Southwest Airlines An Economic Perspective Essay Example For Students

Southwest Airlines An Economic Perspective Essay Southwest and Continental Airlines: A Managerial Economic PerspectiveIntroductionIn order for companies to maximize profits and productivity, it is important that they implement managerial economics on both a day-to-day and strategic basis. This paper will compare and contrast Southwest and Continental Airlines from a managerial economic perspective. The goal of the paper is to critically analyze both companies on their use of managerial economic practices. The Airline industry is a capitally intensive industry, and because of this companies within the Airline industry focus greatly upon cost, as well as revenue generation. If costs increase beyond control, profitability will soon decrease. Southwest were quick to learn that if they were going to run their company in a profitable manner they had to first establish their market, and then make every effort to keep costs low. In the early 1970s soon after their inception, Southwest established the ten-minute turn. This was the ability to unload and reload passengers, refill the plane with gasoline, and make all the necessary checks, all within a ten-minute window. They had to keep their planes in the air as much as possible, because of their low price, high frequency market niche. Part of the great strength theyve had, is that they have consistently followed a pattern of keeping costs low in every place they have gone. (Freiberg, 1996, p35)Continental also looked to keep costs low. In 1994 , Continental was renowned as a cost cutting airline. We were stuck in our mold of being a cost cutting airline, and if you werent talking about cutting costs, nobody at the top wanted to hear you (Bethune, 1998, p10) The problem Continental experienced were that they cut costs to such an extent that it became the culture of the company. When Gordon Bethune became CEO in 1994, he looked at cost from a different perspective. One of my key questions in any decision is not only what does it cost to do something, but what does it cost not to do something? Continental had to begin to look at costs from every angle, not just purely from a monetary cost perspective, but what decisions would benefit the company in the long-term, 1994 was the beginning of a company turnaround. Cost Effective Hiring; Determining Potential ProductivitySouthwest put a lot of time and effort into their hiring process. Southwest and outsiders considers them to be one of the best companies to work for in the Unite d States. For this reason Southwest implement procedures to ensure they receive the best possible skilled workers. This is not to say that Southwest only employ academic high flyers, but they have become a company known for operating outside the box. Potential employees have to have a sense of fun, and entrepreneurial attitude. Southwest has tailored the general principles of targeted selection to hire people with a special kind of spirit. (Freiburg, 1996, p67) It could be said that Southwest employ what other companies consider risky workers. Southwest look upon so called risky workers, as employees who have the ability and potential to take the company to the next level. Southwest allow their employees freedom and empowerment to make decisions that would otherwise be held for upper management, If employees have to side step the rules to make on the spot decisions, they are encouraged to use their own intelligence and impetus to benefit all involved. Southwest also implement an imp ortant screening process. They look towards attitude as well as technical skills. By hiring the right attitude, the company is able to foster the Southwest Spirit, the quality that makes employees go that extra mile if required (Freiburg, 1996, p69) By implementing their unique screening costs, Southwest are able to boast results of having one of the lowest turnover, and highest productivity rates in the industry, justifying their methods. .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .postImageUrl , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:hover , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:visited , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:active { border:0!important; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:active , .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud0a99bd69c17c3b9ae4f78c89e54458f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Last Day of High School - The First Day of the Rest of My Life Essay We will write a custom essay on Southwest Airlines An Economic Perspective specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Southwest implement their methods of recruiting, to positively bias their applicant pool. We probably have 25 applicants for every job thats available at Southwest. (Kelleher, 2003) A key to Southwests success in their screening and hiring process is to maintain a budget for training programs throughout the organization. Once an employee has been hired, it is vitally important for the company to invest in human capital be able

