Companies in the Financial Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Companies in the Financial Industry - Essay Example Other companies and their strategies will also be examined in an attempt to discover if they will reach the pinnacle, for which they are aimed, or if they will fail in their efforts to knock the ‘king off his mountain’. In order to reach the top in the financial services industry, and, an even more difficult task; to stay there, a certain amount of attitude can be a good thing, and some experts may even say it is more than likely a necessary thing. Some of the companies discussed herein have that ‘attitude’ and some of them don’t. Initially, the focus of this paper was to be on a number of the oldest and most well known New York Stock Exchange firms such as Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Kidder Peabody, JP Morgan, Chase Manhattan and Prudential. It soon became clear that such material, both printed and electronic, that was available concerning such firms was rather limited and focused on banal items such as; financials and profit/loss statements. Finding scholarly papers or journal reports written about the history of such firms was nearly as difficult as was discovering books (both fiction and non-fiction) about the same subject. A grand total of five books covering Wall Street history were discovered in the local library system, with only one book on site.   A detailed search at the local university’s library was not nearly as productive as had been hoped either.  Not only was there a limited supply of books covering Wall Street’s history, there was even less in the way of books wri tten about specific firms.   Books such as Charles R. Geisst’s; Wall Street: A History and 100 Years of Wall Street provided a detailed and rich history of Wall Street, but not a dearth of specific details concerning companies themselves.

Term welfare Essay Example for Free

Term welfare Essay Government benefits provided to people with little or no income are referred as welfare benefits. The term welfare can refer to a number of different programs in the United States, but often refer to cash assistance. In some cases, this money may be used however the recipient wishes. In others, the money can only be used for specific uses, such as food stamps that can only be used to buy groceries. The welfare state expands on this concept to include services such as universal healthcare and unemployment insurance. To what extent are welfare measures necessary in democratic countries ? What can be the abuses and how could we solutionate those 1/ the importance of welfare Health Care A primary advantages of welfare benefits is promoting the health of the people receiving the benefits Since there is a general correlation between income and health. People who have no income and no health care will, statistically, live shorter and less healthy lives than people who have enough income to buy proper food and to pay for medical care. Support for Children While many adults are able to make choices about how much income they choose to earn, children cant . Children must generally rely on the money that their parents are able to make. Welfare payments, particularly those that are directed for the care of children, allow children to grow up with better nutrition, medical care and possessions that make for a more comfortable standard of living. Lower Crime The provision of welfare has been shown to lower crime. Although some may argue that welfare constitutes a bribe, providing people with some income takes away an incentive to commit property crimes designed to provide the person with money or property. Welfare alleviates some of an individuals economic need, thereby lowering crime and increasing the general stability of society as a whole. Income Distribution Another advantage of welfare benefits is that it more evenly distributes a societys wealth. Some many consider this a benefit in itself. However, others may consider providing money to people who did not earn it to be unfair. There is, according to Arnold, a demonstrated correlation between income distribution in a society and that societys stability. Societies with greater inequities in wealth generally suffer more social and political turmoil. Social welfare programs today provide assistance to the elderly, the unemployed, the disabled and the destitute. While these may at first glance appear to be noble undertakings, there are some who suggest there are disadvantages of the programs, both to the individual and to society as a whole. Among some of the majors disadvantages suggested is the high cost of these programs. Opponents of social welfare programs often argue that governments simply cannot sustain the cost of providing financial support to so many elements of society. Between 1984 and 2002, social welfare programs, including Social Security and Medicare, accounted for between 49 and 60 percent of federal government spending. Disincentive Pointing to Harvard University Professor of Economics Gregory Manikws 10 Principles of Economics, opponents suggest social welfare programs, particularly for the underemployed or unemployed, create disincentives for people to find gainful employment. Manikw asserts that people respond to incentives. For example, they work because there is an incentive to earn an income and support themselves. Social welfare programs risk removing this incentive by providing income for someone who is not working or who is unwilling to work, meaning they no longer have a need to produce. Sponsored Links Modà ¨les de Lettre Tous modà ¨les de lettres et documents sur lettres.net lettres.net Economic Impact According to Mankiw, a societys standard of living is dependent on its ability to produce goods efficiently. More workers producing more goods increases the economic output of a society, thereby increasing the amount of income. When people lose the incentive to produce, the nations productivity goes down and income decreases. This can in turn increase the burden on governments to support the welfare system and result in ever higher costs. When governments print too much money, the rate of inflation increases, raising the price of goods for everyone. Government Control Many opponents of social welfare programs suggest these programs create circumstances in which governments gain too much control over individual citizens. Citizens who rely on government programs for income and sustenance are in a position to allow government to have more say in their individual choices. Opponents argue that social programs allow governments to impose rules on day-to-day choices of welfare recipients because the government is paying for the services. Proponents further argue that even if government does not currently impose such rules, they may assert their ability to do so in the future.

