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Porter's Generic Competitive Strategies, 2008.
A discussion on the competitive strategies as outlined by Michael Porter in his books "Competitive Strategy" and "Competitive Advantage".
1,893 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 9 sources, APA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the work of Michael Porter and looks at his books, "Competitive Strategy" and "Competitive Advantage" in which he identifies two basic types of competitive advantage a firm can possess. The author discusses how many strategies there are and whether firms who follow only one strategy are 'stuck in the middle'.
Outline:
Introduction
Cost Leadership
Porter's Typology
Differentiation
Focus
Focus as a Separate Strategy
Cost focus
Differentiation Focus
'Stuck in the Middle'
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In his books, Competitive Strategy (1980) and Competitive Advantage (1985) Michael Porter has identified two basic types of competitive advantage a firm can possess; low cost or differentiation. Moreover, he has formulated three generic competitive strategies aimed at achieving competitive advantage; namely, cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies. Porter (1980) has also described a low profitability strategy which he called 'Stuck in the Middle'. At that time, the notion of generic strategy was very appealing as it seemed to offer the theoretical basis in an area which previously lacked solid theoretical foundations (Murray, 1988).
"In spite of the extensive empirical evidence which support Porter's (1980) typology of generic strategies, there has been much discussion and criticism for its conceptual limitations (Kotha & Vadlamani, 1995). It has been suggested that the focus strategy is just a special case of cost leadership or product differentiation and, therefore, there are only two competitive strategies. In this essay I will discuss how many strategies there are and whether firms who do not follow only one strategy are 'stuck in the middle'. In the following section I will review Porter's (1980) typology of the three generic strategies."
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Athens: Modernity versus Historical Preservation, 2008.
This essay looks at Athens, Greece as a city stuck between modern development and historical preservation.
4,722 words (approx. 18.9 pages), 15 sources, APA, $ 121.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how, with the pressures of growth, Athens has made some unfortunate development decisions that have altered the landscape of the historic city. Ultimately, the pressures of residential development, economic growth and the 2004 Olympics have forced Athens to engage in a losing battle over the past century to preserve its historic and cultural beauty.This paper asserts that the city will need to make difficult planning and aesthetic decisions in order to reverse this course.
Outline:
Introduction
Residential development
Economic development
Impact of the 2004 Olympics
Conclusion: Lingering Problems and Solutions
Residential development
Economic development
From the Paper
"While the polykatoikias did their part to alter for the worse the post-war Athenian skyline, there were many buildings constructed to facilitate Greek economic development that had the same effect. In truth, it is impossible to separate the polykatoikias from Greek economic development, because they were a big part of Greek industry in the decades immediately following the end of World War II. The polykatoikias were constructed by private enterprises, contractors who were receiving free land in return for constructing the buildings. But there were certainly many buildings constructed during the middle and latter portions of the 20th century that significantly modified the look and feel of Athens."
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Philip Hayes Dean's "The Sty of the Blind Pig" (1971), 2004.
This paper analyzes Philip Hayes Dean's play, ?The Sty of the Blind Pig? (1971), which is about an African-American family transplanted to Chicago in the 1950s as the civil rights movement was beginning in the South.
1,085 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 0 sources, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, although the audience is cognizant that social change is on the horizon, the characters themselves, at first ,are only concerned with their immediate, personal changes and struggles. The author points out that the antagonist of the play is the character?s collective lack of movement and motion: Jordan is ?stuck? in his own way, in a quest for a woman long lost; Weedy and Alberta are ?stuck? in their apartment; and Uncle Doc is mired in a life of gambling. The paper determines that the three main members of the family all represent different, but ineffective, pre-civil rights ways of black Americans to cope with societal and institutionalized racism: religion in the form of Weedy; self-sacrifice and self-denial in the form of Alberta; and a recourse to get-rich-quick schemes and the drug of gambling in the form of Uncle Doc.