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe †Things Fall Apart

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe – Things Fall Apart Free Online Research Papers Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in a large village in Nigeria called Ogidi. His father was a Protestant missionary and he received an English education in his early childhood. Despite his background, he had a multicultural upbringing. This is due to the fact that the inhabitants of Ogidi still followed many ancient and traditional Igbo culture. Achebe attended the Government College from 1944 to 1947 and graduated from University College, Ibadan in 1953. While he was in college, he studied history and theology. After developing a profound interest in Nigerian cultures, he dropped his Christian name of Albert and picked up his native name of Chinua. Achebe was a founder of the Nigerian literary movement in the 1950’s. He wanted to help others learn that cultures in Africa were more than what meets the eye. He wanted to show that native Africans were not as primitive, language-less, and socially backward as Englishmen like Joseph Conrad displayed in literary pieces. In his response to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Achebe published Things Fall Apart in 1959. Things Fall Apart depicts a man named Okonwo and his family. Okonwo is a wealthy warrior who strives to uphold his manliness and not show any amount of weakness. He feels disgraced by his father who died poor and of a shameful death. His main goal in life is to gain the power and wealth that his father never had. He finds his twelve-year-old son lazy and worries that he will one day become his father. Along the way, Okonwo gains a young boy whom he admires as a son. His biological son looks to him as an older brother. The boy eventually must be killed and starts the beginning of the demise of Okonwo. At the ceremony honoring a village warrior who has passed, Okonwo’s gun accidently explodes and the elder’s son is killed. This causes Okonwo and his family to go into exile for seven years. When they return, Christians have settled into their village and converted many of the villagers. In a desperate attempt to regain the strength Okonwo once had, he kills one of the Christian missionaries. He immediately realizes that the rest of his colony does not want to go to war and does not follow his steps to kill the other Christians. Believing his future fate will be much worse and feeling like nothing more than a disgrace, Okonwo commits the greatest sin. He is found by the village commissioners after hanging himself. Throughout the story, Okonwo strives for nothing more than masculinity. His want for this trait is in result of his feelings for his father. He wants to be on top of his father’s legacy and known as a greater man. His father was against war, he was extremely poor, and had a love of language. To Okonwo, he was a complete failure. Okonwo avenged his father by becoming a wealthy warrior. He gained respect in his village by defeating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match. When a member of the village is murdered in a nearby village, Okonwo is sent to retrieve a virgin and a young man from the wrongful village. The young man, Ikemefuna is sent to live with Okonwo, his three wives, and eight children. The boy soon becomes part of the family and shows much potential to be a strong warrior. Okonwo is very fond of him but does not show this. Weakness is his greatest fear. For him, to be weak is to be womanly. When Okonwo finds out that Ikemefuna is to be murdered in repentance for the woman who died in his own village, he is extremely upset. Although he does not show it, he considers Ikemefuna a son and is very distraught by his upcoming fate. He is told not to take part in the murder because of the bond that they share. When it comes time, Okonwo disregards the orders in order to show his masculinity. When his son finds out about Ikemefuna’s fate, he is very upset. This breaks Okonwo down inside and he goes into a depression. He feels weak and has no desire to eat. His daughter Ezinma brings him dinners and insists that he eat all of his food. Okonwo wishes that Ezinma was a boy. He thinks she has the â€Å"spirit.† His want for his favorite child to be male shows that he has a secret desire to have close bonds with his actual sons. He does not admit this because affection is another thing that Okonwo regards as weakness. He does not want Ezinma to be a boy because of her masculine traits, but he values their bond of sympathy and understanding. Okonwo finds out one morning that Ezinma is dying and he and one of his wives must send her with a priestess to Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves for healing. They are told not to follow. His wife immediately disregards these orders and secretly follows right away. Okonwo waits a little while before following. When he reaches the cave and find that they have not yet arrived, he returns home. After checking the cave several times, he finally finds his wife. He waits to follow in order to uphold his strength as a man. Being worried right away would show a