Development of Business Strategies Essay -- Business Development Strat

The paper below responds to the following three prompts: 1. â€Å"The six forces model of strategy helps firms develop externally coherent business strategies†. Discuss applying the model to real cases. 2. Explain strategic posture and how it helps firms make strategy in uncertain business environments. 3. Evaluate the role of mergers and acquisitions in corporate strategy. 1. â€Å"The six forces model of strategy helps firms develop externally coherent business strategies†. Discuss applying the model to real cases. The six forces model is an extension to Michael Porter's Five Forces Model. The six forces analyze different areas in an industry. The forces in this model are: a. Competition- Analysis that if there are a lot of competitors. If so, are there any dominant players in the market. b. New entrants- To analyze if it is easy for new entrants to enter the market and compete? c. End users/buyers- Is the price easily affected by the buyers? Can the company work with a specific potential buyer? or to analyze their strength of their position in their relationship with the buyers d. Suppliers- Study the number of suppliers if it is a monopoly and if not, how many suppliers are there in the market. e. Substitutes- To study how easily a product can be substituted and how easily these substitutes are available f. Complementary products- Effect of complementary products and services on the market. The six forces model is used to study the strategic position of a company in a concerned industry and in a given market place. It is also applied to calculate the market effectiveness of a company with regard to competition and profitability. Let us take FedEx as an example. FedEx is one of the largest global courier... ...gy. †¢ Adam Hartung(2014), Three Smart Lessons From Facebook's Purchase Of WhatsApp http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2014/02/24/zuckerbergs-3-smart-leadership-lessons-from-facebook-buying-whatsapp/ †¢ Ibrahim AKGÃâ€"BEK, Mergers and Acquisitions as a Growth Strategy http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/412031.pdf †¢ PALO ALTO, CA and HOUSTON, TX (2001), Hewlett-Packard and Compaq agree to merge, creating $87 billion global technology leader http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=230610#.U00iUvmSy50 †¢ Wikipedia, Tata Group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Group †¢ Sebastian Spaeth, Nina Geilinger, Corporate Strategy Mergers & Acquisitions http://www.smi.ethz.ch/education/courses/corporatestrategy/Slides_2012/CS_06_MA.pdf †¢ KENT RHODES, Merger and Acquisition Strategies http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/merger-and-acquisition-strategies/

Basseri of Iran: Past and Present Essay

Basseri of Iran: Past and Present Jonathan Hixon ANT101 Instructor Brown-Warren February 24, 2013 When the Achamenian emperors of ancient Persia built their capital at Persepolis, in a valley of the Zagros, they did so with strategy in mind. Persepolis was placed in a common â€Å"bottleneck† in the annual migration routes of several tribes from the warm coastal plains to the cool summer pastures in the north. Twice a year, several whole confederations of tribes had to pass by Persepolis with all of their wealth in sheep, goats, and horses, and he who ruled Persepolis ruled what then was Persia. One of the tribes that still use this route today is the Basseri of Iran. (Coon, 1962) The Basseri of Iran was a nomadic pastoralist society from the beginning of their existence. The Basseri are located in southwest Iran and were housed in tents. Each tent housed a nuclear family and many tents made up a camp for the Basseri. An independent household occupied every tent in a camp. The tents were arranged in groups of smaller groups that usually would put all of their flocks of animals into one unit that was taken care of by one shepherd. A shepherd was usually a younger boy or girl from different tents that took care of the smaller camp’s flocks. Some families would hire a shepherd from other tents if they did not have the means to provide a qualified shepherd of their own. Nomadic pastoralists had no permanent settlements; instead, complete households shift location with the herd. House structures were highly moveable, such as a tent or yurt, a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure used in the steppes of Central Asia among Kazakh and Kirghiz pastoralists. Pastoralists moved for a number of reasons other than following water and forage for their herds. Herders also moved to avoid neighboring peoples and government control, thus reducing disease, insects, and competition for resources, while abstaining from taxation and circumscription into military service. (Nowak & Laird, 2010) In the past, the Basseri of Iran were nomadic pastoralists, but the Basseri have started to come into a culture of a more advanced technological culture in today’s time. The Basseri have now become more dvanced in their culture with the world we all live in today while respecting the culture they came from in decades past. The social organization of the Basseri is clearly simple, but effective as a organized system of leadership. The Basseri chief is the head of a very strongly centralized political system and has immense authority over all the members of the Basseri tribe. The chief, in his dealing with the headmen, draws on their power and influenc e but does not delegate any of his own power back to them. Some material goods – mostly gifts of some economic and prestige value, such as riding horses and weapons – flow from the chief to the headmen. A headman is in a politically convenient position: he can communicate much more freely with the chief than can ordinary tribesmen, and thus can bring up cases that are to his own advantage and, to some extent, block or delay the discussion of matters detrimental to his own interests. Nonetheless, the political power that a headman derives from the chief is very limited. Johnson, 1996) The Basseri as noted are divided into camps of tents, which may or may not have a headman present in a particular camp. If a camp does not have a headman present, then that camp will usually have an informal leader who were recognized by the other headmen, but had no formal recognition by the Basseri chief. For this reason (not being formally recognized by the Basseri chief) the informal leaders still usually answered to an â€Å"official† h eadman in another camp which could bring things up before the chief if something needed to be addressed. The head of the household (or tent) would be the person responsible for bringing things up to an informal leader or a headman for discussion with the chief when things needed to be brought to the attention of the chief for social or political discussion. This political organization is not so hard to grasp as one of a huge population like we see in the United States. In summary, one could see that there are tents that housed families, a head of household for that tent, an informal leader or headman and finally the chief (who would be over many different camps and tents within those camps). This political organization would be closely compared to, for instance, a police department chain of command in where you have the chief, then the captains (compared to the headmen), then sergeants (informal leaders), corporals (heads of households), and finally the troops (members of the individual households). This was a way I could compare and understand the political organization of the Basseri people easily. The economic function of the Basseri was that of true importance to the tents/households ability to sustain themselves. The economic function of the Basseri lies in the occupancy of pastures throughout the migratory fashion of the Basseri. Tents are the basic element of the economic unit in the Basseri community. As much as they are social units, tents are also the basic units of