general formula that tells us in what projx)rtions individual discretion and collective regulation should be mixed. Every market and period have to find their own specific solution. Competition is a driver of certain types of change. Even if RM puts emphasis on collaboration, I would like to see RM as a synthesis of competition, collaboration and regulations/institutions.The issue is which combination of these will create the balance—the marketing equilibrium — in each sptedfic situation. If either of the three forces becomes unduly powerful, the economy will suffer; regulations/institutions is the sole force of a planne d economy. To some extent there is a naive belief in competition to set everything right. The global wave of privatization and deregulation is a reaction in markets that have become stified. It is an effort to find a marketing equilibrium. Bureaucratic and legal values have often led to a misguided interference by politidans and an unreal belief in centralized control of sodety.Although the term deregulation implies that regulations are abandoned, it is a search for more adequate laws and institutions which can become supportive to constructive forces of sodety and hold back destructive forces: Deregulation is reregulation! Some of the more conspicuous results from deregulation are found in the split up of Bell in the US and national telecom operators in many countries have lost their monopoly; the privatization of British government bodies such as the British Rail and the Airport Authority; and the most dramatic of all, the breakdown of the communist planned economies.However, nobo dy so far has been able to overview the long-term effects of deregulation and privatization. There are necessary elements of the market economy that competifion and the free market forces do not master. They can be expressed in two paradoxes. The first paradox says: regulations are needed to secure that free competition will not be curbed. In spite of adl sweet talk about competition, every individual company or industry prefers to be spared the hazards of competitions (but they consider it essential for other comparues and industries). The second paradox says: The purpose of competition is to get rid of competition.Competition attempts to reduce the infiuence of other suppliers by lower costs and prices, differentiated and difficult-tocopy offerings, or dominance of selected market niches. Hypercompetition The ideas on a new type of competition will be assembled under the umbrella concept of hjfpercompetition. They are taken from many sources, among them D'Aveni (1994), Hamel and P rahalad (1994), Moore (1996), and Verbeke and Peelen (1996). The term hypercompetition was first found in D'Aveni and the ensuing discussion on hypercompefition is mainly based on his concepts, but the comparison with RM strategies and the conclusions are my own.In marketing management and strategy, the recommendation is usually advanced that companies should build a sustainable competitive advantage, thus limiting In Search of Marketing Equilibrium: Relationship Marketing vs Hypercompetition 425 price competition or even creating a monopoly-Uke situation. Hypercompefition is the opposite: a company should actively disrupt status quo and the current competitive advantages, both its own and those of competitors, in an environment of hypercompetition, advantages are rapidly created and eroded.Hypercompefition trends are identified in four arenas of traditional competition (D'Aveni 1994, pp. 13-17): /. Cos/ and quality arena For example, upstarts Uke Southwest Airlines attack estabUshe d carriers by slashing costs or enhancing quaUty, thus lowering the bottom of the market and raising the top of it. This behaviour counteracts the RM strategy of frequent flyers' programmes. 2. Timing and know-hot/' arena The first mover in the nnarket may create an advantage and sets up impediments to imitation. Followers quickly try to overcome these, fordng the first mover to change its tactics.The know-how exploited by one company is imitated by another and imitation becomes faster and faster; eventually the innovator cannot recapture its R&D investment. 3. Strongholds arena Companies create entry barriers to keep the competition out Entrants circumvent the barriers, giving rise to a series of attacks and counterattacks. This is currently happening in inten:ontinental air services between major American carriers and national European carriers. The current war for mastery over the Intemet, with Microsoff and Netscape as the combatants, is another example. 4.Deep pockets arena Thi s means having more money than the competition. The finandally stronger and usuaUy bigger companies can endure price competition from smaUer companies. The latter, however, can caU upon govemment regulations and form aUiances with others, thus balancing out the financJal advantage. In marketing equilibrium, regulations is one of the balancing forces, and alliances is a collaborative RM strategy. For example, Microsoff's financial advantage has been counteracted by the aUiance between IBM and Apple. Information technology is a driver of hypercompetition.By using databases it is possible, and wiU be more so in the future, to quickly survey prices and other conditions, and select the best combination at each point of time. Purchasing then becomes close to the system of exchanges. But even if comparisons of suppUers are made easier for customers, so many conditions are not comparable, for example, to 426 Evert Gummesson what extent can you trust the supplier. Trust and security are basi c condidons for collaboradon and trust has proven to be a driver of business in all types of sodedes (Fukuyama 1995).D'Aveni concludes that the battle for comp>eddve advantage is eventuaUy driving the market back into a price-compieddve market. The outcome is the neodassical long-term equilibrium, although the road to this equiUbrium goes via marketing equilibrium and not just via price adjustments. He refers to the old compedfive equilibrium as looking stable because it moved so slowly that it appeared stable. Hypiercomp>eddon is a coristant state of disequiUbritim. D'Aveni deploys a