From the Paper
"Weedy?s brother, Alberta?s Uncle Doc, often visits both women. Doc is a gambler and a bad one at that, but his humor and animation seem to bring life to the room, even though he walks in a shuffling, difficult fashion. He seems to fill the room even though the audience knows his designs upon the two women are usually purely financial in nature, in a valiant and quixotic attempt, as amongst all down-on-his-luck gamblers, to get more money to waste in dubious ventures."
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The British Film Industry and Thatcherism, 2005.
This in-depth paper examines the British film industry during the 1980s while also focusing on the political climate in England during this same period in which the country was led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
4,954 words (approx. 19.8 pages), 21 sources, APA, $ 125.95
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Abstract
This well-researched paper delves into the history of Britain's film industry which, according to the writer of this paper, was considered second rate in comparison to other countries including Germany, France and the U.S. This paper discusses the film industry's apparent lack of focus primarily during the 1980s, which was a direct result due to the political climate during this particular era. The writer reviews and analyzes British author John Hill's book "British Cinema in the 1980s" which provides in-depth insight to this specific topic. The writer contends and explains why British filmmakers were essentially apathetic and uncaring about Thatcherism and went on to challenge many of the country's values. This paper examines the impact of various films made in England during the 1980s including "Gandhi," "Room With a View" and "Chariots of Fire." This paper also focuses on the cultural conflicts between the older and younger generations in England which greatly impacted the types of films that were produced during at that time. The writer stresses that during the 1980s the older generation stuck by the traditional and old fashioned Victorian morality system which still exists today while the younger generation chose to adhere to a more free-flowing Edwardian type value system.
From the Paper
"There were several opportunistic policies that had been passed, and there was also a growing lack of satisfaction in manual labor. Therefore, it was very evident that in Britain, even at the end of the 1960's and the beginning of the 1970's, there was indeed a large amount of class differences in English society, and society in general was divided into there major classes, which were the upper classes, the middle classes, and the working classes. The divisions were in fact brought about by the differences in wealth, power, and the types of work, the ideologies, the status, and the opportunities that were available. At the same time, this period saw a vast change in the people's attitudes towards traditions, old values, taboos, customs, and the all-pervasive parochialism, and this was the very attitude that was reflected in all the New Age films that were made during that time."
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Latin Literary Comparison, 2006.
This paper reviews and analyzes the various similarities relating to Latin-American immigration in both Julia Alvarez's "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" and T. Coraghessan Boyle's "The Tortilla Curtain."
713 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 25.95
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Abstract
The writer of this paper details the plot as well as the main characters of each novel while focusing on the numerous similarities in both works of writing. This paper examines the manner in which both authors focus on the real-life problems encountered by Latin immigrants in the U.S. This paper delves into the numerous difficulties which awaited the immigrants upon their arrival to America including issues with gender, culture and class backgrounds. The writer contends and explains why the Garcia girls in Alvarez's novel did not assimilate completely in the U.S., even though they lost their native accents they continue to remain stuck between the two cultures unable to fully adapt to either one. This paper also delves into the topic of illegal immigration and the ensuing problems facing the characters in Boyle's novel.
From the Paper
"The Garcia girls come to the United States because of political reasons. They are forced to leave the Dominican Republic because their father got in trouble with the Dominican secret police for protesting the nation's ruling military dictatorship. In contrast, the immigrants of The Tortilla Curtain immigrate illegally, rather than with the help of the CIA like the Garcia girls. The immigrants from Mexico of The Tortilla Curtain do so to better their way of life, economically, rater than for political reasons, when they flee their nation to make their way to Southern California via Mexico. The Garcia girls come from a privileged background. They had enjoyed many, if not more of the toys and luxuries of their American counterparts. True, they still have trouble fitting in, when they come to America."
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Plato?s Cave and Me.
This paper is a personal essay based on the writings of Plato's "Republic".