production and consumption. In the summer, there might have been as many as thirty or forty tents that made up a camp; however in the winter months, camps were reduced down to approximately two to five tents and were separated from other camps by three or four kilometers. The Basseri keep a variety of domesticated animals, but sheep and goats have the greatest economic importance. Other domesticated animals include donkeys for transport and riding (mainly by women and children), horses for riding only (predominately by men), camels for heavy transport and wool, and dogs for keeping watch in camp. (Johnson, 1996) Their products obtained from their flocks sustain the Basseri community. The Basseris’ most important products for trade included milk, lambskins, and wool, in that order. The Basseri spins, weave wool and goat-hair, and make their own tent poles, pack-saddles, and cordage. The rest of their equipment is bought from townsmen and gypsies, their vegetable food from villagers. Some of the Basseri own village lands from which they receive shares of the crops. (Coon, 1962) Community members trade in their milk, hides and other animal products at bazaars in surrounding towns and use this money to purchase other types of food such as vegetables, clothing and other necessities. As John Dowling argues, it is informative to contrast the Basseri with another pastoral people, the Turkana of Tanganyika. Both the Basseri and the Turkana are nomadic, both have productive organizations that are family based, both pasture their animals on tribally owned lands to which all individuals have usufruct rights, and in both societies animals are culturally ascribed to individuals property. But the orientation of the Turkana pastoralist is vastly different than that of the Basseri. The Turkana pastoralist produces primarily for consumption, the Basseri for sale. (Dowling, 1975) Dowling goes on to say that the Basseri go frequently to the market, buying material for women’s clothing, men’s ready made clothing, goods of tanned leather (shoes, saddles, etc. ), wheat flour (a staple), sugar, tea, dates, fruits, vegetables, glass ware, china, metal articles (cooking utensils, etc. ), narcotics, luxury goods such as women’s jewelry and carpets, and, for those who are able, land. The Turkana could live without external trade; they are self-sufficient subsistence producers. The Basseri are market dependent. (Dowling, 1975) Gender roles of the Basseri were clearly defined and adhered to by the members of the Basseri camps and tents. The gender roles of the Basseri are clearly defined by the community. When it comes to the tent, all authority lies with the husband (head of household). The husband was the decision-making person in the household and all were expected to adhere to the decisions made by the husband. Women had less significant power and were generally their roles were to take care of the day-to-day domestic operations of the tent or household. Women were also considered part of a man’s wealth and it was quite common for a wealthy man to marry more than one wife. Daughters had no rights in choosing a marriage partner as this decision was solely made by the husband/father and the father of the boy the daughter was to marry. Most families viewed the girl children as a means of gaining wealth since they understood that the girl would attract a certain amount of bride wealth into the family. The boy child was of more use to the community as a whole. The boys could look after the herds (even though there were cases that I read where girls were allowed to do shepherding duties as well) and protect and help the communities in the struggle between other communities. Marriage among the Basseri was arranged and it was not possible for a girl of the tent to have much of a say in who she would marry. As stated before, the Basseri of Iran have households that are referred to as tents; within a tent, there were nuclear families that had members of households headed by the husband who was considered head of his tent or household. The husband or head of the tent was the one who made all arrangements for marriages of his sons and daughters under their tents. The husbands would discuss with members of other tents who show interests in his sons or daughters and together, they would arrange marriages between the sons and daughters of other tents or households. The parties that were to get married usually had very little options but to accept what had been decided for them and accepted the marriage. The father of the bride would have to pay the bride price in the form of livestock and would also be expected to give a share of his animals to the new couple as a form of inheritance. This inheritance ould form the means of subsistence for the newly married couple/family. A married man may arrange subsequent marriages for himself, whereas all women and unmarried boys are subject to the authority of a marriage guardian, who is the head of their household. The marriage contract is often drawn up and written by a nontribal ritual specialist, or holy man. It stipulates certain bride-payments for the girl and the domestic equipment she is expected to bring, and the divorce or widow’s insurance, which is a prearranged share of the husband’s estate, payable upon divorce or in the event of his death. Johnson, 1996) Basseri are slowly becoming more and more settled in todays society and some are moving away from the traditional nomadic pastoralist ways of culture and moving towards a more modern approach to life. While there are still nomadic pastoralists today among the Basseri, many of the Basseri have begun to settle down and become a more settled culture. Poverty and debt lead a household to consume their capital in livestock; this makes them poorer, which makes it harder to make ends meet. More capital is consumed, and with no alternative sources of wealth available, settlement is inevitable. (Bradburd, 1989) Successful Basseri build up their herds, accumulating hundreds or thousands of animals. Fearful of losing their wealth to disease and the vulnerabilities of nature, herders convert this capital into an alternative form of wealth, such as land in local villages. The land is cultivated by villagers as tenant farmers, including unsuccessful Basseri who lost their herds and ended up as agricultural laborers. Nowak & Laird, 2010) Bradburd argues that not only poor Basseri settled; wealthy Basseri were driven to settle both by the risks of pastoralism, which threatened them with a return to poverty, and by the fact that the economic realities of their situation did not provide a return commensurate with their risk. (Bradburd, 1989) With increased modernization, many of the Basseri have learned of other subsistence means that are more profitable and have shifted away from the traditional Basseri culture or pastoralists. Traditionally, the Basseri of south western Iran are nomadic pastoralists and they continue to be that way in today’s time, but the number of traditional nomadic pastoralists among the Basseri people a very few. Most Basseri have begun to move towards a more modern approach in living and have settled down in villages or even more urban areas to obtain jobs that sustain life easier than their ancestors had in previous years. In the past, the Basseri of Iran were nomadic pastoralists, but the Basseri have started to come into a culture of a more advanced technological culture in today’s time. The Basseri have now become more advanced in their culture with the world we all live in today while respecting the culture they came from in decades past. Most texts agree that many of the settled people in the southwestern area of Iran either were Basseri or are descendants of Basseri. Even though there are still traditional nomadic pastoralist Basseri in the region, they have become small in number; but the one’s that exist today, value their lifestyle and don’t want to change the way they have been living for many years.