revised 7Ss framework to propose hypiercompeddve strategies.The original 7Ss — designed by the McKinsey consulting company—comprise seven factors for success: structure, strategy, systems, style, skills, staff, and shared values. Successful hypiercomp;eddve firms need a new set of Ss in order to create disrupdon (p. 31ff). The first new S is stakeholder satisfacdon, referring to new ways of creating satisfied customers and a modvated eind empowered work force. The second is strategic soothsajdng â€Å"a process of seeking out new knowledge necessary for predicting or even creating new temporary windows of opportunity that compiedtors wiU eventuaUy enter but are not now served by anyone else† (p. 2). The comparafive advantage of these two factors is â€Å"†¦ the abiUty to win each dynamic strategic acdon with compiedtors† (p. 32). The third and fourth Ss are spieed and surprise, both capabiUdes for disrupdon. The hypercompeddve company both reacts more quickly and is proacdve, thus taking the market with surprise. The final three are tacdcs for disrupdon. Shifting the rules includes new ways of sadsfying the customers and playing the marketing game with a new set of rules. Signals refer to announcements of strategic intent with the purpose of stalling acdons and misleading compiedtors.For example, a preannouncement of a coining product may make cus tomers wait to see the new version and postpone planned purchases of competing products. Simultaneous and sequendal strategic thrusts â€Å"†¦ are used by hypercompieddve firms to harass, paralyze, induce errors, or block compiedtors† (p. 34). Several acdons are taken at the same dme in combinadons that make it difficult to understand what a compiedtor is actuaUy up to. In summary, whereas RM strives for stabiUty through long-term reladonships, hypercompieddon strives for continuous disrupdon at an increasingly faster rate.In RM, security is found in stabiUty; in hypercompeddon it is fotind in the ability to continuously counteract instabiUty. The RM concept is by many authors broadened to comprise more than the suppUer—customer dyad,'* for example, reladonships through alUances which is a way of counteracting hyp>ercompieddon. The imaginary organizadon^ is a network-based company which transcends the tradidonal organizadonal boundaries. It can more freely acquire Jind drop resources through outsourcing (or rather: resourcing) instead of investing in tradidonal growth (intemal or through acquisidon); the advantage of the deep pocket is thus offset. †¢See Christopher et al. (1991), Kotler (1992), and Hunt and Morgan (1994), who have approached marketing as relationships with a series of stakeholders. This is in line with the 30R approach, but flie 3ORs go further and also establish relationships based on other than the stakeholder dimension. ‘See Hedberg et al. (1994). Other terms representing the same phenomenon are virtual organizations, boundarykss organizations, and rwtwork organizations. In Search of Marketing Equilibrium: Relationship Marketing vs Hypercmnpetition 427D'Aveni (1994) discusses the role of co-operation and collusion and says that they should only be used for hypercompetitive purposes. They are not long-term relationships, they are merely temporary strategies. He lists a number of generic instances of hypercompet itive use of collaboration (pp. 338-339): to gang up against others groups; to limit the domain of competition; to biuld resojirces; to buy time; to gain access; and to leam. Hunt and Morgan (1995) suggest a comparative advantage theory of competition within a marketing management paradigm, and they present a devastating critique of neoclassical economics.D'Aveni's conclusions are contrary to Hunt and Morgan's; he rewrites neoclassical theory, using marketing management theory as a lever. Interpreted in my terms, we depart from the original and simple form of neoclassical market equilibrium, go through a phase of marketing equilibrium, and arrive at a more sophisticated level of market equilibrium. Hjrpercompietition goes beyond the neoclassical theory of perfect connpetition and restores it on a new level. Through a series of disruptive moves, where competitive advantage is surpassed, an escalation toward perfect competition develops.This means that we are back in transaction marke ting, the very evil to which RM is held to be the antidote. Conclusions for Discussion This paper has dealt with certain aspects of marketing equilibrium, one of several RM issues that preoccupy the author's nund during the ongoing research joumey into the world of RM. ‘The paper is limited to the two trends of collaboration, advanced by the RM concept, and hypercompetition, advanced by authors on strategy and competition. A paradox is seemingly a contradiction; it is not in actual fact a contradiction. An oxymoron is a combination of two phenomena that cannot be combined.So the first question in the beginning of the paper could be rephrased: are RM and hypercompetition forming a paradox or an oxymoron? When I read up on the current literatxire on competition, I found that the â€Å"new† competition was described as more fierce and faster than ever before. It had affinity with marketing warfare which was in vogue in the 19S0s. It certainly seemed contradictory to the RM idea of long-term relationships and collaboration. In my present state of ignorance the answer is: within the concept of the marketing equilibrium, both competition and collaboration coexist. They can do so and will do so.Our attention has to be directed to both of them. When competition becomes hypercompetition, collaboration may become hypercollaboration. Could it be that hypercompetition is the current driver of the upsuiging interest in RM and that RM tries to neutralize the effects of hypercompetition? To be Continued As this is work in progress, the issues that have been presented are not complete and the views are tentative and wiil be further studied. Among other issues concerning marketing equilibrium that are also being studied are the following: Tlie marketing equilibrium which has so far been described could be seen as 28 Evert Gumntesson partial marketing equiUbrium. The RM researdi