feminine weakness that he refuses to posses. During the ordeal however, Okonwo finds that his wife posses an amount of strength and bravery for defying the gods to protect her child. At the funeral of a fellow warrior, Okonwo’s gun blows up and he accidently kills the warrior’s son. Because of this, he and his family are forced into exile for seven years. One of Okonwo’s wives questions him as to why they receive such a harsh punishment for an obvious accident. This forces Okonwo to finally mourn the death of his wife’s twins and wonders what crime they possibly could have committed. This shows that Okonwo is starting to come out of his shell, so to speak. It is apparent that he is not the brute uncaring man that he pretends to be. While in exile, Christian missionaries inhabit his homeland, and his mother’s native village where they are staying. He soon learns that his son has joined them and Okonwo is outraged. By not following suit with the village’s ways, he is disregarding his masculinity and being weak. It seems that his main reason for disregarding Christianity is that he would have to come to terms with killing Ikemefuna. He would lose his religious justice in doing so. When he returns to his village, Okonwo finds that his once war-like people have changed. Many of them have converted to Christianity and those who have not, are peacefully living alongside everyone else. When his son departs the family to live with the Christian missionaries, Okonwo shows no remorse. He is still striving to get back on top of power and importance. In doing so, he continues to preach the extremely violent qualities of true masculinity. He still shows that he refuses to acknowledge aggressiveness and pensiveness as anything other than gender related qualities, even though he has experienced situations opposite of his beliefs within himself and his wife. When some problems arise with members of the church, the villagers ceremonially burn the church down. Those who took part in the burning, Okonwo included, were arrested by church officials and beaten in prison. Once they are released the clan has an enormous meeting. While it seems that other members of the clan wish to make amends with the Christians, Okonwo still want to go to war. When a messenger of the Christians comes in to tell the villagers to disband the meeting, Okonwo slays him with his machete. Realizing at once that none of his clansmen are going to support his decision, he leaves. Later, church officials come to look for Okonwo and find that he has hung himself. Suicide is one of the greatest sins to the villagers and it shows an immense amount of weakness, the one thing that Okonwo feared all along. By killing himself, he attempted to stop others from viewing him as cowardly. He wanted to die on his own terms. At the end of the story Okonwo is just as unsuccessful as his father was. He died poor, weak, and shameful. By killing the messenger, he makes his last attempt to assert his manhood. When he realizes that his attempts are obviously futile, he gives up completely. Everything that Okonwo did was based on masculinity and strength. He never wanted to appear weak, but when he realized that his life would soon end and he was horribly like his father, he could not bear to go on. All along, Okonwo showed signs of his view of weaknesses but he suppressed them. In the end they got the best of him and finally broke him. 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September Writing Prompts for Grade School Students

September Writing Prompts for Grade School Students September is a great month for teachers and students to start the habit of daily writing. Writing every day, even for a short time, can set the foundations for great achievements during the year ahead. These prompts have been chosen to highlight key holidays and commemorations during September and are great for daily warm-ups or journal entries. Month of September: Better Breakfast MonthClassical Music MonthNational School Success MonthRead-a-New-Book Month Writing Prompt Ideas for September September 1st  Theme: Nursery RhymesThe childhood rhyme  Mary Had a Little Lamb  (1830) is based on an incident in the life of  Mary  Sawyer of Sterling, Massachusetts. when her lamb followed her to school one day.What was your favorite nursery rhyme as a child? Why do you think you liked it so much?September 2nd Theme: Better Breakfast MonthWhat is your idea of a wonderful breakfast? Describe exactly what youd serve.September 3rd  Theme: Labor DayThe  first Monday in September is set aside as an annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. According to the United States Department of Labor website, Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.How does your family celebrate Labor Day weekend?September 4th  Theme: Classical Music MonthHave you ever listened to classical music? What is your feeling about it? Why do y ou feel that way?September 5th  Theme: Pizza (National Cheese Pizza Day)Describe your perfect pizza. Include details about the crust, sauce, and toppings. September 6th Theme: Read a Book DayThere are studies that show the positive