Analysis of the Hungarian Mobile Market Essay

Introduction The mobile market is still one of the most rapidly expanding business sectors in Hungary. Openness to new technologies and society’s need for swift communication, have elevated current statistics to show that the number of mobile telephones in Hungary exceed that of landlines. And it appears that the balance continues to shift more in favor of mobiles. This is characterized by the occurances of the previous years. At the end of 1999 the proportion of landline to mobile use was two to one, by the end of 2000 the number of landlines was only 25% higher than that of mobiles. Recently, over the course of the past few years dramatic changes have taken place. The country’s leading mobile provider, Westel Mobile Rt., reached 2 million subscribers by June 12, 2001; at the same time Pannon GSM reported 1.5 million subscribers, while the number of Vodafone subscribers was around 260,000.According to a recent report of the Telecommunications Supervisory Office, the number of opera tional mobile telephones in October 2003 amounted to 7,614,256. Given the tendencies of previous years, this number is expected to increase. Therefore, we can observe that mobile penetration has increased by nearly 100% over the course of the last few years. Growth shows no sign of slowing with the market. This makes it one of the highest growing markets in eastern Europe. But how will the Hungarian mobile-market develop further? Can the sharp increase of recent years be maintained, and when can we expect signs of market saturation? The Main Market Players Westel Mobile On 16 June 2000 Westel’s analogue and digital divisions, Westel Radiotelefon and Westel 900 GSM, officially became known as Westel Mobile; the company required a name change to reflect the fact that it was scheduled to introduce a GSM-1800 service. Westel was granted a GSM-1800 licence in mid-1999 when the government awarded Hungary’s third digital concession to Vodafone. In the interest of promoting fair competition, Vodafone was afforded a year-long period of exclusivity before Westel was allowed to launch its own GSM-1800 offering. Westel began sales of dual-band handsets in January 2000 in preparation for its November launch. Westel’s GSM subscriber base almost doubled during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, growth which the company has attributed to the popularity of its pre-paid service Domino. The sale of Domino packages accounted for 76% of total revenues in 2000 and by the end of the year pre-paid users outnumbered post-paid customers, ac counting for 52% of the total subscriber base; this had risen to 57% three months later. By the end of March 2001 Westel had signed up a total of 1.8 million subscribers and in mid-June 2001 it registered its two millionth customer, by which time 60% of its customers were pre-paid. Westel launched its WAP service in early February 2000 and by the end of the year claimed that 100,000 customers were using WAP-enabled handsets. According to the company, there will be a boom in its WAP services once access times have been cut by GPRS. In spring 2001 Westel launched GPRS to a couple of hundred users and has scheduled full commercial launch for 1 August. It is aware that the technology could be slow to take off, however, and has already indicated that initial growth could be affected by the lack of handsets. A major development for Westel customers in 2000 was the introduction of the GreenZone tariff package, which allows customers living in rural areas to make lower cost calls. The GreenZone covers around 80% of Hungarian territory. In addition Westel has roaming agreements in place in 87 countries with 196 networks. It has also highlighted the popularity of SMS services; 200 million were sent during 2000 and in the first half of 2001 Westel customers sent more than 30 million per month. Westel Mobile retained its dominance over the market having almost doubled its subscriber base during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, giving it a market share of 53.1%. By March 2001 the number of subscribers had reached 3.39 million, equivalent to a penetration rate of 33.7%. estel Mobile is owned by Matav (51%) and Deutsche Telekom (49%). Pannon GSM Although growth was steady during 2000, Pannon gained little ground on Westel; at the end of March 2001 it claimed a market share of 40.4%, up slightly on the 39.3% it recorded a year earlier. At the same date its subscribers numbered 1.37 million, 38% of whom were signed up to its pre-paid package Pannon Praktikum, which was launched in November 1997. By May 2001 Pannon announced that its customer base had reached 1.5 million. It has offered WAP services since early March 2000 and claims to have signed up several thousand users in the first four months. Majority shareholder KPN announced in June 2001 that it was seeking to offload its stake in Pannon as well as its minority stakes in the Ukraine and Indonesia. Interest in the stakes has been high and at the time of writing KPN confirmed that talks with potential buyers were well under way. Analysts have suggested that Vodafone may show interest in acquiring Pannon to strengthen its position in the country; it is not believed that Vo dafone will be deterred by the fact that Pannon is likely to be sold in conjunction with VoIP operator Pantel. Pannon is owned by KPN (44.66%), Telenor (25.78%), Sonera (23%) and TDC (6.56%). Vodafone Hungary When the VRAM consortium launched Hungary’s third digital mobile network under the Vodafone name in November 1999 it stated that its aim was to achieve a market share of 10% by the end of 2000. It failed to reach this target, signing up 200,000 customers, equivalent to just under 6.5%. Nonetheless, growth has been rapid. By March 2001 Vodafone had signed up 223,000 subscribers, up 374% from the 47,000 it claimed a year earlier. At the beginning of 2001 Vodafone announced that it would invest USD60 million in Hungary to build 400 base stations nationwide in addition to the 800 it has already installed. Vodafone has invested hundreds of millions of dollars since the inception of its Hungarian project to fund infrastructure, marketing and technological advances. The VRAM consortium consists of Vodafone (50.1%), RWE Telliance (19.9%), Antenna Hungary (20%) and Magyar Posta (10%). Market Share Development in Hungary Total Subscriber Development in Hungary Market Analysis This market is characterized by severe price discrimination implemented by all the participating firms. All three members of the market have pre paid and post paid packages available to their customers. It is observable that more users choose the pre paid packages in general. This can be derived from the price discrimination of the competing firms on the market. The following diagram also illustrates this tendency. Since the slope of the two lines is determined by the cost per minute it is obviously the lower envelope that represents the line according to which buyers should base their preference-based decisions. A customer who does not uses his or her mobile a lot will choose one of the pre paid packages. Controversially someone who is willing to talk much on his or her mobile will choose the post paid package, which implies to pay more for getting the started and costs less to use. In the intersection point of the two lines is the point where the customer is indifferent between the two. The market had witnessed unprecedented growth during 2000. At the end of the year it was home to 3.1 million users, this constitutes a 92.5% increase on the previous year end of 1999. This also beat the government’s forecast of a target of 