project is suggesting an extention into complete marketing equilibrium. It consists of a synthesis of RM and the theory of imaginary organizations where not only the market but also the organizations (suppUers, customers, competitors and others) and sodety are included in a network of interactive relationships (Hedberg et al. 1994; Gummesson 1996). In traditional marketing management and economics, the market is outside the company and n «rketing activities are directed toward extemal customers.But there are also markets inside the company and marketing activities take place between intemal customers. This is laid bare in the treatment of the nano relationships of the 30R approach. Both intemal and extemal customers interact in networks of relationships. The boundaries between the â€Å"inside† and the â€Å"outside† have dissolved and both can be seen as parts of the same networks. Another area is the black economy with tax evasion, bribery, fraud, and organized crime as additional and disrupting forces of competition. One of the relationships in the 30R approach is named The Criminal Network.For example, Blumberg (1989) has pointed out that the strength of the market economy — competition and the profit incentive—encourages fraud. It pays to cheat! He calls this the paradox of the market economy. Everybody is familiar with it from jobs and private consumption, but it is swept under the carpet in marketing theory and textbooks. The Literature prefers the idealized image: competition as the driver to create customer satisfaction and customer perceived quality; to give customers everything they want and are willing to pay for; and to offer numerous options for consumers.Customers are asked about satisfaction and quality, but their knowledge is limited and the ignorance of the customer is exploited. Neither market economies through competition, nor command economies through regulations, have proven themselves capable of handling environmental and ecological issues. What has been achieved is primarily the outcome of vo luntary pressure group activity and law enforcement. Competitive forces have clearly not provided enough incentive for the market to innovate and reinnovate in the field.One of the relationship in the 30R approach is The Green Relationships, adding a relationship angle to environmental issues. Probably most of the achievements for a long time will only come through legislation (regulations), tight control and litigation (institutions). Can the marketing equilibrium conceptually include environmental and ecological issues? After the Paper Presentation: An Addendum In the discussion following its presentation, the paper was criticized on two points in peirticular: (1) The choice of the term â€Å"marketing equiUbrium†.The critics said — and some were dearly provoked by the term — that it gives the wrong connotation and that the term is so heavily committed to neoclassical economic theory that people will not be able to see my point. Suggested substitutes were â₠¬Å"dynamic balance† or â€Å"optimal combination†. EquiUbrium, it was claimed, conveys the idea that such a state exists and it is just a matter of time {long-term, though) before it is reached. In defence of the term {but I intend to give it more thought) I would like to claim that equilibrium can be perceived as dynamic and unattainable, but still have a value n Search of Marketing Equilibrium: Relationship Marketing vs Hypercompetition 429 in providing direction, although the journey is a never-ending journey. Perhaps the provocation as such is o( value. When a new thought or term is met with aggressions from several established scholars it may have hit a sore spot; it may even be important. The original intention was to show that equilibrium from the idealized and imrealistic assumptions of neoclassical theory could be supplemented by a marketing management-oriented equilibrium based on real-world premises.Neoclassical economics currently seems to be no more than a computer game for adult entertainment and career boosting under the disguise of â€Å"sdence†. To me, the contrast between â€Å"market† and â€Å"marketing†, designating an economics versus a management approach but still indicating affinity, makes the term expressive. Whatever term I choose, however, I am confident that economists and â€Å"me-too† researchers wiU not be impressed. 2. â€Å"Hyper† was claimed by Americans to mean â€Å"too much†, for example a hyperactive child is active to a degree that implies mental and/or physical disorder.The British perceived it as â€Å"very much†, for example a hypermarket which is a bigger European version of a supermarket. Maybe this is evidence of the validity of Oscar Wilde's statement that â€Å"England and America are two countries separated by a common language†. On the other hand, maybe â€Å"too much† is also a correct interpretation. For many of us, hypercompetition i s probably too much. Personally, it makes me nervous. References Blumberg, P. (1989), The Predatory Society, New York, Oxford University Press. Brandenburger, A.M. and Nalebuff, B. J. (1996), Co-opetition, Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press. Christopher, M. , Payne, A. and Ballant)Tie, D. (1991), Relationship Marketing, London, Heinemarm. D'Aveni, R,A. (1994), Hypercompetition, New York, The Free Press. Fukuyama, F. (1995), Trust, New York, The Free Press. Gray, B. (1989), Collaborating, San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass. Gronroos, C. (1994), â€Å"Quo vadis, marketing? 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E. 1985), Competitive Advantage, New York, The Free Press. Senge, P. M. (1990), The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday/Currency. Sheth, J. N. (1994), â€Å"The Donnain of Relationship Marketing†. Handout at the Sectmd Research Conference on Relationship Marketing. Centre for Relationship Marketing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, June. Verbeke, W. and Peelen, E. (1996), â€Å"Redefining the New SeUing Practices in an Era of Hyper Competition†. Paper presented at the workshop Relationship Market ing in an Era qf Hypercompetition, Erasmus University and EIASM, Rotterdam, May.