Business Leadership in Enron Essay

During the expansion plan, the debt acquired by Enron had increased substantially. The reason for this was that by issuing additional debt it would increase the company’s leverage and harm its credit rating. The alternative solution was to seek cash from external investors willing to invest in specific entities. When these entity was created, it could then borrow the capital separately from the sponsor company whilst maintaining Enron’s debt ratio and avoiding it being recorded in the balance sheet. 2. 3The Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) In order to cope with its growing volume of business, Enron needed a mechanism that could borrow an ever increasing amount of money but yet maintained an acceptable debt/equity ratio. Enron succeeded in hiding its debt by resorting to off-balance sheet financing. (Journal of Management Research, 2003a. ). Enron saw a creative use of special-purpose entities (SPEs) similar as that to the â€Å"GasBank†. Enron exploited this immature accounting area which used the SPE as on off-balance sheet item, to keep liabilities and assets of the entities separated from Enron’s statements. The SPEs became a convenient vehicle to unload losing trading contracts and to borrow money from outside for Enron. According to (GAO,2002) â€Å" A business may utilize a SPE for accounting purpose, but these transactions must still be subjected to certain regulations†. (Journal of Management Research, 2003b. ) This was initially a temporary solution for temporary cash flow problems. Enron later used SPE partnership under 3% rule to hide had bets it had made on speculative assets of the partnerships in return for IOU’s backed by Enron stock as collateral (more than $1billion by 2002). In November 1997, Calpers wanted to cash out of JEDI and in order to keep JEDI afloat, Enron needed a new 3% partner. It then created another partnership Chewco to buy out Calper’s stake in JEDI for $383million. (Deakin & Konzelmann, 2004) Enron plans to give back short term loan to Chewco to permit tit to to buy out Calper’s stake. <