2.5 million by a considerable margin. Also noteworthy is that mobile penetration reached an impressive 30.7% in December 2000, up from just 15.9% twelve months earlier. The market is growing indeed. according to analysts, 2002’s tendencies were easy to predict. The fast growth continued in the mobile market. However, it seems harder to foresee the development of the market later on. The only fact evident is that in the long run, there will be more mobile terminals in the country than the number of people living in it. Hungary’s new telecommunications act, which is currently being debated in Parliament, is also expected to further boost competition in the mobile phone market. With three competing mobile phone operators the Hunga rian market is probably the toughest in the entire region. Mobile Penetration Development in Hungary The second year of liberalized telecommunications in Hungary was marked by a decline in the number of fixed-line subscribers, but a persistently growing mobile market. In the first quarter of 2003, the number of mobile subscriptions (including active SIM cards and analogue subscription) rose to over 7 million for the first time, says a telecommunication market quarterly report compiled by the National Communications Authority (HIF). A comparison of 2003’s summer figures with those from the summer of 2002, shows an increase in mobile phone subscriptions of 22%. The numbers illustrate a major trend in the telecommunications sector of, let’s not forget, a country of only 10 million inhabitants. Westel leads the sector with a 47.5% market share, while Pannon GSM ranks second at 36.94%, followed by Vodafone, the smallest player, but one that is quickly growing with a 15.56% share of the market, according to HIF. Prices appear to increasingly level off, and the competition is speeding up. Therefore the mobile companies react faster to each other’s steps. Several years ago it took mobile operators almost half a year to counter each other’s marketing actions, but today it is a matter of days. This type of price war competition was started by Vodafone, Hungary’s third mobile phone provider, which entered the market in 1999. Vodafone’s Vitamax pre-paid cards became an instantaneous hit. Initially Vodafone’s prices were some 15-20% lower than anything offered on the market, but in the time since Westel and Pannon have lowered their prices as well. Pannon’s new campaign: â€Å"De-Juice† was a response to Vodafone’s younger image, and offers prepaid options along side Pannons already existing Praktikum service. Since March this year, Westel has introduced three new pre-paid Domino packages that offer competitive and unified tariffs on calls mad e to fixed-line or other mobile networks. There is also a considerable amount of price competition in the post-paid sector. Similarly to the post-paid packages, there is a very large array of package allocation possibilities. Of these assortments Westel’s cheapest offer for subscribers is its ‘Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rsalgà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ M’ package, under which users can call within the network for 36.75 Hungarian Forints per minute in peak hours. Under Pannon’s ‘Horizont’ package, subscribers can choose between three different categories (Bà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nusz, Plusz, Extra) that offer economical prices for calls made at different times of the day. In the meantime, Vodafone has come forward with its Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘Csà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cs Plusz’ subscription package, which offers a tariff of 6 Forints per minute for the first 10 minutes of a call made to any network. So competition is fierce among mobile operators for post-paid subscribers and pre-paid card users. Although companies believe they will win customers by advertising the lowest prices, we have ascertained that many pre-paid packages hide additional charges for calls made after prime time hours. Many analysts say that even after Hungary’s new telecom law takes effect, price competition will continue since there are still significant reserves in pre-paid card rates. Although mobile operators are extremely careful about detailing their strategies, we believe that telephone equipment prices, along with regular subscribers, will remain the main campaign elements in the future. One aspect of the new telecom law states that from May 1, 2004, customers may keep their mobile numbers even if they switch providers. It seems that this will greatly rearrange the market. It can be expected that pre-paid phone customers will probably have to pay much more for the mobile handsets (as opposed to being relatively cheap, as is the case right now), as it would not be in any company’s interest to give expensive, modern phones cheaply to customers who could change providers at any moment. Meanwhile, the value of regular subscribers is expected to grow and those customers who sign a long-term contract will probably be the most important ones. Pannon GSM, for instance, seems to put more focus on the post-paid customer segment instead of the SIM card market. The current price competition, mostly focused on pre-paid card users, is seen spreading to subscribers who would be able to make cheaper calls as well. Vodafone is also pursuing a similar strategy. Telecom Policy Director Pà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½l Marchart says: â€Å"I expect that the new regulation will stimulate market competition even in those markets that show monopolistic signs today.† In reality however, the new regulations are being carefully scrutinized and opinions vary. It is questionable whether they will fulfill the function of creating real market competition. Prices would radically drop if real market competition existed in the market. This question was first raised by Hungary’s Competition Authority (GVH). The office made headlines recently with its inquiry into the telecommunications services sector, which resulted in imposed fines for Westel and Pannon. The sector inquiry enabled GVH to achieve a more accurate view of the mobile phone sector. The office found several problems on the mobile market, mainly with the pricing of calls generated from mobile phones to fixed-line networks. GVH accused mobile operators of utilizing restrictive practices in-order to increase mobile use in Hungary. The inquiry alleged that there is a mobile phone cartel in Hungary. But of course in the end it accused mobile service providers of little and did not prove that there were coordinated actions taken on by the mobile firms. GVH could not even prove that call fees to other networks were too high, but only stated that some contracts among mobile providers could distort competition. Westel was fined HUF 210 million and Pannon GSM HUF 150 million by GVH. The fine is not substantial, however, and accounts for a mere fraction of mobile operators’ turnover. Westel and Pannon said they will appeal the GVH decision in Hungarian courts. Vodafone did not have to pay any fines. The mobile companies agreed that fees for calls to other mobile service providers would cost less than calling fixed-line operators. In Summary then, we believe it is safe to say that continued competition and occasional price-wars will continue to surface among the three mobile conglomerates in Hungary. We have just recently perused in the latest issue of the Budapest Times that the new telecoms legislation has just been officially approved in Parliament. The new telecom act will come into force January 1, 2004 for fixed-lines and May 1, 2004 for mobile networks, just