effects of reading on social well-being. Reading fiction improves a readers ability to understand other peoples beliefs, desires, and thoughts that are different from their own.Do you like to read? If so, what type of things do you like to read: books, magazines, websites, etc. If not, why dont you like to read?September 7th  Theme: Neither Rain Nor Snow DayThe unofficial creed of the United States Postal Service is embodied in this quote found on the James Farley Post Office in New York City:Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.Describe the difficulties that you that mail carriers might face on any given day? Do you think this is a hard job? Would you want to be a mail carrier?September 8th Theme: Anniversary of the Day Ford Pardoned NixonOn September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon of any wrongdoin g associated with Watergate. Why do you think Ford pardoned him? Do you think he should have? Why or why not? September 9th  Theme: Grandparents DayWhat are three qualities that you think make an excellent grandparent? Why do you think they need these qualities.September 10th Theme: T.V. Dinner DayDo you think that it is important for families to eat dinner together at least a few times a week? Why or why not?September 11th Theme: 9-11 World Trade Center Remembrance DayYou can have students listen to former Poet Laureate Billy Collins read his poem The Names.Write a poem or piece of prose commemorating those who died on the 9/11 attacks.September 12th Theme: National Day of EncouragementWhich person do you feel has inspired and encouraged you the most in your life? Explain your answer.September 13th Theme: Scooby Doos BirthdayIf you were in a Scooby-Doo episode, who would you like to be paired up with as you hunt for ghosts: Scooby and Shaggy, Fred, Velma, or Daphne? Why?September 14th Theme: Pet Memorial DayDescribe your favorite pet, living or dead. If you have never had a pet, explain w hat type of pet youd like to have and what you would name it. September 15th Theme: National School Success MonthWhat do you think you can do to become more successful in your classes at school? Explain your answer.September 16th Theme: Mayflower DayPretend you were on the Mayflower on that first voyage to settle in America. Describe your feelings upon leaving England and then seeing your new home.September 17th Theme: Constitution DayResources on The Constitution Center website: Explore the best, nonpartisan, interactive Constitution on the web, featuring materials written by the top constitutional scholars from across the political spectrum.Journal topic: If you could only keep one of the following rights, which would it be? Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of the Press. Explain your answerSeptember 18th Theme: Childhood (National Play-Doh Day)Do you miss elementary school? Why or why not?September 19th Theme: Talk Like a Pirate DayWrite a poem or a paragraph as if you were a pirate describing all the treas ure youve plundered. Make sure to write like a pirate. September 20th Theme: Chicken Dance DayToday is Chicken Dance Day. Why do you think that many adults enjoy dances like the Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey? Do you enjoy them? Why or why not?September 21st  Theme: World Gratitude DayName five things that you are grateful for. Explain why you are grateful for each.September 22nd Theme: Dear Diary DayCreate a diary entry about a special day. This can be a real day in your own life or a fictional diary entry. Make sure to start with Dear Diary.September 23rd Theme: Checkers DayYouve been asked to play either checkers or chess. Which would you pick and why?September 24 Theme: National Punctuation DayWhich punctuation mark do you have the most problem using correctly? You can choose from the period, comma, colon, or semicolon.September 25th Theme: National Comic Book DayThe comic book market in  North America has reached as high as  $1 billion  annually.Do you read comic books? Why or why not?September 26th Theme: Banned BooksBan ned Books Week is an annual event first launched in 1982 that celebrates the freedom to read. According to the  Banned Books Week website:This is an effort to bring together the entire book community - librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types - in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.Do you think that school libraries should ban certain books? Support your opinion. September 27th Theme: Ancestor Appreciation DayWrite about your favorite ancestor. If you dont know if your ancestor or dont have a favorite one, tell which favorite person you wish was your ancestor. Explain your reasons for picking this person.September 28th Theme: Good Neighbor DayIn the poem Mending Wall by Robert Frost, the neighbor states Good fences make good neighbors. Explain what you think that statement means.September 29th Theme: Coffee DayAre you a fan of coffee? If so, why do you like it? What way do you like to drink it? If not, why not?September 30th Theme: Chewing Gum DayTake a stand either for or against chewing gum. Write three arguments to support your opinion.