A case study of the retail chain NEXT Essay

Introduction In 1864 Hepworth & Son, a Gentleman’s Tailors store was established in Leeds. Hepworth then went on to buy the chain of Kendalls rainwear shops in order to develop a group of Womenswear shops which was called NEXT. Since 1982, NEXT has expanded in a variety of different ways, whether it has been by expanding on existing products or clothing ranges or by expanding into different areas, for example home interior ranges. On February the 12th, 1982,the first NEXT women’s wear store was opened. It introduced an exclusive and co-ordinated collection of stylised clothing as well as shoes and women’s accessories. By the end of July, NEXT had expanded greatly, forming seventy new shops. The collection ranges for men, children and home followed the opening of the women’s collection. In August 1984, NEXT launched their clothing range for men, and by December there had developed 52 shops. The same year, the first â€Å"mini† department store was opened in Edinburgh. This incorporated a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ as well as Womenswear, menswear, and shoes. When NEXT launched their interior range of soft furnishings for the home in August 1985, the first department store, which had, Womenswear, menswear and interiors, was opened in Regent Street, in London. Between 1987 and 1988, NEXT launched both their Children’s wear collection as well as their directory, so that their customers were able to buy their products in the comfort in their home, with time to spare and look at the products carefully. In 1993, NEXT then announced the brand strategy of â€Å"One Brand Two Ways of Shopping†, which brought together the common ranges across both retail and home shopping formats. To further develop this strategy, in 1999 there was a launch of shopping on the Internet from the NEXT Directory at www.next.co.uk. NEXT is now trading from over 330 stores in the UK, in 16 countries worldwide, such as: Bahrain Cyprus, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait and Qatar, and has 49 stores overseas. It recently opened several larger stores in the UK in areas such as Bluewater Park and Liverpool. Methodology I have chosen to base my report on NEXT. I will be considering different aspects of the business, for example: objectives, organisation, culture, structure and communication channels within the business. I will then be examining how these factors are affecting the success of the business. As I am currently employed at NEXT, I can use this to my advantage in order to find out the information I will require in order to carry out my project. Being an employee at NEXT, I am involved in team talks which are carried out each morning, in order to discuss ideas and for the manager to notify all the staff the objectives and targets for the day, which are mainly involved with the amount of sales required in order to reach profit targets. Staff are also notified how much profit each division of the business (home, women’s wear, men’s wear and children’s wear) is making each day. This enables all the employees to discover how well the business is doing. I will also be using the Internet to visit the NEXT website in order to collect general information about the business, as well what they offer to customers. I will also be using certain websites ion order to further my knowledge in the areas I will be discussing within my report. In order to collect more specific and detailed information, I will be having a meeting with the store manager so that I can find out about how the business is doing financially, and how the managers ensure that objectives are met within the business. Business Ownership In 1986 Parent company, J Hepworth & Son changed its name to NEXT plc. NEXT is a public limited company (plc). A public limited company is an organisation, which has limited liability, which means that the responsibility for the debts of the company is limited to the amount of capital invested in the company. A public limited company sells shares to the general public on the stock exchange. Both private and public limited companies operate within the private sector. To set up a public limited company, application must be made to the Registrar of Companies in Cardiff. This application is accompanied by: – a statutory declaration. – a Memorandum of Association. – the Articles of Association. In addition to this, after receipt of a Certificate of Incorporation, a public company has to offer a prospectus to the public as well as share certificates to those who purchase shares. There are two types of shares, ordinary and preference Authorised share capital is the maximum number of each type of share that can be issued, as laid down in the memorandum of association. Issued share capital is the actual number of shares of each type that have been purchased and share premium is the difference between the nominal price of the share and its market price. The ownership of the public limited company rests with the shareholders. Control of the company is in the hands of the directors. Sight must never be lost of the fact that in many companies, major shareholders may choose directors and in turn directors may be shareholders. Both of these situations could prove to be detrimental to the interests of the remaining shareholders/directors. There are many advantages to be had from forming a public company compared with the formation of a sole trader or partnership. A few of these advantages are: * Limited liability. * Larger capital base, through the purchase of shares. * Separate legal identity ensures continuity of the business independent of the personal circumstances of the individual shareholder. Annual accounts and reports of a public limited company are subject to external review, therefore verifying the truth and accuracy of the financial control of the company. Disadvantages associated with this type of ownership are: * there are many legal formalities that must be complied with before the company can be set up. * activities are closely controlled by company law and the running of the company is subject to legal constraints. * accounts are public and this means a lack of privacy. * the company has to pay for an auditor to independently check the accounts. * the company is accountable to its shareholders and its creditors. * divorce of ownership from control can lead to a conflict of interest, as the aims of the shareholders, directors and management may not be the same, eg directors may want to grow the business over the long term, shareholders may be expecting a quick, high return on their money. * the performance of the company may not be reflected correctly in its share price. If the industry as a whole comes under pressure, then the firm, through no fault of its own, may suffer. * if the company is too large, it may lose its efficiency and become tied down in red tape â€Å"diseconomies of scale†. * they are subject to takeover bids. There is no way of stopping other companies buying big blocks of shares. * in practice, the small shareholder can do very little to influence the way the company is run. Culture and Objectives One of NEXT’s most important objectives is to profitably expand their selling space, as they believe that new space would continue growth of sales and profits in the years ahead, as it would enable them to offer customers a greater choice of product in a more comfortable shopping environment. They are continuing to develop and expand their product ranges, as they believe an understanding of their customers, combined with their design skills, can genuinely add value. The business is innovative as they are able to come up with new ideas to match changes in the business environment as well as changes within the markets, yet they still keep a high quality image of brand. The style, quality and value of their ranges remain their highest priority. They believe that it is important for the product to make the brand successful. They continue to pass benefits of better buying, by offering the same quality product at lower prices or better product at the same price. This effort will ensure that the business continues to go forward. Within the store team, team talks are held every morning so that the employees have time to talk to the managers within a group about ideas and suggestions that could be made within the business. This way the employees feel as if they have a greater involvement with what goes on. This relates to task culture. The managers have to encourage teams and listen to them rather than just telling than what to do. They think that everyone should be involved, so ideas can be shared and everyone feels involved. This way people feel committed to the changes that may be made to the culture of an organisation rather than seeking to resist it. Objectives and targets are set each morning for the day to ensure that aims are met and that they meet their profit targets for the day. The drive to profitability helps shape the attitudes, values and beliefs in the organisation. In this business organisation their role culture involves the objectives of maximising sales and making profit. All members of staff have a defined role to carry out which is determined by their job description. Role culture is normally split up into a number of functions that are organized in a hierarchical way, for example Next divide themselves into various functions like accounts, marketing and production. This type of culture works by logic and rationality. Role culture is mainly used in large organization. In this culture position in the main source of power and rules and procedures are the main source of influence. NEXT takes social, environmental and ethical matters seriously. They are committed to corporate social responsibility from Board level and throughout their teams and group. The Group has taken actions to contribute to ethical trade and, within commercial constraints, sustainable development. The Board has identified and assessed the key business risks, issues and opportunities that have come about due to social, environmental and ethical matters. An executive director has responsibility for these matters and considers all aspects of the Group’s behaviour. NEXT’s efforts to improve development will continue to focus on waste and climate change. They have taken steps to reduce waste and in particular have reduced use of energy and CO 2 release per square meter over last year. The Group will continue these ideas where commercially possible. NEXT’s social policy involves the diversity of its workforce, and safety and ethical requirements for suppliers. People are a key asset to the business, so treatment towards them is very important. They have developed policies for recruitment, training and development of personnel, which are contained in staff handbooks. The business is committed to achieving excellence in the areas of health, safety, welfare, fire prevention and protection of the working environment and has therefore taken up policies aimed at minimizing risks in the Group’s activities in order to make sure that they do not harm employees, customers or the general public, all of whose interests are regarded as critical to business success. NEXT believes that employees have equal opportunities, and will continue to make sure that they offer career opportunities without discrimination. The Group continues to improve the health, safety and well being of its employees. A major health and safety programme has been applied throughout the Group, with increased training in NEXT Distribution and improved communication between staff and management. Increased resources have been dedicated to the promotion of health and safety matters during the year and the Board has reviewed the resulting policy. The Group’s ethical policy is extended to its suppliers. NEXT Brand introduced a supplier Code of Practice in 1998 in respect of working conditions, including ‘minimum compliance standards’ for child labour, environmental protection, wages and other issues. A team of dedicated auditors, based in the UK and overseas, work to inform, monitor and improve supplier fulfillment to the Code of Practice. In 2002 the Group became a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative in addition to its commitment to its own Code of Practice. NEXT has a well-established corporate charity and sponsorship programme, donating time, funding and resources to a wide group of local and national charities. A committee made up of employee representatives have regular meetings to ensure that varied ranges of charitable causes are supported. FINANCIAL OBJECTIVE The financial objective of the NEXT is to maximize long-term growth in earnings per share. Over the last five years their earnings per share has increased by 86%. They aim to grow their earnings per share by continuing to progress the main operating profit of the NEXT Group. This will mainly be achieved through the development of product ranges, expansion of their selling space and the growth of their home shopping business. It will also be achieved by continuing to enhance growth in earnings per share through the buying back of shares for cancellation as and when it is in the interests of shareholders. DEVELOPING THE NEXT DIRECTORY NEXT have two main objectives in NEXT Directory. These are to increase the number of people using the Directory by increasing their customer base and also by increasing the size of offer available to order from home through increasing the number of pages. The Board sets objectives and annual targets for the Chief Executive to achieve. The Board is responsible for general policy on how these objectives are achieved and gives the achievement of that policy to the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive is required to report to the Board at each meeting all material matters affecting the Group and its performance. NEXT also aims to expand sizes of their stores. The drive for new space is decided by strict financial criteria. Every new store aims to pay back the net capital invested in less than 24 months and to achieve at least 15% store profit on sales before distribution and central costs. When appraising new stores the store must achieve its investment criteria on the basis of its expected first year sales. FUNCTIONAL AREAS Within Next, the functional areas have been categorised into three main sectors. These function areas in the business help Next meet their objectives in different ways. The management team give directions to the staff so they are able to meet objectives They have the management team, which are in charge of all the subdivisions of the functional areas, the operational area which involves marketing, administration, finance and accounts, human resources and marketing. These sections then branch off into smaller areas such as: Delivery and Replenishment- where all the products delivered to the store from the warehouse are unpacked, checked off, and then prepared to be taken down to the shop floor, or to be stored within the stock rooms. In order to prepare the items of clothing, they are tagged, for security reasons, and then placed on a hanger with the correct cube indicating the size of the item. Delivery actions have to be carried out quickly and efficiently so that the stock can reach the shop floor ready for replenishment. This needs to be carried out in the correct sizes so that the stock levels are controlled Health and safety-Both the health and safety of the staff and the customers have to be considered. All members of staff have to sign in when entering the store and sign out when leaving. Also, visitors have to follow the same process in case of a fire or any other emergency, which may lead to people having to evacuate the building. This will enable the identification of whom, if anyone has not been able to evacuate the building so they can be brought to safety. Other health and safety regulations have to be followed, for example, and pin tags have to be picked off the floor to prevent injuries from people stepping on them. Health and safety ensures that everyone’s safety within the store, including the customer as well as the staff is maintained at all times. Space management and Best sellers- The best selling stock are placed in the best selling spaces, which is usually directly in front of the entrance where it is easily seen by the customer to attract more customers and therefore maximise profits. The third sector they have is the commercial area, which involves, till service, fitting room service, security, front cover, shoes and general customer service. A high level of customer service is provided on the shop floor so that customers feel welcome and make repeat purchases as they feel in a comfortable and friendly shopping environment. Finance and accounts Within Next, the financial area of the business is extremely important as it analyses how well Next is meeting its objective of maximising profits. This area within the business has to keep an exact and very detailed record of the money paid in and out. Also various financial records have to be produced at regular periods, for example balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. This is so that the amount if profit and income the company is getting can be analysed clearly to determine its success or any adjustments that need to be made if the income is low, in order to maximise profits that next is receiving. Next have subdivided their finance and accounts area into two further function areas. One area is the management accounting function. This provides the managers with figures, which will help them to make decisions, perhaps about pricing decisions, within the business that could help them better their financial position. This functional area has the capability and the responsibility to shift the company in specific directions by making decisions in relation to the analysis of figures, and enables them to use these figures to make predictions for the future. Improvements that Next may decide to make are based upon the information extracted from breaking down of the figures to display the performance of the business. If the performance is not satisfactory then targets are set for the business to achieve to better its performance. Also limitations of spending may be set for specific areas of the business, by using certain control systems such as budgeting. The cashiers department, within the accounting functional area, involves the collection of any cash or other payments from each till within the store so that the cash transactions can be analysed and the sum can be checked. Other payments to the store through cheques or payments through bank accounts are also handled in this department, and then these will be recorded in cashbooks or within the stores’ computer system. The wages department is in charge of managing the payrolls by calculating and paying the wages. The information needed to calculate these figures are obtained from the timetables of hours worked by the employees on each department within the store, so that the amount of pay they receive is accurate. The second subdivision within the finance and accounts area is the financial accounting function, which keep records of any financial events that may have occurred in order to keep summaries of financial dealings. Any debtor or creditor details must be recorded as well as accounts of the amount of money being paid into or out of the business. To ensure the company does not give out incorrect wages, factors such as national insure will need to be calculated and deducted from ones wage. Other financial accounts have to be provided such as annual reports so that figures can be easily obtained ready for discussion between the directors. Marketing Within this area of the business, it is important that customer requirements are identified, anticipated, and satisfied beneficially in terms of profit. This again links to Next’s main objective of maximising profit. Although marketing and sales is combined in Next, they both have distinctions between them. The marketing area have to persuade the company to produce what the customer wants, whereas the sales area have to persuade the customer to want whatever the company may be producing. The marketing department have to look into what the customers wants and needs are, therefore research, especially primary research, has to be carried out to find out details about the market for example, who is in it, what this particular market wants, where, how, and at what price one way of finding out this information through primary research is to carry out questionnaires. Although Next do not produce their own products, their marketing area has a close link with the producers of Next’s products to ensure the requirements of the customers are closely related to the development of the product. Other tasks carried out by the marketing area are pricing, distribution, advertising, packaging and promotion. All these factors must be considered carefully to ensure the success of the product. Human resources Within Next the human resources management area, also known as the Personnel debarment, is involved with recruitment, market share, liability, organisational structure, type of ownership, motivating workers and industrial relations. Research and development: Within Next, the research and development area is linked to the commercial department, as its functions are commercial, which are achieving and furthering the aims of the business. This is achieved by improving existing products or creating completely new ones, operational processes are also improved to ensure the products are also improved successfully. Advice is given to the company in order to lead them in the right direction throughout the course of improving their products and processes. If this flow of new and improved products were not carried out then Next would be unlikely to remain successful, as they would still have their unsuccessful products, which would bring no income into the company, therefore the profit will start to fall. Administration The administration area within next work towards provided the employees with any documents needed, communicating messages as well as dealing with any enquiries. MANAGEMENT STYLES The structure of an organization depends a lot on its management style. The main management style used in Next is Democratic this is a system based on equality of all members of their community. This allows the main managers to develop. The staff within Next are given a framework with which they are given more responsibility and the opportunity to make decisions. However, employees are still encouraged to take part in decision-making. Therefore these individuals are held responsible for any decisions that they may chose to make. This recognizes employees are stakeholders in the organization. The democratic leader listens to all staff and is willing to take suggestions on board. Advantages for this type of style is that it helps motivate employees well because it makes them feel like they are being appreciated. Also the employees are well informed about the organizations aims and future plans. However it can lead to disadvantages as well as it is difficult to apply. Autocratic styles are sometimes also used in next under certain circumstances. This is when one person has absolute power. The managers make all the decisions without consulting the employees. Employees can get unmotivated by this, therefore causing a negative atmosphere in the workplace. However there are some situations where harsh leadership is vital. Advantages of this are that quick decisions can be made and there is no time wasted on discussion resulting in the business saving time and money. Next only use this method when quick decision-making is vital, usually by the manager, for example; if there is a close deadline to be met, but it rarely has a negative effect on the staff, as it is not used to intentionally exclude members of staff. Consultative management also takes place within next and this develops their democratic style with which workers are asked opinion. Before any decisions are made, the manager consults their team. Employees discuss the problem and views taken into consideration. The decision is the managers but based on the conclusions of the group. The advantages of this are that it helps to motivate staff as they are aware that they have a say in the business to some extent as with the democratic style, but their decisions are not necessarily what the company goes by. The disadvantages of this are that it is time consuming and effort will be needed by a manager to do this. The Management encourages employees to set goals in line within the organization aims. This is management by objective. The employees are reviewed regularly in performance appraisals. The advantages of this style are that it will increase efficiency of individuals and help to motivate them and train them so they are productive. However, the disadvantages of this is that it needs to be well organized and will not work in highly structured jobs. The Democratic style is the management style that Next adopts in general. This sort of management style involves empowerment. With this type of management style it allows the manager to feel comfortable with other people in the organization making some of the decisions. Democratic managers will often want feed back from their employees on decisions being made. Democratic leaders therefore have to take time to listen and perhaps act on the opinions of the group. This type of management is good as it makes the employees happy and productivity is high. This is very good because employee’s thoughts and suggestions are listened to by the business. This makes the employees seem as if they are respected and that their thoughts are valid. Management delegation The Chief Executive has delegated authority for the day-to-day management of the business to operational management drawn from executive directors and other senior management who have responsibility for the particular areas. The most important management meeting is the weekly NEXT Brand trading meeting, which considers the performance and development of the NEXT Brand through its different distribution channels. It considers all business aspects of risk management in respect of the NEXT Brand including sales, property, product, systems, warehousing and personnel. Key performance indicators are monitored daily and weekly. Risk management The Board is responsible for the Group’s risk management process. It has given responsibility for achievement of the risk management process to the Chief Executive and senior management best qualified in each area of the business. The Board sets guidance on the general level of risk, which is acceptable and has a considered approach to evaluating risk and reward. The Board confirms that it has again carried out a review of the effectiveness of the Group’s system of internal control covering financial, operational, fulfillment and other controls and risk management. This includes identifying, evaluating, prioritizing and revising risks, determining a control strategy for each significant risk and consideration of how each risk might impact on the achievement of the business objectives. Risk management and internal control is a continuous process for the Board and has been considered on a regular basis during the year. The Board promotes the development of a strong control culture within the business. During the year the Board addresses the business risks that have been identified as vital, including a review of these risks that takes into account any changes in circumstances over the period. The Board considers that the Group’s hierarchical structure of management and continuous monitoring of key performance indicators provides the early warning mechanisms necessary to identify any areas of concern. Communication channels Communication with employees Team briefing/ team talks- internal and formal This is carried out each morning with all members of staff working that morning shift and all the mangers within the store. This gives an opportunity for suggestions to be made and opinions to be shared by members of staff. It gives them motivation as they feel part of a team, as they are able to discuss their views on certain areas. The manager also sets targets for the day and informs the employees of the success or failures which have been encountered. Training (Face to Face)- internal and formal This method of internal communication will result in successful communication with customers through an external channel. The employees at next need to be informed on how certain tasks are carried out before they start working at the store. This is to ensure that they are able to see to any queries the customer may have. Training the staff will ease the workload of the managers, as they are able to help with the tasks involving customers on the shop floor and therefore help achieve the business objectives. Also, incentives may be given to staff if their hard work is identified, this may motivate the employee to work hard in order to be rewarded. Performance Appraisals-internal and formal This form of communication occurs between the floor manager and the individual members of staff working on that particular floor. This process involves the evaluating of the performance of the individual employee. The manager then provides feedback to the employee on areas where adjustments may need to be made involving performance. This process acts as development experiences, which should enable the employee to improve knowledge and understanding in preparation for future responsibilities. Expectations and requirements are expresses by the manager so the employee is able to set targets to better his/her performance. Notice Board – informal and internal This method of communication is used within Next to inform employees about different subjects, for example; events that are due to occur, or perhaps reminders are highlighted to be remembered whilst working, for example customer service. Letters stating the progress and objectives of the business are also placed on the board so it is clear to the employees what they are aiming to achieve. Roster – formal and internal The rosters within next are held on the shop floor and ensure that all members of staff have a clear indication as to what tasks they will be carrying out throughout their shift. They are given set tasks every hour for example: till service, fitting room running, etc, this motivates the staff as they will not get bored by having to do the same thing all day (job rotation). Communication with customers Customer service Within Next customer service is essential within every task carried out be the employees. The person on front cover has ensure the customer is greeted on entering the store, and if there are any customers already in the store must be approached and asked if they require any help. Employees of next are taught to put the customer first in all circumstances, as they are the ones who are supporting next financially. When serving customers on either the till or fitting rooms, they should be greeted and ask if they require any help, in a polite and friendly manner. If a customer requires an item alternatives could be offered as well in order to increase sales. Internet Selling – external communication The Next directory has a link with the next website where customer are able to view and purchase clothes, through online shopping, from next in the comfort of their own homes. The website used is www.next.co.uk Special Offers – external communication This communication method is used to attract customers to buy products at reduced prices, however, after having entered the store customers usually decide to purchase other products they like which may be full priced, increasing Next’s profit. Window Displays Existing items that are in the store are arranged in an eye-catching mode and then put on display in the window, so any passers by are able to view items in the shop without having to enter. This may attract new customers who have not visited the store before. Quality assurance + adding value Next do not have a great deal to do with the production process however to ensure the quality of the products are the highest standard possible, the best quality manufacturers are used. The items are continuously checked within the warehouse as well as when they are received by the individual stores. If there are any faults in the garment when being checked in the circulation, then these items are withdrawn and renovated. This process is defined as quality control, and is involves with the detection and removal of any products that fall below the set standard after they have been produced. Quality assurance involved attempting to prevent any faults from occurring in the first place. All the returns are monitored and if a trend occurs in the fault of a garment, then the manufactures are contacted in case there is a fault within the production process. The products are tested to ensure they are highly durable, and therefore of o high quality. Value is added to Next’s products by its quality assurance and control. The way in which the marketing area of Next carries out its research ensures that sufficient information is obtained about the expectations of consumers so that quality standards required from the consumers is created. This adds value to the product, as the consumers will be more willing to pay for the product as it is at a high quality. Next have to accept the fact that their designs will not enable them to ‘get it right’ every year, so they have to take some risks. Small companies are able to do this and can go on touch; however, larger companies cannot and so therefore need to have systems. Any mistakes that next happen to make with any designs of their products do not last too long, as they have a short product cycle because they work in seasons. Each new season brings new products. This enables next to bring in new clothing designs and improve on the designs, which were not a success; this will mean further marketing research. However, any products which proved to be a success can be carried over to the next season so that Next can keep their income rate high as they already know the product is successful. Impact of ICT The retail systems used by Next are their own as they are packages that they wrote based on their models. They invented them themselves, however, they’ve outsourced their mainframe computers and payroll packages. The use of ICT allows the different functional areas within next to pass their information through from one to another. This enables them to work together more efficiently as each area has the same information to work with. For example, this can be used for means of administrative work so that any paperwork that concerns costumers can be passed out to the required functional areas within the business Internal ICT Communications used by Next use ICT to communicate both internally externally. This includes communication between managers for example faxing is used to contact each other because they have a fax machine located within their office, therefore they are able to keep a record of what has been communicated, for example, records or letters. If management need to be contacted by the employees from anywhere within the store then pagers would probably be the alternative to contact them, as it is heard throughout the store so they will receive it straight away, whereas with faxing, it may not be received straight away as they may not be in their office. At the till point customers are able to purchase their items, as well as order items in. This can be done as the till enables one to check what items are available to order from the warehouse, or whether any local stores have them, if so then the item can be sent to the store. The till keeps an account of what items have been sold so best sellers can be identified and the worst selling products can be improved on. It allows more information to be exchanged or to be researched within the store Internet selling is one main use of ICT within Next; it allows customers to shop and purchase whilst at home so they are able to take time to view products. Also it may appeal to more people who are often too busy to come out shopping. It is an effective way for next to maximise their profits. It also has informative areas on the website which show annual reports of the business to indicate how successful a year it has been. This idea of online shopping may not be such a good idea in some ways as the customer is unable to try products before purchase so if it doesn’t fit it will have to be returned. Within the financial area of the business the current accounts are stored as files on the computer, to keep it organised well and to ensure it is easily accessible. Also, with the use of specialised software, the procedures involved with accounting are simplified a great deal. Success of meeting objectives: PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT Turnover and profit figures are set out in the table below: Turnover Profit Excluding VAT Before Tax 2003 2002 2003 2002 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m NEXT Retail 1,579.7 1,359.7 213.9 188.2 NEXT Directory 471.7 362.2 65.1 49.2 The NEXT Brand 2,051.4 1,721.9 279.0 237.4 NEXT Franchise 22.7 19.1 4.4 3.7 Ventura 97.4 101.9 11.2 13.0 Other activities 31.1 28.8 15.1 2.5 ESOP charge (8.2) (8.0) Turnover & operating profit 2,202.6 1,871.7 301.5 258.6 +17% Interest (expense)/income (0.3) 7.2 Profit before tax 301.2 265.8 Taxation (90.7) (76.0) Profit after tax 210.5 189.8 +11% Earnings per share 68.7p 58.1p +18% The profit and loss account above clearly indicates that Next has successfully met its objective of maximising profits as it has increased a further 11% since 2002. Next have continued to make good progress within the year 2003. Earnings per share rose by 18% to 68.7p and were improved by the useful effect of the share buybacks in the last two years. Next want to own fewer, bigger stores in order to take advantage of the economies of scale. This is a strategy in which they have been working on for the past few years. They are not interested in growing the number of stores in all areas, they have generally chosen to expand into towns, which they would prefer their stores to be in, and now they have stores in these areas chosen. Each store has to fit their model in terms of footfall and the time in which it will pay back their investment. Next currently have a 4-5% market share in the UK, but they hope to increase this up to about 8% in the next five years. However it is important that they do not dilute their management by diversifying the business or expanding into Europe. The Corporate strategy of next: From the early 1990’s Next have resisted all attempts to increase the number of clothing brands that they operate because they were convinced that expansion would lead to the failure of the NEXT Brand. The success that they have achieved over many years as a result of product development, the progressive move to larger stores and the increase in the number of home shopping customers, shows that that it is right to continue with their strategies as it is obvious that they are being met successfully due to the success of the business. Although Next retail is what Next is most associated with, the Next Directory is also proving to be financially successful and has a turnover of almost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½500m and is one of the few really profitable home-shopping companies in the UK. Next’s ability to generate cash enables them to continue to buy back their shares when it is in the interests of our shareholders. This is an important part of their aim to deliver long-term growth in earnings per share. The success of NEXT is due to the following factors: Their focus on providing their customers with the product they want. The strength and skills of a good, well motivated management team that is honest to recognize its mistakes and quick to put them right. The support of their suppliers with whom they work in partnership to achieve good quality and value for money products. Also, the enthusiasm and dedication of all their employees who take great pride in the success of their company. Next Retail Financial Performance YEAR 2003 2002 %Change SALES 1, 121.0 944.8 15.7 OPERATING PROFIT 130.4 113.6 12.9 PROFIT BEFORE TAX 123.2 115.8 6 PROFIT AFTER TAX 85. 7 81.1 5.4 EARNINGS PER SHARE 31.7p 25.5p 19.5 Next Directory Financial Performance 2003 2002 % change à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m Sales (exc VAT) 247.1 215.3 +15% * Active customers 1.58m +17% * Printed pages 1, 246 +20% * Disappointing profit growth Next is expected to continue to maintain its solid operating performance and strong free cash flow generation, while carefully managing its maximum potential share buyback of up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½600 million during the financial year of 2004. In order to continue this solid operating performance, there needs to be flexibility within the company’s supply chain and stores. Next has to maintain its successfulness of the correct levels of inventory and the capability of being able to respond to changes in fashion with shorter lead times. They need to keep a disciplined and controlled and expansion strategy. Also a relatively simple company structure needs to me maintained to allow successful communication and to allow any problems to be solved together as a team. However, their organizational objectives may not be successful, as the profit growth is rather disappointing. A stronger relationship will need to be built with customers so that they are able to develop a better reputation for excellence and increase brand loyalty of the customers so that they carry out repeat purchases in next as they are familiar with their products and are satisfied with them. Organisational structure Although outside the individual next store the structure seems rather tall, in terms of individual Next stores the structure would most probably be classed as being a flat structure as the store manager is in charge of all of the smaller functional areas, which are then in charge of their own section and their staff. This ensures that the span of control is shared, so managers have a shared amount of people to supervise. This therefore results in equal distribution of workload, so the managers are able to carry out their duties effectively. Also with this flat structure, communication is not as limited as people are more accessible to communicate with, as there are more managers of different areas within the business. However, if there were fewer managers then this would mean that they would not be able to communicate with all members of staff as there would not be enough time available to do so, which may result in lowered motivation levels for the employees. Simplified representation of organisational structure: Chief executive Sales director Regional manager Area manager Store manager Administration Finance Human Research and Marketing Production Resources development Organisational Strength: Next plc’s strength is their adult fashion range, which is for people aged between 20 and 40; these items are sold under their own label. This is their main target group. Although some of Next’s competitors find it difficult to satisfy the needs of this particular segment within the market, however, Next has managed to achieve this successfully in the past by selling their products at relatively low prices. With their label, next associate their good quality of clothes used as well as good workmanship. Because next are using their own brand, they are able to react on consumer wishes very quickly and therefore have total control over the total quality management. Organisational Weaknesses: The e-commerce section can make further gains. Next sees the Internet as an extension of perhaps the telephone in which people can order their product online. It is a simple process, which only really requires the vehicle that will get the orders to the retailer. At present, it is uncertain whether e-commerce will be the future of shopping and if customers are satisfied just sitting on the computer to chose their clothes, however, if the trend in internet shopping goes further, then unfortunately Next would be in a bad situation in comparison to its competitors as its platform isn’t sufficient enough. Another weakness is the concentration of similar type of clothing retail companies on the UK market. This may damage the next if its competitors gain market share or if consumers change their habits and next cannot adapt to these changing trends quickly. To spread into foreign markets could perhaps balance any possible risk of decreasing sales. A policy such as this would strengthen Next’s position if the pound became weaker or if the government decided to join the monetary union. As Next uses democratic management styles, they highlight open communication, which is based on self-managing teams. These teams are able to share the workload of the managers therefore objectives can be met more quickly and efficiently, rather than the manager being left to carry out a load of work with a lack of communication with the staff. Also this high level of communication ensures all members of staff are aware of the task in hand so they are able to provide a high level of customer sevice and can help meet the requirements of the customer. Alternative approaches could be used in order for Next to meet its objectives better: The employees could be given more power and responsibility and make them feel more part of team. This would involve changing the culture, in order to make the staff more of a team. The structure will then be flatter, people will work in teams less of a hierarchy, less feeling of a division between staff and managers. Alternative or more motivation methods could be used so that the employees feel more sense of belonging and feel more included in the business so are happier working there, and this will be reflected in the way they work and come across to customers, which will probably be more enthusiastic and willing to help. Bonus incentives could be a form of motivation, as it will mean that the employees are more willing to work harder and at their best in order to achieve a bonus. Next could also carry out the process of share save, where they buy shares at reduced rates, and therefore have more money that could be spent on expansion of stores or developing new and developed products. Good quality and price This factor is key for success. One way to achieve this object is possibly to look for a supplier who is located in an emerging market to participate at low labour costs. However, this country should have a clothing manufacturing background, for example India, Turkey or Hong Kong, so that it is easy to recruit well-trained employees. Furthermore, the supplier should be a part of the production process, so that stock capacity can be reduced. A quality officer from Next should be at the suppliers at all times in order to guarantee the high quality of clothes. To lower the costs and to gain a better trade position, suppliers should be reduced to a minimum and therefore new price conditions negotiated. This can lead Next to low costs and high quality in the long run. Relationship between next and its environment The green issue is gaining greater importance and Next should aim to make further progress in this area. The production process should ensure that Next guarantees that plants are environmentally friendly. The factories should contain filters so that erosion is reduced and any used chemicals are biologically decomposed. Another area is labour force. Next and its supplies should try and aim their production to be carried out successfully and without child labour. This should be communicated to the customers of Next. Shopping as an event Value should be added for customers, customer care and service should be provided in general. Next should ain to expand their smaller branches into superstores, so that customers are offered special services, i.e. clothing consultancies, childcare. In order to attract more customers and help them enjoy their shopping experience small events should be held. Next could perhaps place a small cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ or resting area in the store for inactive people who are not engaged in the process of shopping. In order for the main aim of â€Å"double digit growth† to be achieved and for next plc to get a better position in the market, a strong brand and good service should help lead to this.

HRD 495 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

HRD 495 - Essay Example Media and Social Movements: An exploration of the ‘Green Movement’ in Iran.† In the article, the journalist posts an abstract written by Annabelle Sreberny. The abstract says that the post-election growth of a social movement by the name Green Movement was unexpected by many news agencies. It adds that a critical view into the post-election happening shows how difficult it is has been for Iran to embrace new media (wireless telecommunications) in traditional politics. Annabelle seeks to showcase the poly-media surrounding of young Iranians and explain the developments of Green Movement communication. It can therefore be concluded that wireless communication is vital in sustaining modern social movements. This form of communication is fast and can offer protection of its users from political influence and violation. In this day and age, the internet is highly employed by social media because of its efficiencies such as discreteness, affordability and speed in transferring information. The relationship between wireless telecommunications and social movements should be embraced in today’s word. Kristariley. (2011). Event at McGill this Week – Social Media and Social Movements in the Middle East and North Africa. Montreal: WordPress. Retrieved on 20th November 2011 from the World Wide Web

Hezbollah and its history Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hezbollah and its history - Term Paper Example 2%2'2''y2222''22222222222222 22222222''22222222''4222V2i2s2u2a2l2 2T2o2u2r2 2 2B2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2 2L2a2w222'''222222222 22 22222222''22222222''D2223022'''222D222222 22 222222222''2222222222222 22222222''222222222''!2221. 22'''222"222222222"222222"222'''222!222222 22 22222222''222 22222''' 22h2t2t2p2:2/2/2w2w2w2.2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2.2g2o2v2/2g2u2i2d2e2s2/2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2-2l2a2w2/2 2 2P2a2r2t2 2o2f2 2t2h2e2 2P2r2e2s2i2d2e2n2t2 s2 2e2-2g2o2v2e2r2n2m2e2n2t2 2i2n2i2t2i2a2t2i2v2e2,2 2t2h2e2 2s2i2t2e2 2o2f2f2e2r2s2 2h2e2l2p2 2a2n2d2 2g2u2i2d2a2n2c2e2 2o2n2 2v2a2r2i2o2u2s2 2t2o2p2i2c2s2 2l2i2k2e2 2i2n2c2o2r2p2o2r2a2t2i2o2n2,2 2t2y2p2e2s2 2o2f2 2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2,2 2l2i2c2e2n2s2i2n22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222... 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222'2''%22 2'(222'22'22'22'22222 22222222222 222222 '2 '22222 222 222'2'''22222''22222222''X222h2t2t2p2:2/2/2w2w2w2.2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2.2g2o2v2/2g2u2i2d2e2s2/2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2-2l2a2w2/22''X222h2t2t2p2:2/2/2w2w2w2.2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2.2g2o2v2/2g2u2i2d2e2s2/2b2u2s2i2n2e2s2s2- ''22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222o2p2i2c2s2 2l2i2k2e2 2i2n2c2o2r2p2o2r2a2t2i2o2n2,2 2t2y2p2e2s2

Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract - Essay Example Generally, advertisements are considered to be invitations for deals rather than contracts (Miller and Jentz 216). However, advertisements can be considered as offers in certain cases. An advertisement qualifies to be an offer when it is definite in its terms and the publication shows intent of the advertiser to enter into a binding contract (Miller and Jentz 216). Effective communication of an offer to the offeree confers to him the power to transform an offer into a contract through acceptance (Miller and Jentz 216). However, the action of either the offerer or the offeree can terminate an offer. The termination can be done through revocation, rejection or by giving a counteroffer and in some case through operating law (Miller and Jentz 216). Seven Inch Android Tablets In the case of The Tech Revolution, the company advertised Seven Inch Android Tablets selling at ?229. The tablets as claimed in the advertisement are available in all colours. Alan made a written order for a tablet in silver. TTR wrote back to Alan informing him that the company only had green or pink Tablets. Afterwards, TTR found a silver Tablet and wrote back to Alan informing him that they had accepted his offer. However, Alan is no longer interested in the Tablet. The main question that arises out of this scenario is: does a valid contract exist between Alan and TTR? Reviewing the scenario, TTR’s advisement is an invitation made to the public to buy its Tablets. Alan acts the company’s invitation by sending a written order to TTR. Unfortunately, TTR does not accept Alan’s order because they have no silver Tablets in their stock consequently rejecting the offer. As it emerges, TTR has no legal case against Alan. By writing back to Alan and confirming that they could not supply him with silver Tablet, the company revoked the offer. Moreover, the company’s advertisement was made to the general public and does not constitute a binding contract with anyone willing t o buy the Tablets. In the case of Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boot Cash Chemists (1953), it was held that display of goods did not amount to an offer (Stone, Devenney and Cunnington 36). In Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co, it was held that Mrs. Carlill, the plaintiff, entitled to receive the reward mentioned in the advertisement. The unanimous decision was based on the fact that the advert was definite in its terms and unilateral. However, TTR’s advertisement of the â€Å"Seven Inch Android Tablets† does do provide definite terms besides price. Therefore, the advert is a mere invitation for a deal rather than a binding contract. Soniz Netbooks TTR advertised Soniz Netbook as a special offer going for ?100 for all orders received by 15th November. Betty wrote and posted an acceptance letter for the Soniz Netbook and posted the letter on 14th November. However, the letter arrived on 16th November, prompting TTR to consider it late following their 15th Nove mber deadline. Clearly, the advertisement of Soniz Netbooks qualifies to be an offer because it contains definite terms. The main issue is to determine whether TTR is legally liable Betty. Can Betty file a valid legal case against TTR? According to Mailbox Rule under common law, acceptance becomes effective on dispatch and the date on which the offerer receives the letter is immaterial provided that the letter is properly addressed (Tepper 61). In the case, Betty mailed her acceptance letter on 24th

MGT 501 Case assign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MGT 501 Case assign - Essay Example The case involves Linda Myers, an American national who takes a job as a human resource manager with SK Telcom, a multinational firm in South Korea. Myers had been involved in human resource development in the global set up, before her contract with SK, and perceived the SK opportunity as a career development opportunity that she had always desired. The environment at SK was however challenging because she was the only American among her peer and therefore had a different cultural approach. She was never oriented into the job or the organization’s culture and realized existence of conflicting opinion with her superiors regarding her work’s scope. Her two years with the organization was strenuous before she eventually left the company. She also noted that the organization had, through its recruiting agent, assumed her to be a male and even though she had experience in the global environment and had since her childhood been motivated by the international set up, she found it hard to adjust to the organization’s culture and expectations (Green, 2011). Problem definition The case identifies a problem of cultural barrier between Myers and the organization. Inability to break this barrier and establish a common ground upon which Myers could relate with other member of the organization was another problem as both Ms. Myers and the organization failed accommodate each other. ... s lack of significant involvement of American women in executive positions in South Korea identifies one of the manifestations of cultural differences that hindered her ability to integrate into the organization. The American women’s absence in the environment is indicative of the South Korean male chauvinistic perspective or a negative perspective towards American women and their ability to perform at executive positions. Myers’ perception of a different culture that she hoped to change in the organization also identifies cultural differences. She identified the organization’s culturally fixed perspective and wished to break this culture and expose the organization to a global culture that would be open to diversified opinions, but faced a high level of resistance. Even the scope of her job identified a conflict between her opinions and those of her immediate seniors. The organization’s poor management approach is another identifiable cause of the problem because it failed to orient Myers into its culture, a factor that facilitated impact of the differences between the two cultures (Green, 2011). Hofstede’s dimensions of culture also offer a basis for explaining cultural difference between American based culture that Myers represented and the Korean culture that SK Telcom and its management represented. Power distance is one of the cultural dimensions that explain the cause of the problem in the case. The dimension refers to society’s ability to accept inequality among its members. Those who are lowly place along the power ladders accept the status and do not fight for better positions and some of the dimension’s aspects are acknowledgement and appreciation of inequality, recognition of dependence on few leaders, privileges for the powerful member of the

Computer Professional Ethics Journal #2 & #3 Essay

Computer Professional Ethics Journal #2 & #3 - Essay Example With such inevitability, there is a need to make precautionary measures to counter forces that are bound to "steal" their "intellectual rights". In the United States, there has been a growing problem in appellate courts particularly in patentability of computer programs where they have been struggling with the subject matter requirement for patentability. The courts have been having trouble deciding whether various types of software can be accurately characterized as falling under any of the areas of patentable subject matter such as "processes" or "machines". During the early 70s, this has been the problem in the case of Gottschalk v. Benson, where the Court framed the issue as "The question is whether the method described and claimed is a process within the meaning of the Patent Act." As the years progressed, problems in patentability became more critical and complex. From the definition of "process", issues in patentability also delved into software originality, novelty, piracy, p rotection, and even at face value "stealing" (by pirating or recruiting the computer scientists from another company). And because of this, computer scientists must be well aware of these facts so that they could create counter measures such as security programs, password protections, and other suitable alternative

Profit and loss account - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profit and loss account - - Assignment Example This ratio determines the efficiency, profitability and liquidity level of the company. Profit margin is one of the ratios that is used to determine the amount of profit a company makes over time. Both A and B there is improved performance since the profit margin is seen increase in the year 2012 (Siddiqui, 2005). These two ratios determine the liquidity position of a company. While current ratio includes inventories, acid test ratio does not. They measure the capability of a company to meet up the obligations that are falling due. A ratio of higher than one is considered good. Both A and B there is improved performance since the acid test ratio increased in 2012 while the current ratio remained unchanged. These ratios measure the ability of the company to convert stock to cash. In both A and B there is reduction in debt collection period and this implies increased efficiency since the period it takes for the debts to be cleared is reduced. This in the end shows an improvement in the year

The analysis of business environment of TESCO Essay

The analysis of business environment of TESCO - Essay Example Being one of the leader the vision of the firm depicts the goal of the company i.e. what exactly Tesco wants to achieve in the long run and to which direction the company is growing its business. The mission is the area to which the company wants to operate their businesses and the target customer for the company to serve. The mission gives the idea to build their foundation stone on which the company device strategies and implement them (Nwagbara, 2011, p.62). The core and foremost value of Tesco is to take care of the people for whom the company serves i.e. their customers. The only value of the firm is to earn lifetime loyalty of the people of the society and create value for them (Nwagbara, 2011, p.62). The company has a strong belief that no one in the industry tries so harder as Tesco to reach out to their customer and serve them with their needs (Polytechnic Institute of New York University, 2011, p. 1). The socially responsible company always maintain healthy relationship with the neighbourhood and always trying to meet the demands of the customers and be the responsible member of the society. Great quality of product with wide range of products is the major advantage of Tesco to maintain its brand image in the market for its core competencies. Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholders are individuals or companies who has stake in the company. Investors are the main drivers of a business. Tesco with its well governed policies in business and its sustainable growth in the market gives confidence to the investors to get back competitive return for their investment on Tesco and their shareholdings. The transparency of the company is the major reason for building trust of the company amongst the shareholders. The shareholders also have the belief on the company that it will implement strategies for the long term development of the company keeping in the mind the interest of the shareholders. Blackrock Inc holds the major share of the company with its 5.48% of issued share capital followed by Legal & General Investment Management Limited with around 3.99 % share and 3.02 % of the total share by Berkshire (Tesco Annual Report and Financial Statements 2011, 2011, p. 58). By benefiting the stakeholders of the company like shareholders, st affs, customers and other related people the company maintains the high quality products and in turn increase the value of the firm. The company constantly meet the growing need of the customers with the wide range of product line and differentiate itself from the competitors in the market. The image building potential and loyalty towards the stakeholders facilitates the process of

Margaret Sanders influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Margaret Sanders influences - Essay Example At that time it was the early deaths of many women forced to bear far too many children that prompted Sanger’s actions. We know today that bearing many children takes a huge toll on the mothers, and we also recognize the importance of population control. However, in the early part of the twentieth century the attitude was very different. Many churches taught that it was the Christian duty to have as many children as possible to honor God and love Jesus. Though Sanger never said it in so many words, she certainly believed, as shown by her actions, that Jesus does not love hunger forced upon children by men who think they know God’s mind. In her debate with Russell she even mentions that poor children are destined to a life of hard labor and an early death. She blames rising insanity on the reproduction of women in the sex trade with venereal disease. The Roman Catholic church still forbids artificial birth control as do some protestant churches, citing several quotes from the Bible that could be interpreted as forbidding it. At the same time, the rights of women in marriage were nonexistent. A woman had to submit to her husband whenever he wanted sex or he could simply stop feeding her, as Sanger also pointed out in that debate. Frankly, Sanger was desperate to free women from this kind of slavery and she believed that she was also saving the children and even their fathers from losing the mother. Her own mother died young after having six children. "She associated it with dim fears of her father, sorrow and drudgery after the death of her mother, bitterness over the ostracism which a Catholic town dealt the village agnostics daughter, and jealousy toward the gracious ladies who lived on the hilltops.1 Sanger’s activism was actually begun when she started associating with the activists who populated. Her husband’s successful career allowed them access to Mabel Dodge’s Salon where Sanger met such luminaries as Big Bill Haywood,

Les Demoiselles D’avignon Essay Example for Free

Les Demoiselles D’avignon Essay My museum paper is on the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, painted by Pablo Picasso in Paris, June-July 1907. Oil on canvas, 8’x7’ 8† (243.9233.7cm). He became one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century and the creator (with Georges Braque) of Cubism. A Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, Picasso was considered radical in his work. Born October 25, 1881, Malaga, Spain, and after a long prolific career, he died April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France. This was my first time at the Museum of Modern Art; I never went there because I never had everyone to go with me. I went with my cousin; she is an art teacher and who better to go to the Museum of Modern Art with then an art teacher. When we first got to the museum there wasn’t much to see in the lobby. We went on the escalator to the fifth floor were hundreds of people walking all thought-out the galleries. My cousin explained all the different types of art and artists to me as we were walking though the galleries. I ended up in the Alfred H. Barr Jr. Painting and Sculpture Galleries where I seen a painting from a French painter, Fernand Leger called â€Å"Women with a Book† I thought that was the painting that I wanted to do my report on, but when I seen art work from Pablo Picasso like, The Studio, Ma Jolie and The Three Musician I was speechless. Some of his work that I seen at the museum was breathtaking, but one in particular caught my eye; it was the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. It is located in the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, Second Gallery. As you walk into the gallery, the â€Å"Les Demoiselles d’Avignon† is the first painting you see, because of how large it is, and all the bright colors in the art work. When I seen the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in my art book I through that it was a nice painting, but when I stood right in-front of it I was astonish. The Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is not just a painting; it truly is a master piece. There had to be about thirty people standing around the Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and another twenty people looking at the other art work in the room. Some people were just standing looking at the painting, some taking pictures. As I, started taking pictures of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon I couldn’t help but notice the painting to the right, it was called â€Å"Repose† and to the left was another painting called the â€Å"Two Nudes† both are painted by Picasso. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon are the woman of Avignon, the term demoiselles (meaning â€Å"young ladies†), was a euphemism for prostitutes and â€Å"Avignon† refers not to the French town but to a street in the red-light district of the city of Barcelona where Picasso was a young artist. (Art A Brief History), pg 532. Print. The d’Avignon are actually five prostitutes, and these are five women naked. They’re looking at us, as much as we’re looking at them. The very early studies show a sailor walking into this curtained room where the ladies stand and the woman on the far left now has the traces of having been that man entering the room, and you can even feel a certain masculinity in the sort of sculptural carving of her body and the way that the very large foot is stepping toward the others. It almost seem like it’s a build-up of geometric forms, and if you look at the chest of the woman at the very top right, you can see one of these cubes making up the space underneath her chin, thus the name Cubism. One striking aspect of this painting is the way that it’s staged on which these women are painted, is almost looming out at the viewer. Rather than feeling like these woman are nice and safely set back in some kind of room, that you are peering into. I feel like the woman are almost piled on top of each other. Piled in such a way that the canvas is almost stepping out at the viewer. Its part of the desire of the painting to confront you, I think physically, psychologically, as well as intellectually with everything that’s going on in it. It’s painted in pinkish, peach flesh skin tones against a back drop of brown, white and blue curtains. The figures are very flat and theirs is little illusion that these are real bodies. Looking at the five figu res from left to right, the woman to the far left is standing in profile facing right with her left hand; she reaches up behind her head to hold an orange brown curtain back. She has long straight black hair falling down her back. Her head, from the neck up peers to be in shadow or sun-tan, it’s a darker brown than the pinkish flesh of her body. She stares straight ahead expressionless. Her right eye from the front view is large, simplified and out-lined in black with a black pupil surrounded by brown. Her right arm hangs stiffly by her side. Her breast jets forward in a ruff square shape. Beside this figure, in the center of this painting are two women looking directly forward, straight out of the canvas. Their black eyes are wide and uneven. Their left eye brows extend a sweeping line to form simplify noses. Their mouths are straight lines. The one on the left raises her bent right elbow and places her hand behind her head, as if posing seductively. Her black hair is pulled back and falls behind her left shoulder. Her breasts are half circles; none of the women’s breast has nipples. The women on the right, raises both arms and puts both hands behind her hand. Her dark brown hair is pulled into a high bun. The last two figures don’t fit in with the painting, they are unexpected. The one to the top right stands back, her raised arms parting the blue curtain on which she’s coming out from. Her black hair hangs down her back; one eye socket black and empty. Her nose, like her face is large and elongated, striped diagonally in green across her cheek, suggesting less the face of a human then the forms of an African mask. In front of her, is another woman she is sitting or squatting, elbow on one raised knee which jets forward at the center of the painting almost looks as if her back is facing the viewer, but that is not true because her dark tan face is turned towards the viewer. She raises her arm to her face and beneath her chin is a large ambiguous form recalling a boomerang, it might be her hand, or a piece of melon she’s eating. Her body is flat and her nose is also stripped. Her face looks like a mask, and she has one uneven eye completely white, the other completely blue. The drapery behind them doesn’t hang softly; it looks like shatter pieces of glass with blue and white tones. In the center at the bottom of the painting are assorted fruits on a wrinkle white cloth; a pear, an apple, grapes and a slice of melon. The pear and apple have shrieks of red in them, the melon is reddish too and the grapes are grayish white. In conclusion, my experience at the Museum of Modern Art was delightful. Walking through the museum and seeing ancient statues and painting from so many different decades was so fulfilling. I didn’t realize how much I enjoy looking at art work; I just wanted to see more and more. I kept asking myself, how did they do this? How did they do that? What were they thinking when they paint this? Even though I didn’t get all my answers I was like a sponge, soaking it all up. What a wonderful, amazing day. I will definitely go back. Bibliography: Cothren Michael W., and Marilyn Stokstad. Art: A Brief History 4th ed. Page.531, 19-7. Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest (333.1939) Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London. (2010-2007) Print. Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019. April 29, 2012 Pablo Picasso. Les Demoiselles dAvignon. 1907. Oil on canvas, 8 x 7 8 (243.9 x 233.7 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest.  © 2003 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. http://www.moma.org/ Web. (2012).

Entrepreneur creates healthy ethnic frozen food

Entrepreneur creates healthy ethnic frozen food Tuck-In will bring healthy ethnic frozen food to the young, fast living city students door steps. Terra Tuck-in is scheduled to begin operations on September 20th 2010. Tuck-in will be a partnership, owned and operated by a group of graduate city university students; Shariq Pervaiz, Nadia Mohamed, Omer Qureshi, Faduma Karshe, Tiwalade Odulawa and Pawel Prochot. The owners of this company specialize in different areas of business which will make this venture a very exciting yet profitable business. The graduates have all got experience in different fields of the business. Location, offices headquarters, branches. Tuck-in will be located at: Tower Bridge Business Complex, 100 Clements Road, London, SE16 4DG The office space/light industrial space is leased and will accommodate the necessary office equipment such as computers, fax machine, photo copier and fridge/ freezers. There is a copy of the information in Appendix C. Definition of the business The Product/Service that ‘Tuck-In offers is a delivery service of frozen food from a variety of different world cuisines. The function of this new business venture would be to provide students who live away from home, food that is healthy, tasty and easy to cook. The idea is that students can enjoy food from different parts of the world in the easiest way possible. There is and always will be a market need for good quality frozen food and ‘Tuck-In would provide a service that would meet this market need by taking the idea of frozen food to the next level. ‘Tuck-In would make students more aware of the benefits of frozen food, it would reduce wastage. What makes ‘Tuck-in so unique is the quality and convenience of this food. It offers a delivery service to your front door with an online ordering and payment system, it will have never been made easier to order from ‘Tuck-In. Customers will want to buy products from ‘Tuck-In as it is different from your everyday frozen meal from the supermarket. It is more affordable, with the meal packages offered, it is good quality. The food offered helps with portion control and reduces wastage. Company History- Tuck-In was created on the 11th of November 2009 by Shariq Pervaiz, Nadia Mohamed, Omer Qureshi and Faduma Karshe in London, UK. The name â€Å"Tuck-in† was suggested by Shariq Pervaiz during a team meeting, and that suggestion stuck in everyones minds. Thus Tuck-in was then the name of the company that would change the lives of hundreds of students who live in student accommodations. Tuck-in was made official by the submission of the company contract; we invested in 2 further bodies, Tiwalde Odulawa and Pawel Prochot. Both bodies strengthened the company and brought vast experience to the company. Company goals To provide high quality healthy food To maintain a healthy, respectful, challenging and rewarding environment for employees To cultivate sound relationships with other organisations an individuals who are like minded. To cultivate adaptability to change in economic, social and environmental conditions, to allow Tuck-in the opportunity to survive long term. Future plans The primary objectives of Tuck-in over the next year are to: Obtain commercial financing of  £30,000 to cover start up costs and initial operating expenses; Generate one new client contract a month by networking with key industry leaders, conducting seminars and workshops, and joining key environmental agencies; Generate a net profit of  £100,000 in the first year of operations by developing a strong client base and keeping overhead costs to a minimum; Over the next 3-5 years we plan to grow our business by having other outlets aside City University hall residences. To achieve this, we aim to: Introduce our food services to other university hall residences around the area. So doing we hope to introduce new products. Also we aspire to increase our target market, i.e. to reach out to working-class people. As part of our growth plan we hope to have our proposed hot vending machines of food in different offices and workplaces in the City. They can easily get food from this machine at the end of the day after work. Furthermore we aim to get our services to be delivered to small local grocery stores around the area. Tuck-ins mission statement is to: The Tuck-in Promise: â€Å"Tuck-in exists to benefit and refresh every student who lives at halls of residence whilst at university. The basic proposition of our business is simple; we have a passion to serve the highest quality ready to cook frozen foods and make sure that every customer who shops with Tuck-in leaves happy. We are committed to using the finest ingredients in our recipes and no food leaves our kitchen that we ourselves would not eat. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business Product and Service description Tuck-In will sells delicious, high quality, nutritious frozen readymade meals from around the world to students who live away from home, complying with the health regulation. We will offer unique cuisine with international flair, offering frozen meals from Italy, Mediterranean, Asia, Europe and Africa, responding to the needs of students. Students are usually too busy or lack the skills to cook. Tuck-In will provide those students with a healthy, easy to cook meals that taste home-made and is ready in few minutes. As we are located in City University we can take advantage of the diverse students who are living in halls. We hope that this will help us in gaining an additional advantage over our competitors and help us provide greater customer satisfaction. It will also make it easier for students to pickup their meals when they are going home or for us to deliver the meals within a few minutes. The key benefits that can be obtained from using our service are: Less money on groceries and eating out Healthy home-made style meals Meals will take less than 15 minutes to prepare No washing dishes, everything is in disposable containers Provide international food We will be offering lunch and dinner that will include a frozen meal with a choice of drinks to choose from. Please Refer to Appendix A for the menu. Sourcing http://www.supremefoodscatering.co.uk/retail.htm The ready-made meals and drinks will be purchased by marketing manager at supreme food catering. There will be one staff that will make sure the meals are of high quality and are packed correctly. The marketing manager will be overlooking and make sure that everything is in order. Technology Our primary method of ordering meals will be via our website but we can also be contacted by phone. The company website is built and maintained by ‘Toucher an established web design company. The website will include a full menu, information about the company and an online ordering service. Target Market Tuck-ins target market can be generally described as a group of students living away from home, mainly in halls of residence. Those students share following characteristics which influence their consumer behaviour: They often have or decide to spend little time preparing food (28 out of 40 subjects asked) Form of the food is a secondary factor fresh, chilled or frozen (26 out of 40 subjects asked) Have culturally driven food habits ethnic food (32 out of 40 subjects) Currently eat frozen/chilled ready meals once or more times a week (27 out of 40 subjects) Order food for delivery more than once a week (26 out of 40 subjects) Eat out/order delivery of ethnic food more than once a week (27 out of 40 subjects) Would consider purchasing reasonably priced ethnic frozen food delivered to halls of residence more than once a week (28 out of 40 subjects) The anonymous survey was conducted by the Peartree Court hall of residence between 7th and 11th of December. Please Refer to Appendix B for the survey template. The target market is much localized as show below â€Å"A† indicates the main University building. Other indicators represent Walter Sickert Hall(Liberty Hall 142), Francis Rowley Court(220), Finsbury Heyworth(320) and Willen House (157) total of 839 bedrooms in student accommodation. The above also shows that within the radius of between 400 to 1200 meters (depending of the Tuck-in location) there are 839 student rooms. It also indicates a potential competition density of just under 30 takeaways per square kilometre. Competition As indicated on the map above there is around 30 small takeaways in the immediate area. Also there are 3 supermarkets and tens of small off-license shops. It is important to note that the university building offers a catering service to the students. The main factor that sets Tuck-In apart from the local takeaways and university catering is that Tuck-in food can be prepared in no time at students convenience and this in combination with right price will give Tuck-in an edge. Market Growth and Forecast The market growth is currently seen as increase in range of Tuck-In for new halls of residence. The prospective growth is expected to strongly depend on the future halls of residence targeted but short term (1 year) growth will oscillate in the area of 25%-50% increase in the size of the target market (range increase). Segmentation Target market is segmented to students: Eating out at the university in restaurants Eating in takeaways ready meals chilled and frozen cooked meals Other (unspecified) The segments that Tuck-In will be focusing on are students eating in takeaways, ready meals chilled and frozen, and cooked meals. SWOT Positive Negative Internal Strengths Weaknesses Free delivery Good ethnic food Always fresh food Small dynamic Multiple suppliers Close to the client Premises can be located virtually anywhere in the area (no kitchen etc.) Limited experience Summer holidays break External Opportunities Threats Takeaways Home delivery usually costly or high order minimums Fast-food chains New takeaways Changing customer tastes Increasing popularity of home-delivery of supermarkets Marketing Feasible marketing channels consist of Student union leaflets, halls of residence leaflets, presence at student events, and simple internet presence with SEOd for high ranked localised internet searches. Strategy and implementation summary The strategy we have implemented is quite straight-forward, the success of Tuck-In is based on a cuisine service providing authentic ready to cook meals for students living in university accommodation. This is combining healthy foods in a student area environment (halls) and these foods appeal to a wide range of ethnic groups. We aim to launch our business in a unique and obvious way to ensure that our target (the students living in halls) can actually notice us and be aware of the service we have to offer and how they can benefit from it. Our promotion strategy is to have a grand opening in the beginning of a new academic session. During this opening, we aim to give out trial foods, so as to go try our ready-to cook meals and see what it is all about. In order to succeed we will have to make sure that the food is at its best as the saying goes: first impression lasts longer. We would like to give an impression of a catering service that provides healthy ready-to cook frozen food as well as it been very tasty. We will have to keep our standards high and execute the launch, as the students testimony of our food services will be our main marketing strategy at the start. Pricing strategy: we dont aim to be cheap, but we aim to be cheaper than most alternatives the students might have however the quality and nutritional values will be far greater than our competitors. Marketing strategy is the most important in every business, to achieve this we aim to emphasize on the products we have to offer, and build some sort of a relationship business with our target market. As stated in our growth plan, we aim to increase our target market to working-class people, doing this the price of our food is going to be to some extent higher than what we offer to students, because they work and can afford good quality food at the price that is worth it. Tuck-ins competitive edge Having an understanding of how to launch the business Provide a diverse ethnic ready-to cook frozen food for students. So they do not miss home too much. Focus on target market Training of employees An area to keep the refrigerators and freezers purposely to preserve our food is in place. We do not have direct competitors, but our circuitous competitors will be supermarkets and take away restaurants e.g. Sainsburys or the local chicken and chips. The edge we have over them is the fact that we are situated very close to the halls and we offer these healthy yet tasty foods at a cheaper price. This is because they are our only target market at the moment therefore our service is solely tailored for them so is the price. While our competitors have a wide range of target market to cater for so been a student you do not have a chance to pay less, the price is general. Management Team â€Å"Tuck-In† from our managerial courses does have a great understanding of what it means to have an excellent management team for this business. How well we do is solely depends on our staff. Tuck-In is a small business and the creative idea is from us, because it is a new business it involves a basic managerial and organisational structure. However, there is a hierarchy, but before a decision is made we all have to meet and discuss about the situation and make the decision together. We might have to hire a more experienced general manager as part of our growth plan to help Tuck-In to grow further. Management positions: Operational service of the business will be performed by Shariq Pervaiz and Nadia Mohamed, as hands on manager and assistant. Floor/store manager Omer Qureshi Finance/accounting manager Tiwalade Odulawa Marketing manager Faduma Karshe Service manager Pawel Prochot Financial analysis This financial projection of approximately  £30,000 investment, represents to the best of managements belief, the expected results of operations and cash flow for the projection period would commence on or about 01/09/2010. The assumptions disclosed are those that management believes are significant to the projection. There will usually be differences between projected and actual results, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, and those differences may be material. The Companys revenues will be derived from sales of units. The Company will recognize initial fees such an insurance, premises and stock holding. Costs Cost of Product. Cost of product consists primarily of the costs of royalties paid to third-party suppliers, materials, personnel-related costs, admin costs and insurance. Cost of Service . Cost of service consists primarily of personnel-related costs incurred in providing telephone support, consulting to customers. The primary component of the cost of sales is labor. Skilled, professional personnel used directly in the companys operations are expected to maintain the company website. Property and Equipment. Property and equipment are to include costs of the premises, insurance, equipment and stock. Selling and Marketing Expenses.The principal types of expenses within this category are salaries, and professional services. Salaries are projected on an individual-by-individual basis, using expected salary rates throughout the projection period. Research and Development Costs.The principal types of expenses within this category are salaries, rent, telephone, travel, supplies, and professional services. Generally, management expects to charge research and development expenditures internally. General and Administrative Expenses.The principal types of expenses within this category are salaries, facilities and occupancy, travel, professional services, and insurance. Salaries are projected on an individual-by-individual basis, using expected salary rates throughout the projection period. Bank Credit Facility The companys management intends to borrow  £15,000 from a bank loan using owned property and security as the company grows, this amount is expected to increase. The amount will be borrowed on a two year repayment plan. Interest expense. Interest expense on borrowings is calculated at the fixed rate of 7.5%.This rate has been set by the bank itself. Expense detail Bank Loan having obtained a bank loan of  £15,000 to be paid back over a period of two years with an interest of 7.5%. Payments of  £695.30 being made every month. Rent of premises  £1078, insurance  £315 pa, security retainer  £3000, admin fees  £150, service charge  £500pa, bills  £3,000, Business rates  £1680. Furniture and computer equipment  £3000 Freezers  £6784 With an investment already confirmed of  £9,000 and a personal investment of  £6000 we aim to start up with  £30,000 including the bank loan. Each unit of food we buy, we aim to have a mark up of 50% after costs. Website costing  £350 to set up and maintain. As a team of 6, 3 of us are still in part time work and 3 of us are working completely in the business taking a small wage (enough to live on) to ensure we have as much money in the business as possible. Stock in the amount of 5000 units at 80p a unit =  £4000 Altogether are total cost as stated above in the first month of business =  £18,819.46 A lot of the start up costs are one of cost and the running cost every month after the first should decrease by ay least  £4,000. Financial objectives To achieve our financial objectives, Tuck-In seek medium-term commercial loan. This external funding will be used to cover the initial investment costs Based on the strategic objectives, we target the following financial goals: Steady increase of annual sales Keep the gross margin on sales 50% No debt leverage by year 2 Exit strategy Business exit Here, our aim is to maximize the value we can obtain from selling the business to potential investors. After complex business assessment, we embark on the following major selling points: strong brand, solid customer base, cash-rich business, and no leverage. As an exit strategy, we agreed to approach the following possibility: Partial business divestment (selling 50% of the business). Partial divestment: As customers are the heart of our business, the values as well as the number of customer relationships are essential to our business. The customer-focused approach of our business is consistent with our differentiation strategy and represents a strong negotiation point by the means of true sell. We aim to attract a venture capitalist to enter the business in order to expand capacity and market share, as well as to boost financial performance.

The Matrix Analysis Essay

The Matrix Analysis Essay This report is based on Matrix movie. The Matrix movie is a science fiction-action film which was released in America on March 31, 1999. This film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski.it is the first part of Matrix series, not even movie also the part of comic book, video games and animation. The meaning of matrix is a rectangular array of matrix. In this movie its shows there is two different lives, one is computer generated world dream world and another is real, but all human living in dream word which is programed and none of them know. In this movie Neo is a hero and he is a computer programmer and he drawn into a rebellion against the machines. But first he wanted to know what is matrix. Morpheus is main character of this movie and he spends much time on matrix to find, and he also help other to find it. He is the caption of their team in their spaceship which they called Nebuchadnezzar. They always go to dream world and come back with hacked telephone line; it is only the safe exit from the matrix. In other side in dream world a group of Agent which is known as swat team. They want to kill the entire human, so they want to catch the Morpheus. Because he is the only person who knows all the matrix code to go back to their ship throw phone. When they catch the Morpheus then Neo come and save him from him. Discussion There are few issue and theories which are applied on them are following. Media Ecology :- The effect of media on human being throw the perception feeling, understanding etc. and its change our thinking feeling and behaving system. Main source of media are TV, film, radio, mobile, books. Issues raised in the movies are:- Movie seen : In this movie when Agent behind the Trinity to kill, then she ask for help from tank by her cell phone then Tank call on a local STD, when she picked up the phone then she reached at their real world from dream world (Programmed world) in form of matrix. Answer: -Matrix movie is fully based on media ecology. In this movie telephone is used as in the form of media ecology. They used it to communicate and to move from move real to virtual or virtual to real word. Telephone decreased the way difference between both lives and makes it a global village. Virtual word is the hot media in this movie because it programed world and caring huge amount of data and telephone is cold media. In this movie they are using number computer screens to read the matrix. Script from movie: -as example The ship is quiet and dark. Everyone is asleep IN MAIN DECK The core glows with monitor light. Cypher is in the Operators chair as Neo cones up behind him. CYPHER Whoa! Shit, Neo, you scared me. NEO Sorry. CYPHER Midnight watches. Neos eyes light up as he steps closer to the screens That seems alive with a constant flow of data. NEO It is The Matrix? CYPHER Yeah.it is The Matrix. Answer: In this script you can read that neo talking about computer screens to read the information, computer show some data to which have their own value which is called matrix. Computer becomes a medium for cypher in this example and data become its information and in other words these tools make more extension for them. Cognitive dissonance :- The uncomfortable feeling which is caused by double minded situation, and hard to decided which the person already done is good or not. When Neo become a part of their team they he start meeting to team members. When he meets the cypher, then cypher say: Cypher: I know you thinking same but I am thinking. Neo: what I am thinking? Cypher: why I not choose the blue pill, I want to go back in dream world and I am tired from this life ruled fully life. But Morpheus say it our real word. Answer: This theory is easily applied on Cypher, because first he decided to come in this world but now he wants to go back in virtual (programmed) world. He is double minded and feeling uncomfortable. In this line you can easy understand his feeling, action, behaviour and beliefs are out of harmony and other cause of this is his belief or exception is more than what he got, which is the main reason he feeling uncomfortable and thinking he choose wrong decision and choose red pill. Social penetration theory: It is also known as onion theory, it means it is referred in terms of breath and depth and every layer is show the human behaviour according to its breadth and depth. For example, how we are close to a person, its decrease the layer of personal information of that person for us. Answer: This theory is applied on the relationship of Neo and trinity. First Trinity and Neo was not known to each other closely, it is same like a Onion based example , when she start known about Neo and start come closer, then the interpersonal layers in start decreasing for Trinity and then she feel that he is the one and fall in love with Neo. Here is the script of movie which shows feeling of trinity about Neo. TRINITY Neo, I have to tell you something. I dont know what it means or even If it matters but I feel I have to say it. Ive never told anyone this before. I think Ive been afraid to. When I went to the Oracle, she told me she told me that I would meet A man. And that I would fall in Love Social identity: At the end part of movie when there is a fighting between Neo and agents. Agents catch the neo and kill him by gun but after some time Neo open his eyes and stand up and start fighting again and when again Agents try to shoot him then Neo stop all the bullets in air. Answer: In this part of movie when he was killed, at that movement he was fighting like a normal human and was not who he is. But when he starts thinking about the difference between real human and programmed created world and start compare agents and him. He finds his social identity. His social identity is he is the one in movie who can control his mind the see the difference between real and programed world. Conclusion This movie is a science based fiction-Action movie and media ecology is big part of this movie. Telephone and computer screen are both are the medium of source of information. They contact to each other through the cell phone and they travel on both worlds with telephone exception and all the information they got like position, way to go out from building are they got from computer screen in the form of matrix. So these are the tool of they use which are based on media ecology. Cypher is a character of this movie who feel uncomfortable because he want to go back in virtual world and thinking he choose wrong option so Cognitive dissonance theory is full applied on Cypher. According to social penetration theory human are like the onion, they have layers one after one as breadth and depth. It is same like how much you know a person, layer are start decreases and person start to come close to you same like the character of movie Trinity and Neo. Social identity is also applied on Neo in this movie because he finds his own personality, who he is and he got the difference between his and agents. Referencing Griffin, E. (2006). A first look at communication theory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.