in time for the EU entry. We are yet to see what real effects this law will have on market competition, and if predatory and limit pricing attempts will be detected and penalized by the GVH. Also of note for future developments is Hungary’s ensuing EU absorption. Although it is expected that new fixed-line operators will enter the Hungarian market after EU integration, in the mobile market, the situation is quite different. Given the considerable number of active mobile phone users in the Hungarian population, it seems inconceivable that a potential new entrant firm could operate efficiently next to the incumbents. They would need a lot of resources and a good financial background, since return on the investment would probably take a good number of years. The fact that the number of mobile providers is not bound to increase in the future is one issue that all three firms seem to agree on. However, we believe that eventual new entrants will or should make their way on the market, since this would further promote competition which is an obvious goal of the Hungarian Competition Office (GVH). What we, consumers can do is to hope that at some point in time prices and minimum average costs will tend to meet, setting an end to the presence of dead weight loss. This way welfare as well as consumer surplus will be maximized on the Hungarian mobile market. Bibliography Sources Consulted and Referenced: Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) official website; www.gvh.hu Hungarian National Communications Authority (HIF) official website; www.hif.hu Pannon GSM Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.pannongsm.hu The Budapest Times Newspaper. Issue: Nov 28. – Dec 4. 2004; www.budapesttimes.hu Vodafone Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.vodafone.hu Westel Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.westel.hu

Essay on Sir Thomas Wyatt Essay Example

Essay on Sir Thomas Wyatt Essay Example Essay on Sir Thomas Wyatt Paper Essay on Sir Thomas Wyatt Paper Thomas Wyatt many different interpretations are formed by each person who reads It. In the title Wyatt uses the word they never giving a definitive Identity as to which they refers to. Some would say that they refers to the women that Wyatt has loved and left while others would say that It refers to only the few women that have seduced and left Wyatt. This type of argument is made all throughout the entire poem. It is clear that Wyatt is talking about his relationships with women or one certain Oman but the only debating issue is who is fleeing from Thomas Wyatt? Is Wyatt describing one certain woman who has bestowed upon him the same courtesy that he has bestowed on past lovers? Or could it be possible that Wyatt is describing the new found attitude of those gentle, tame, and meek (Wyatt line 3) women who are now wild and do not remember (Wyatt line 4)? It can be looked upon at different angles as to who Is fleeing from Wyatt. One way of looking at Watts written words Is that he may be describing those women that he once loved and left and are now moved on and want nothing more to o with him. In the first stanza of the poem It says l have seen them gentle, tame, and meek / that are now wild and do not remember. (Wyatt II. 3-4). This seems that he is reflecting on how his past lovers used to be and have now changed to these somewhat wild women that no longer want his company. Also in stanza two it seems that he is describing a fond memory with one of these women that used to be gentle and desired him thoroughly. He reflects back on this memory as though he misses the way they wanted him and were so tamed by his charm despite his promiscuous reputation. And that he knows that there is no longer a chance for this to repeat itself again seeing as to how they are now wild and rather forget him altogether, as though he had hurt him so bad as to change them. This maybe the meaning for the title They Flee From Me as though they were hurt so badly that they distanced themselves from Wyatt. There is also another line in the poem in which seems to make the reader think that he is describing his past lovers. In the flirts line They flee from, that sometime did me seek (Wyatt line 1) it appears that Wyatt is expressing that the women that once did chase after him and desire him are no longer clinging to him but rather the opposite. Also another line in the first stanza seems to express the same thought To take bread at my hand; and now they range, (Wyatt line 6). This line is somewhat similar to the first line as in saying that they both reach out to say that the women who were once longing for Wyatt are no longer drawn in by his charm. In the third stanza It may be thought that Wyatt is once again referring to the women of his past by Just simply using the word her. One way of looking at the last Tanta Is to say that Wyatt Is writing of how he would leave his female companion at that moment. In the lines Into a strange fashion of forsaking / And I have leave to go, of her goodness / And she also to use ineffableness (Wyatt II. 17-19) can be read Ana Interpreted In teen sense Tanat en may nave Eden graceful Ana generous In tenet parting of ways. That may be the explanation of the phrase strange fashion of forsaking. And in line 16 it seems that he is saying that even though the time they spent together was Joyful he must part ways with her, with her meaning all the oversee of his past. Also in line 17 it can be read as though Wyatt is saying that as he is leaving the women have tried tricks or tried to find someway to get him to stay. Another way of reading this poem is to look at it as though he is only speaking of one certain woman instead of many lovers. In the second stanza it may be read as though he is writing about a special memory he had with her When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall / And she me caught in her arms long and small. (Wyatt II. 11-12). In these two lines it appears that he may be speaking of this certain lover s in describing her arms as long and small, which may symbolize her elegance and may also symbolize this womans caring and loving side. Also in stanza two he writes Therewith sweetly did me kiss / and softly said, Dear heart, how like you this (Wyatt 11. 13- 14). These two lines can be read as though he is still recalling the same experience but only writing of how she pleased him and showed him affection. In the last stanza it seems that he may be describing one woman who has made love to him only to forsake him in the end. The last stanza seems as though he is describing his promiscuous lover Into strange fashion of forsaking / and I have to leave to go, of her goodness / And she also to use ineffableness. (Wyatt 11. 17-19). It seems that Just by these lines he is writing about this certain woman who has now made love to him and has sent him on his way afterwards. Then by the use of the word ineffableness it seems as though she has now started on the prowl for another potential male companion. Thus showing him the same treatment he has shown his female companions from the past. When reading this poem many different opinions can be formed as to who is fleeing away from Wyatt. While observing three different thoughts of three different readers the issue of Wyatt either writing of one certain woman or his many past lovers really stuck out. Then in rereading this poem both sides have pretty good arguments as to why one thought he was writing about women of Watts past or this one certain woman. In conclusion, in the poem Wyatt never gives a identity as to who he is writing about which leads up to the different opinions of every person who reads it.