What Intergenerational Communicationand Aging means for my own life, Essay

What Intergenerational Communicationand Aging means for my own life, now, and in the future - Essay Example h this course and analyzing related materials, I learned the importance of changing mindsets and communication and relationship goals, so that I can treat and interact with the elderly with respect and recognize and respond to their needs for autonomy and social support, and so that I can pursue a model for successful aging that balances physical and psychological needs and aspirations. Through Comm 119 lectures and various other reading materials, as well as my analysis of my own interactions with the elderly, I realized that social stereotypes about aging and the elderly contribute to the self-fulfilling prophesy of these ageist stereotypes. Cuddy and Fiske (2002) described the various stereotypes of older people that I also practiced in the past, including the grandmotherly and severely impaired stereotypes. I am quite ashamed that I thought that older adults are like babies by focusing on their childish behavior, such as being hard-headed when instructing them to follow proper nutrition practices. I realize now that they are childish (if they are) because of how society treats them. In one of our lectures, the Dallas Morning News (2002) reported that people’s attitudes, and not aging per se, present obstacles to feeling fulfilled during old age (as cited in Giles, 2014a). I agree because I also had the mindset that the elderly, though not all, are the on es making health and social problems by being aggressive in opposing lifestyle or emotional and attitudinal changes that can improve health and social conditions. I would say: â€Å"They can be so hard-headed because they are already old.† By saying this, I frame aging in terms of blaming older people of their health and social issues and aging as the worst phase of mental and psychological development. This kind of framing under-analyzes the needs and goals of the elderly and perpetuates ageism. Besides personal ageist stereotypes, I learned about social institutions that promote ageism and that I must

Patient care in inadvertent hypothermia Assignment

Patient care in inadvertent hypothermia - Assignment Example Perioperative hypothermia had a potential for morbidity and mortality. The patients who had perioperative hypothermia had a chance for surgical site infections especially in patients with colorectal surgery (Hart et al, 2011). The guidelines of Surgical Care Improvement Project encouraged the decrease in incidence of this illness. Human beings required internal body temperatures to be constant for the multiple organs to function optimally. The situation changed when the patient entered the operation theatre. The temperatures of the operation rooms were kept below 230C. Almost all the surgeries required this temperature for maintenance of normothermia for the reason that the operation theatre staff found the temperature for normothermia slightly warm for work. This caused the maintenance of lower temperatures in the theatre. Actual heat loss was governed by room temperature as the temperature gradient determined the heat loss. Surgeons and other staff could not withstand the warmth be cause of the stress of surgery and the layers of clothing they wore and the lead aprons. Prevention of perspiration was essential to avoid the problem of sweat polluting the surgical site. Staff could generally become lethargic with the higher room temperature hindering their vigilance which was critical in the operation theatre. However patients commented about the cold room. Inadvertent hypothermia is the aspect of care that has been selected by this researcher for study. Information on the issue of hypothermia was gathered from review of literature beginning with the study by Hart et al (2011). The review of literature provided plenty of basic information that could help readers to understand this topic of management of inadvertent hypothermia better. This researcher has carefully selected articles most recently published from the Pubmed Central site. Analysis of current evidence base Perioperative hypothermia Perioperative hypothermia of below 360C was experienced by 20% of pati ents (Kurz, 2008). Anaesthesia rendered a patient devoid of many defensive mechanisms for becoming warmer in the instance of hypothermia. Behavioural modification was eliminated so that patients became colder. Thermoregulatory mechanisms did not function so unwarmed patients became hypothermic. Perioperative hypothermia produced adverse effects like elevated loss of blood during surgery, a higher rate by 20% of allogeneic transfusions and an increase of surgical site infections by three times (Hart et al, 2011). Prevention of hypothermia had guidelines instituted by the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) for operative and post-operative patients. Perioperative normothermia was to be maintained by warming devices. Staff providing the warming support was to be knowledgeable about the mechanisms of temperature regulation, perioperative hypothermia and the methods to prevent or manage hypothermia. Temperature monitoring Temperature monitoring became an essential component of perio perative care. Oral temperature measurement was the best technique according to the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN). The same method of measurement needed to be maintained throughout perianaesthesia (Hart et al, 2011). The temperature at the depth of the thoracic, abdominal and central nervous systems was the core temperature. It was more consistently controlled and was 2-40C higher than skin temperature. The measurement was made at the distal end of the oesophagus, from a bladder with good urine flow, the nasopharynx and the pulmonary artery in general anaesthesia patients. The core temperature was the most reliable indicator of the thermal status (Sessler, 2008). Near-core temperatures were taken from the axillary area, rectum, bladder with low urinary flow and

Amazon.com and Business Essay -- Essays Papers

Mido Abstract: Amazon.com is an On-line retailer of, originally, books. The company was established as a micro enterprise in the US in 1994. Since then it has enjoyed rapid expansion in all aspects of its operations, including business turnover, and a spectacular rise in share value since public floatation in 1997. New on-line sites based in Germany and UK and a distribution centre in Amsterdam were established in 1998 to cater for European markets. On August 30, 2000 Amzon.com launched its third site outside the US, Amazon.fr in France. Amazon.com sells only on-line and is essentially an information broker. It holds a relatively small, though increasing, inventory and outsources most aspects of its operations (but not IT). The key to its operation is to offer value added and sophisticated customised services, a continuously expanding catalogue of products in terms of both quantity and range, and deep discounts. Alliances and partnerships with publishers, other on-line retailers and technology prov iders are therefore strategic. The ambition of the company today is to become a premier general on-line retailer by leveraging on its existing brand and business model. Amazon.com: Business Overview History When founder and CEO Jeff Bezos studied retailing opportunities on the Internet, he decided on books because there was a broad field of book publishers but too many titles to be carried by a single store. Everyone reads books but has different preferences about what s/he wants to read. Although Jeff Bezos had no previous experience in the book trade, he saw a business opportunity in selling books solely on the Web. He started the company out of his garage in a Seattle suburb, wrapping orders and then delivering them to the post office in the family car. The characteristics of the books retailing industry make it amenable to electronic commerce: a great variety of products and consumer tastes, and tastes which hanker after a lot of information about the products. Moreover, there is room for bringing down margins, i.e. offering customers deep discounts. Jeff Bezos picked the name Amazon because it is the biggest river on earth. He wanted his on-line bookstore to become "Earth's Biggest Bookstore", but without the need to stock vast quantities of books. Amazon.com would be lean, fit but hungry. A screenshot of Amazon.com's very first hom... ....uk, covers liability up to  £50. Privacy Policy Amazon.com's privacy statement details what information it collects from users when placing an order or signing onto a specific service. When Amazon recently (September 2000) changed its privacy policy, it decided to inform all its customers proactively by e-mail, rather than just updating the policy on site, as is common Web practice. IT infrastructure Substantially all of Amazon.com's computer and communications hardware is located at its physical site in Seattle, USA. Amazon.com uses an internally developed system for its Website and substantially all aspects of transaction processing, including:  · Order management  · Cash and credit card processing  · Purchasing  · Inventory management  · Shipping. Amazon.com uses Netscape Secure Commerce Server over SSL for order and customer accounts management. Customers' credit card information is stored in a separate machine connected to the Commerce Server via a proprietary one-way interface. It runs a RealAudio Server over TCP with media stream transmission via UDP for supplying sound clips. Shipping carriers DHL, Purolator, UPS and US Postal Service.

Imagination vs. Obsession in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the author expresses how man can lose touch with reality, which leads to becoming a victim of his own imagination. Since Romantic writers, like Shelley, exalted the power of imagination, Shelley criticizes this ideal by showing how it may lead to obsession. The influence of Mary Shelley’s parents, other writers, such as her husband Percy Shelley and Byron, and the use of Gothic novel literature help her emphasize imagination, the concern with the particular, the value of the individual human being, and the supernatural. Mary Shelley’s parents were famous writers and intellectuals in England. Her father was a philosopher and novelist named William Goodwin, who encouraged her early intellectual endeavors, but remained emotionally distant and self-involved. This figure in her life might have been an influence when creating the character of Frankenstein, which is also self-involved. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, which was the first and most influential feminist writer in England in her times. Her mother may also have been an influence to her literature because she might have been encouraged. The other influence is Mary’s husband, Percy Shelley, who entertained with tales of the supernatural. Percy Shelley was an intellectual who had the fullest of philosophical speculation. His imaginative and eccentric manner put him out of touch with his feelings and needs of those around him. This can be inspiring for Mary Shelley’s novel, since his main character loses sense of reality. With the knowledge of the Romantic ideals and her influence, Mary Shelley criticizes the excess of imagination in the novel. Shelley tells us about a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who is eccentric and believes he is the only man who can create man. She uses this character to â€Å"mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world†. The author expresses Frankenstein’s ambition and high self-esteem at the beginning of Chapter IV of the novel when Victor says, â€Å"My application was at first fluctuating and uncertain; it gained strength as I proceeded, and soon became so ardent and eager.†(p.588)  The fact that Frankenstein makes this statement demonstrates that his pride is taking over reality. Frankenstein also believes he can create what is supernatural, as if he is God. This is shown when he tells us, â€Å"Unless I had been animated by an almost supernatural enthusiasm, my application to this study would have been irksome, and almost intolera ble.†(p.589) Shelley is telling us how man thinks he can be superior when imagining, which leads to obsession. Shelley keeps telling us about Frankenstein’s pride and egocentrism when the scientist says, â€Å"among so many men of genius who had directed their enquiries towards the same science, that I should alone be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret.†(p.589) Frankenstein is already losing his mind because of the supernatural ability he has, and starts losing touch with reality. Shelley is now making us see how Frankenstein believes â€Å"the creation of the world is within his grasp† (p.589) and how he uses imagination as the power of creation. After being confident with his power of creation, Shelley demonstrates how Frankenstein himself starts realizing how imagination is taking over him. We can see that Frankenstein notices this when stating, â€Å"I could tear my thoughts from my employment†¦but which had taken an irresistible hold of my imagination.†(p.591) The scientist expresses how he does nothing else, but work on his creation. He tries to justify his excessive desire by telling us, â€Å"if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p.591) and other historic events that would not have happened if man did not work for it, like him. Shelley then shows at the end of Chapter V that Frankenstein is anxious, and describes his creation as a â€Å"catastrophe† (p.592). Afterwards, Shelley tells us that Frankenstein states, â€Å"I had desired it with an ardor that exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.†(p.592) With this statement, Mary Shelley shows us how after all the imagination and desire, Frankenstein is not satisfied with his creation. Finally, the scientist knows he lost touch with reality and needs to ease the load in his mind after creating the monster. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the author shows us how the scientist Victor Frankenstein loses touch with reality at the end of the story, after an imagination that led to his obsession of creating life. After Victor  Frankenstein is confident, egocentric, and believes he has supernatural powers to create life, he regrets his creation because he recognizes how he dedicated much of his life to this work, but it was not worth it. Mary Shelley teaches us the lesson that if we are obsessed with something we want to achieve, we may end up losing touch of the real world around us. Bibliography Shelley, Mary. â€Å"Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus†. Adventures in English Literature Athena, Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1996. Print