2,010 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 0 sources, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses, based on the writer's perception of Plato's Cave, the problems of living in a purgatory, between unreal and real, thus losing his or her very being. The author points out that people now live in an international world where global events significantly affect their country and community; however, unfortunately, too many of them are stuck in the confines of the cave, glued to the TV, video games or VCR. The paper concludes that, when the author made it out of the cave, like Plato and Aristotle, he or she re-examined his or her life to see what things in life were most important, what things were just illusions and what are realities that should be pursued. Illustration.
From the Paper
"Going a step further, I believe that Plato is saying that we cannot be content with the trivialities and mundane aspects of life. We are unaware that we are living with illusion, superficial knowledge. We are also unaware that those aspects that we hold in highest esteem-money, power, and prestige-and their physical outcome-large houses (those wonderful 8,000-square-foot McMansions), luxury automobiles, high-status jobs or the covetousness and materialism in life are not the answer to becoming a just and happy person."
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Women in Management, 2006.
Analysis of the issue of women in management and working within a changing corporate culture.
11,500 words (approx. 46.0 pages), 55 sources, APA, $ 135.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the issue of women in management and working within a changing corporate culture. The problem of women's careers stuck in middle management is explored, as well as the glass ceiling effect. The changes taking place for women within the corporate culture and the influences on corporate/organizational culture are examined.
From the Paper
"The proportion of women participating in the labor force in the United States and across the globe has increased dramatically in recent years resulting in ..."
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Exercise and the Well Elderly, 2006.
This paper describes and evaluates an article by Grove and Spier entitled 'Motivating the Well Elderly to Exercise' from the "Journal of Community Health Nursing", Vol. 16., 1999.
1,160 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the researchers established that exercise is important for elderly people; however, even after redefining the frequency of exercises from three times a week to two times a week, only six out of the 137 people invited stuck with the program for six months. The author of this paper points out that, while the researchers considered using peer leaders as successful, as soon as peer leadership was part of the program, attendance declined, which suggests that the residents valued having a medical professional visibly leading the program. The paper concludes that, while the researchers accurately reported their program and presented their study in a cohesive way, they did not seem to look closely at what worked and what did not work.
Table of Contents:
Research Purpose
Research Framework
Design
Measurement, Data Collection, Data Analysis
Strengths and Weaknesses of Study
From the Paper
"The authors [of 'Motivating the Well Elderly to Exercise'] noted that although regular exercise supports good health and reduces health care costs, only about 1/3 of those over 65 exercises on a regular basis. The researchers wanted to see if making an exercise program easily available to this population would change exercise habits. The authors looked at literature on the topic and cited numerous studies demonstrating that exercise improves general health as well as heart and lung function; can reduce injuries such as hip fractures; and have positive effects on chronic conditions..."
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John Updike's "A&P", 2008.
This paper analyzes the character of Sammy, narrator of John Updike's short story "A&P".
2,415 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, on the surface of John Updike's short story "A&P", Sammy is rebelling against a conservative authority figure, which is his boss. The author points out that, on another layer of analysis, Sammy is rebelling against the expectations and wishes of his parents. The paper relates that Sammy is trying to break out of the oppressive, mundane, potentially dead-end community that he is stuck in. The author stresses that Sammy is defiant simply because he wants something meaningful for his life, which is not a character defect but a positive quality. The paper concludes that, by rebelling, Sammy does everything he can to attain his goal of accomplishing something better for himself.
From the Paper
"Queenie and company had been the first group Sammy encountered who looked like they could be fellow rebels. They had an air of entitlement about them. The girls immediately drew his attention by looking fresh from the beach with "just a brush of sunburn", dressed merely in swimsuits, barefoot. Even if they didn't have an ulterior motive for their appearance, they certainly ruffled a few feathers around the store, which obviously kept Sammy observing. First, the scantily clad girls walked in and caused Sammy to be so distracted that he fumbled through the mundane procedures of ringing up a customer's groceries."
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Fight Club: Reclaiming the Self, 2008.
A review of the book "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk.
1,348 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper focuses on the novel "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk. The paper explains that it is the story of a lonely man who has no friends and is stuck working at a job he does not like. The paper concentrates on the narrator-character and how his life changes drastically when he meets with Tyler Durden with whom he opens the Fight Club. The paper discusses physical violence in the Fight Club, which is used as a means of liberating the individual from a value system. with which he does not identify. The paper looks at how nihilism and existentialism are used throughout the novel as tools of defining the characters.
From the Paper
"There is a strong existentialist influence in Fight Club, expressed mainly through a recurrent exploration of suffering, death, nothingness and absurdity. According to Bennett, there has not been a sufficient amount of discussion regarding the complexity of the Fight Club text in the sense that critics and supporters alike have limited a full exploration of such a profound text. Although he does not reject the idea - expressed by many critics, that Fight Club tackles issues as gender and class identity, Bennett argues that existentialism, understood both as a philosophical and as an aesthetic practice, provides a superior critical framework for interpreting Fight Club (Bennett: 67). His stance is that Palahniuk's Fight Club is a brilliant sample of the "existential literary tradition with certain postmodern differences" (Bennett: 68) in the sense that the existentialism of the book is very much adapted to its historical context, i.e. the age of "postmodern capitalism" (Ibid: 68). In fact, his argument goes a bit further; he draws a parallel between Fight Club and Dostoyevsky's novella, Notes from the Underground in the sense that they both center on the "alienated individual going underground to rage against a dehumanizing society" (Ibid: 69). Palahniuk's unnamed narrator, who is conventionally referred to as Jack suffers from a wide but vaguely defined range of psychological disorders, including insomnia and narcolepsy - the so-called disorders of the modern man, and has the need to confront himself with the most acute human suffering in order to regain his humanity: "Every evening, I died, and every evening, I was born. Resurrected."
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Boys and Reading, 2007.
An analysis of successful projects to improve the reading and writing skills of boys.
1,498 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the phenomenon that boys are often stuck in a rigid classification as underachievers due to the fact that girls' reading skills far outpace the reading skills of boys. The paper reviews some of the solutions that teachers have found to help to deal with this problem. It also reviews some successful projects to help with boys' reading and writing competencies.
From the Paper
"Thomas Newkirk writes in California English (Newkirk, 2004) that he was shocked by a statistic in a recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress; that statistic showed that by the 12th grade, the average score on boys' writing achievement tests were 24 points below girls' scores. What can be done about this, Newkirk wonders in this article, published in 2004. Boys see libraries as a place for girls to go; boys go home and their dads are reading the sports page in newspapers while mom may be reading a novel. And boys are not encouraged to read action and adventure books (even though it is usually their preference), but they are urged to read novels with deep plots and sophisticated character development. Boys spend more time on video games and in computers than girls, and much of what they experience in those genres is action-oriented, and yet in school, they are asked to change, and be quiet, and be serious, like the girls."
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The African-American Landscape, 2006.
This paper describes the landscape of African-American life since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 6 sources, APA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that African-Americans have gained many achievements over the last thirty years; however, as a whole, they lag behind the white community in education, continue to struggle economically and continue to be stereotyped by the mainstream society. The author points out that, although there has been a striking growth in opportunities for black athletes and entertainers, they are marked by stereotyping and limitations. The paper relates that, although the number of blacks who are affluent, college educated, business-owners, corporate executives or elected officials has grown considerably, there are many other African-Americans who are stuck in areas of concentrated poverty, joblessness and without the means to form and maintain stable families and provide for their children.
From the Paper
"Although blacks have fared better on television and in films than before the Civil Rights Movement, there are still few parts that are written specifically for African Americans, and most leading roles are usually confined to escapist "situation comedies" that many critics claim simply affirm their right to be caricatured as sharply as whites. Performer Ben Vereen complained that casting directors were too eager to cast him in the role of janitor. One Hollywood agent claimed that most directors tend to cast African American actors in roles of "druggies, athletes or men struggling out of the ghetto...""
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William Golding?s ?Lord of the Flies?, 2005.
This paper is a psychological analysis of William Golding's most popular novel "Lord of the Flies" incorporating Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud's concept of the darker, unrecognized side of man.
1,955 words (approx. 7.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, as William Golding implied in about the theme of "Lord of the Flies", this is not only a simple adventure story about a group of boys stuck on a remote island but also a highly symbolic tale, questioning what happens to civilization when its very core, man, loses touch with his cultured ways and resorts back to his primitive way of life. The author points out that Golding's use of symbolism in the novel is the type, which shifts in form but not in meaning; when he progressively changes Jack from "dark" to "shadow," he creates the personification of Jack as the primitive man. The paper stresses that, when man acknowledges that his primal tendencies are indeed present, he is consciously on the look out for it to appear out of nowhere; so he strives to suppress his instincts and he replaces it with a sense of morality.
From the Paper
"The novel, first published in 1954, came at a time in England, when people were still reeling from the effects of World War II. The events of that war shook Golding. He witnessed with his own eyes after joining the Royal navy, that the men who boast of his modernity and his high civilization are the very same men who created the war, joined in the killing and rejoiced in its so-called success. He discovered that these atrocities went far beyond the war and were carried on in the totalitarian states. Atrocities done by learned men, by men who had long ago established an institution of culture, to fellow human beings."
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The Fall of Patriarchy, 2006.
A discussion regarding socialization into the social system referred to as patriarchy.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses patriarchy, the social system still prevalent today, whereby males are still perceived as the "strong" one and that boys naturally will be more active, demanding, noisy, and competitive than girls. The paper concludes that what began in prehistoric times as a cooperative system for survival, has become an albatross and we are stuck with living in a patriarchal society where women are to some extent, still oppressed.
From the Paper
"Boys will consistently get more attention and more of the teacher's time. While girls will be expected to raise their hands before speaking (and corrected if they don't), boys will be allowed to blurt out answers in class. Girls will be "less likely to be called on by name ...asked fewer complex and abstract questions, receive less praise or constructive feedback, and ... given less direction on how to do things..." (Sadker, 2002, p. 239). Later on, boys will enroll in advanced computer classes, but girls will be in word processing and other clerical support programs (Sadker, 2002). Eventually, all this will be reflected in the careers they choose. Women will enroll in college programs to be teachers, social workers, nurses, and librarians, but only 7-14% of the men will enroll in these programs. Men will go instead where there is money and power."
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The Korean War, 2004.
This paper discusses the Korean War and the way it illustrates the principles of defensive realism.
1,970 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that defensive realism is an umbrella term for several theories of international politics and foreign policy, which suggests that security is the primary interest of most states. Yet, when one state takes action to increase its perceived security, this action generally serves to decrease the perceived security of other competing states. The author points out that the reason the United States decided to intervene in what would have otherwise been a localized civil war was precisely because of the supposed involvement of Russia in North Korea?s movements. The paper states that, if America had not appeared to be the aggressor, but had stuck strictly to a moderate course that communicated restraint, then it might never have had to face the massive forces of China. However, throughout the war, America seemed to act in an unrestrained fashion.
From the Paper
"Once America got involved, it quickly restored the status quo and pushed the North Korean army back to the 38th parallel. However, General MacAuthor decided to ?finish? the war by pushing farther into North Korea to assure the destruction of the North Korean military force. As America pushed its armies into what had originally been North Korean territory, it lost some of its ability to pass as a police action against an aggressive state and began to look like a direct assault on the communist bloc. This was certainly how it appeared to China as the American troops began marching on her borders. Chinese security interests demanded that North Korea serve as some kind of buffer between American forces in South Korea and the Chinese border, and also that American forces not be allowed on Chinese soil. So, as defensive realism would expect, China began to send forces to meet and engage American troops."
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