Breakdown of Every Question Type in SAT Reading by %

Breakdown of Every Question Type in SAT Reading by % SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Passage-based questions on the SAT Critical Reading section can be a real challenge, so it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re getting into before the test. I’ve gone through every publicly available SAT and analyzed how frequently every type of Reading question shows up on the exam. In this article, which has been fully updated for the new SAT, I’ll go over the different categories of questions, show you how frequently they each appear, and tell you what this information means for your testing strategy. What are the SAT Reading Question Types? On the SAT, the Reading section lasts 65 minutes and contains 52 questions. There will be five passages in the section, and all Reading questions are based on the passages. Before we get to the distribution of questions, I’ll briefly outline each of the nine question types you'll see on the SAT Reading section so you have a better context for the numbers. Big Picture Questions Big picture questions are about the author’s point of view, the primary purpose of the passage, and the rhetorical strategy of the author. Example of a big picture question: The primary purpose of the passage is to A. discuss the assumptions and reasoning behind a theoryB. describe the aim, method, and results of an experimentC. present and analyze conflicting data about a phenomenonD. show the innovative nature of a procedure used in a study Little Picture/Detail Questions Little picture/detail questions will be about a specific small detail in a passage.They might ask you what a phrase in a passage specifically refers to or give you a line number and ask you to find a detail in that part of the passage. Example of a little picture question: The fourth paragraph (lines 50-56) indicates that Plato’s principal objection to â€Å"poetry† (line 50) was its A. confusing languageB. widespread popularityC. depiction of turbulent eventsD. influence on people’s morals Inference Questions Inference questions will ask you to make a logical assumption based on details in the passage.You may have to infer the meaning of a paragraph or line in the passage, determine the implications of a statement in the passage, or make a logical conclusion about opinions stated by passage authors. Example of an inference question: Which of the following, if available, would best refute the author’s assertion about the â€Å"young upstart† (line 57)? A. Evidence that certain kinds of particles in nature exceed the speed of lightB. Confirmation of conditions that existed in the earliest stages of the Big BangC. Speculation that the deep interior of a black hole is not as dense as scientists have believedD. Mathematical formulas that link general relativity and quantum mechanics in the same realm Function Questions Function questions will ask you to figure out what the purpose or effect of a line or paragraph is in the context of a passage or why the author used a certain phrasing in the passage. Example of a function question: The author of the passage uses the quotation in lines 5-6 primarily as a: A. vivid expression of how she views wordsB. powerful example of what she sought in ShakespeareC. scholarly citation linking her to poetic wordsD. comical introduction to a problem encountered by every dramatic performer Vocabulary in Context Questions Words in context questions will ask you the definition of a word as it is used in the context of a passage.Answering these questions correctly requires an understanding of nuance in the meanings of common words rather than a wide-ranging vocabulary. Example of a vocabulary in context question: In line 34, the word â€Å"follow† most nearly means A. pursueB. resultC. join inD. listen carefully Analogy Questions Analogy questions will ask you to make a comparison between a condition or relationship described in the passage and a condition or relationship that is not mentioned in the passage.Basically, you have to detect the underlying similarity between something in the passage and a separate hypothetical situation.Analogy questions are a subset of inference questions. Example of an analogy question: The â€Å"experts† (line 53) would most likely argue that which of the following is guilty of the â€Å"sin† mentioned in line 58? A. A veterinarian who is unwilling to treat a sick animalB. A cat owner who believes his cat misses its siblingsC. A dog owner who is unwilling to punish her dog for misbehavingD. A zoologist who places the interests of people before those of animals Author Technique Questions Author technique questions will ask you about the author’s tone in the passage or the mood the passage conveys to the reader. Example of an author technique question: The first paragraph of the passage establishes a mood of A. jaded dismissalB. nervous apprehensionC. dramatic anticipationD. initial concern Evidence Support Questions These are a new type of SAT Reading question. You'll answer a question about the passage, for example an inference or little detail question, and the next question (the evidence support question) will ask you tocite evidencethat supports your answer to the previous question. Example of an evidence support question: Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? A.Lines 45-50 ("So every...beetles")B.Lines 51-53 ("Finally...beetles")C.Lines 59-61 ("We would...open")D.Lines 76-79 ("Gourds...flowers") Data Reasoning Questions For the first time, SAT Reading now includes figures (such as graphs and charts) that show data. For data reasoning questions, you'll need to interpret the data in the figure and place it in the context of the overall passage - for example, how does this figure support the author's argument?Especially tricky will be data reasoning questions that require you to make inferences- for example, "the author is most likely to support which interpretation of the data in this figure?" Example of a data reasoning question: According to figure 1, in 2017, the cost of which of the following fuels is projected to be closest to the 2009 US average electricity cost shown in figure 2? A.Natural gasB.Wind (onshore)C.Conventional coalD.Advanced nuclear Now for our all-access behind-the-scenes tour of SAT reading. This is where the magic happens, folks. Currently in production: "SAT Reading: This Time, It's Critical" Distribution of Question Types Here's a table that outlines the distribution of each question type that we found on the SAT Reading section. This data was collected by going through every Reading question on the eight available official practice SATs, sorting them into categories, and averaging the data we got. Question Type Average Number of Questions per Section Percentage of Total Reading Questions Big Picture 21% Little Detail 7 13% Inference 5 10% Function 5 10% Vocabulary in Context 8 15% Analogy 1 2% Author Technique 1 2% Evidence Support 10 20% Data Reasoning 5 10% All Critical Reading Questions 52 103%(due to rounding) Big Picture Questions Out of the 52 questions on the SAT Reading section, I found that an average of about questions per test were Big Picture questions. This makes them the most common type of Reading question, and it means that about21% of the questions you’ll encounter on SAT Critical Reading will be based on an understanding of the main points of passages.The SAT has more Big Picture questions than the ACT, so this can make the SAT Reading section a bit more challenging because you really need to be aware of what the passage is discussing and what the auther is trying to convey. Little Detail Questions Little detail questions are also pretty common on the SAT, with an average of 7 questions per test.This means that about 13% of the questions in the Critical Reading section will be comprised of little detail questions.These questions tend to be the most direct and the least challenging of the bunch, so it’s encouraging to know that they are so common. Inference Questions At an average of 5 questions per test, inference questions are somewhat common and make up about 10% ofquestions on the Critical Reading section.This means that inference skills are pretty important on the SAT. This is especially true since they come into play on other question types, like analogies and sometimes big picture questions, as well. Function Questions There are also about 5 function questions per test,and they make up about10% of Reading questions.This means it's going to be important to understand the structure of the passages and the reasons behind the author's phrasing. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Vocabulary in Context Questions Vocabulary in context questions became much more common when the SAT was revised in 2016. Now, there are about 8 of these questions per test, and they make up around 15% of Reading questions.As we mentioned above, you don't need a huge vocabulary to get these questions right, but you do need to be familiar with different definitions of more common words and how to determine which definition is being used based on the word's context in the passage. Analogy Questions Analogy questions are very rare - you can expect 1 or maybe 2 of them per test.If your skills with inference questions are strong, you should be able to figure out analogy questions as well.It's still good to be prepared for analogy questions because they are kind of weird if you haven't seen them before. See my article on analogy questions for more information about how to solve them. Author Technique Questions Author technique questions are even rarer than analogy questions. They only come up about once per test, if at all.It is sometimes useful to understand tone and mood for the Critical Reading section even if you don’t come across a specific question about them, but these are clearly not core concepts on the test. Evidence Support Questions Evidence support (also known as command of evidence) questions are one of the new SAT Reading questions, and they're also one of the most common question types. You can expect to see about 10 evidence support questionson each Reading Section, which means they make up about 20%of SAT Reading questions.To answer these questions correctly, you'll need to be able to use higher-level reasoning skills to correctly select the part of the passage that supports your previous answer. Data Reasoning Questions Another new question type, there will be about5 data reasoning questions on the SAT, usually spread between two passages. This means they make up about10% of the Reading section.To answer these questions correctly, you'll need to be able to accurately read graphs and charts and be able to understand how they relate to the passage. For more in-depth information, check out our guide to data reasoning questions. I got a blank space baby, and I'll write your name - a philosophy that probably didn't get TSwift very far on the SAT. How Does This Information Affect Your Approach to SAT Reading? Now that you know the frequency of question types, you may be wondering how you can adapt your Critical Reading strategy to the composition of the test. Here are some tips you should consider based on the data: Read Strategically It’s important to come up with a passage reading strategy that will allow you to absorb details while also understanding the main points the author of the passage is making.Since a significant portion of questions in Critical Reading are big picture, it is especially critical to understand passages holistically. On the SAT, passages are relatively short, so it can be beneficial to skim them before reading the questions.Even though Reading questions often give you line numbers, it's a lot easier to figure out questions that deal with inferences, the function of a certain part of the passage, and the main purpose of the passage if you read the passage quickly beforehand.A good skimming strategy is to read the first and last paragraphs and the first and last sentences of each body paragraph.This way you’ll know the main ideas and the gist of the author’s argument. Inference, function, and big picture questions together make up nearly half of the Reading questions on the test.This means that fully understanding the main points made in the passage before you read the questions will help you to answer them much more efficiently. Pay Attention to Details Little picture questions make up a significant part of Reading questions, so you should also be prepared to get very specific with your answers.Sometimes the questions students miss are the ones that seem easy. They’ll breeze right by them and make a silly mistake.Don’t let that happen to you! This is also important because inference skills are critical on the test.With most inference questions, it comes down to finding the right keywords in the passage and matching up details to draw conclusions.This requires an eye for small details as well as awareness of the overall structure of the passage. Don’t Worry About Rarer Question Types (Unless You’re Shooting for a Perfect Score) If analogies scare you (and they are some of the more difficult questions), don’t worry too much about them. The same goes for author technique questions.You don’t need to spend your time practicing question types that will likely only show up once or twice on the test if at all. Practice answering big picture, little detail, evidence support, and vocabulary in context questions first and foremost. Then, if you master those, you can work through the rarer question types. Some questions are rare birds. But mainly I just think the expression on this bird's face is HILARIOUS. Summary There are a few different types of questions that you can expect to see on the passage-based reading section of SAT Critical Reading. These include: Big pictureLittle pictureInferenceFunctionVocabulary in contextAnalogies Author technique Evidence support Data reasoning Big pictureand evidence supportquestions are the most common, followed by vocabulary in contextand little detailquestions. Analogyand author technique questions are relatively rare. Based on the frequency of question types, you should: Practice skimming passages strategically Pay attention to passage details Save the rare question types for last in terms of studying Now that you know exactly what kinds of questions to expect, you’ll be extra prepared for everything the Critical Reading section throws at you! What's Next? For more SAT Reading strategies, take a look at our article on how to improve low reading scores or, if your scores are already high, check out our advice on how to get an 800 on SAT Reading. Read my article on the fundamental rule of SAT reading to understand the core strategy behind answering any reading question and my article on the hardest SAT reading questions to see what you might be up against. Still trying to decide whether to take SAT or ACT Reading? Learn about the differences here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: