Essay on Apple (Part 2)

One of the Company’s key strengths is its strong brand name and the corporate identity it enjoys as a global market leader in the online music industry. In this capacity the brand will always remain synonymous with the online music despite any challenges it might face. This brand equity can be used to attain and sustain competitive advantage both in the short run and the short run.

Apple’s diversification strategy has meant that it offers a number of consumer technology products to its consumers under the same platform. This gives it a competitive edge over other competitors which do not have as broad a spectrum of products and cater only to selected niche markets.

Weakness
The company relies heavily on the leadership and advice of Steve Jobs one of its original founders. Jobs has played a prominent role in the success of the company. It can be accurately said that the company would not have achieved the phenomenal success that it has today without his guidance.

However the health of the company’s leader is floundering and this could have an impact on the company’s shares and standing with investors. Future investors may feel that the company has no future without Jobs at the helm and may seek not to invest if the executive leaves his position on the account of ill health or old age. Jobs needs to appoint a successor with similar qualities and strengths that he possesses. This move will help restore investor confidence in the future of the company after Jobs retires.

Opportunity
Increased use of mobile technology has meant that people use their smart phones to view and download online video. Apple can use this opportunity to launch mobile applications for iTunes which allow users to download video images through their i-phones

Another opportunity is the acquisition of a prime competitor. This would accord the company both economies of trade and result in a stronger more diversified entity. It would also add value to the company’s shares and help enhance the company’s brand identity and good will.

Threats:
One of the threats that Apple faces is the possibility of price competition. The online video industry is extremely price competitive and houses a large number of competitors. Some competitors also offer online video content for free. This implies that the company will have to keep its pricing strategies very competitive and focus on increasing profits not by charging higher subscription fees but by capturing a larger chunk of the market.

On the basis of the above SWOT analysis, I would invest in the company because of future opportunity for growth. The consumer electronic market has proved to be resilient to the economic recession. As one of its major players Apple is at the forefront to exploit the huge potential that this industry has at the moment. As an investor I feel that the company has huge future potential for growth and would definitely put my money in it.

In determining Strategy it is also important to look at the various stake holders who stand to benefit or lose the most as a result of the implementation of the strategy.(Fred, 1995) In the present scenario Apple has four prominent stakeholders. These are the Management of the Company, the employees, the shareholders and the customers of the company.

The stakeholders often hold different opinions regarding strategy implementation. The Management and the shareholders of Apple will be more concerned about increasing profits and establishing competitive advantage. They would favor any marketing strategy which focuses on these two factors.

The customers of the company would be concerned about the impact of the new strategy on the quality and price of products offered on the site . If the strategy is focused on enhancing the consumer experience and delivering superior service at an economic price it would have a beneficial effect on the customer. The impact of such a strategy would be to attract new customers and retain existing ones
Employees both new and existing will probably favor the implementation of a new strategy if it results in improving the profitability of the company. A marketing strategy aimed at building brand equity would probably benefit the employees as they can reap both the financial and reputation benefits of working for a well known organization.

Apple in the present scenario is satisfying the expectations of all of its stake holders. Shareholders and Management are satisfied because of growing profits, increasing market share and sustainable competitive advantage.

Employees benefit from working in a globally reputed and top performing multinational organization which offers them competitive salaries and other benefits. Apple customers are satisfied because the company is committed to delivering a product that enhances the consumer experience and innovates it continuously to meet customer tastes and preferences.

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Essay on Apple (Part 1)

Paper #1
Founded by two college drop outs in 1976 Apple has today grown into a multinational conglomerate that manufactures electronics as well as computer hardware software, and servers. The company has four prominent product lines which includes the iPad, iPhone, iPod music player, and the Macintosh range of personal computers. Apple started out primarily as a computer manufacturer and in the 1980’s achieved prominent market share with its top selling range of personal computers including the Macintosh and Power Mac lines.

However in the 1990s the company was faced with declining sales and reduced market share because of increasing competition from other computer manufacturers. During this lean period Jobs returned to the helm with a new philosophy emphasizing the creation of a line of easy to use and easily recognizable products. In 2001 a re- structured Apple entered the consumer electronic market and introduced the iPod.

 The product was an instant hit and continues to be one of the company’s top sellers After this successful launch the company underwent an image change, dropped the word “computer” from its name and started focusing on the consumer electronics market. It went on to achieve further success with the launch of the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad. Today Apple has evolved into one of the biggest technology manufacturers in the world yielding an annual revenue of $65 million.

The decision to invest in a company is influenced by various factors. This includes the company’s performance an analysis of its strategy, favorable future trends and an overview of its internal and external capabilities. Apple’s financial performance in recent years has been strong, its strategy has been focused on producing a range of integrated products that are mutually compatible and also interdependent.

The strategy has also sought to identify a specific not catered for niche in the consumer electronic market and then produce products which satisfy this particular niche market. The future trends for consumer electronic market indicate a strong demand for products despite the onset of the global recession and tough economic times.

 An overview of the firms internal and external capabilities can be provided by conducting a SWOT analysis This is commonly used to evaluate the company’s capabilities both from an internal perspective (i.e. within the company itself) and an external perspective (i.e. in the context of the larger industrial environment.)


This analysis highlights Apple’s capabilities in terms of the Company’s internal Strength and Weakness as well as the Opportunities and Threats it encounters as a result of its interaction with the broader industry environment. This framework seeks to establish how the Company uses its internal strengths to counter its weakness and how it can use the opportunities available in the environment to balance the threats that it encounters.(David, 1995)

movie “three meters over the sky” review

A Spanish movie of 2010. As always, a movie about the first and surely passionately.

I guess for someone the movie with a happy ending but not for me. I'm used to the commonplace when in the end lovers are together and happy. But here we have very strong feelings that can not be reconcile with the character. Hollywood makes us to see the end of a romantic comedy or even drama. But in this movie, besides lots of love and passion we can see anger.

The main character a real stinker, which at the time when she had to support the hero, she turned around and walked away. Sorely missed lyrics Lamb - Gabriel. The film is about as cool street boy in love with a girl from a respectable family. A special feeling covers them both, whose height is actually measured by the headline. We can only watch what happens.

They begin to see each other wherever it’s possible. She sees him as a boy who loves to fight and risk. Her parents certainly against him, and forbid her to see him. But they fell in love already. And can not live without each other. And it would seem that nothing may occur when you are overwhelmed with feelings of love. But this is not a common Hollywood scenario of a romantic story, and here we can see how people are struggling with break -up and trying to forget each other, because they absolutely do not match.

I really hoped that it is a story with happy end, but it’s really not.


It’s a story which everybody has in his life. We can see pain and how everything is complicated, how to forget the person whom you really love. In the end, she rides with the new guy and he was sitting and crying under the rain. And at that moment I realized that even the strongest man can feel and cry.

What is an essay about?

I woke up 2 hours ago after a sleep of 2 hours. For now I feel fine. Would feel better after I get done with this essay. Writing always was my weak point as I lack imagination. Or don't I? I used to write really good essays at school and I enjoyed this occupation. It flew like a stream, page after page. Probably the reason is that I was inspired by the book or some historical episode.

At history classed we used just a mechanical writing, training our memory and hidden notes. But at World Literature classes... Wooouha here I go wild. My classmates used to have problems with writing summaries, opinions, etc. And I never could get it. My imagination was allright.

Probably I experience difficulties at college with essay writing because it has to be in English. And I don't feel like I can use decent idioms, that makes me ashamed of my future text. So I go to write nothing at all. Isn't it stupid? I would better come over myself, my fears and so on!

Now let's talk about books. What is a book review? That is your feedback about some other human creation, long hours work, his/her passion, feelings, thoughts.... this is endless. You can think of plenty of things that the writer requires and puts into his text.

Is there anything more useless than wasting your time, sitting in front of the screen, doing a meer nonsense? What I want to do, apart of writing college essays? Something useful. Something that will contribute to the world's well being. I want to help people be happy. That's not going to happen while I am sitting in this room.
Go ahead, buy a one way ticket. Do not think. Do not judge. Do not make predictions. Just make sure you are highly qualified in custom writing.

Running head: POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND THE BRAIN

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Brain
[Name]
[Course Title]
[Professor]
July 10, 2011


Abstract
The most common factor in the development of PTSD is sexual abuse. There are treatment methods available to those who suffer from PTSD such as VR-GET, medication, counseling and holistic approaches. There is currently no cure for PTSD and it can last anywhere from a few months to an entire lifetime. Those who suffer from a lifetime of PTSD require the most treatment and care as well as patients who have pre-existing mental conditions such as bipolar, ADHD, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Brain

There is a great deal of scientific literature available on the etiology and effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) dating back to the 19th century. “Returning Franco–Prussian war veterans were observed in hospital wards by a neurologist, Jean–Martin Charcot who identified a cluster of symptoms including exhaustion, anxiety, heart palpitations, chest pain, trembling, and disorientation, that emerged well after exposure to the violence, dislocation, and physical wounds of the war.” (Bertram & Dart, 2009) “Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, was initially considered an axiety disorder that was isolated only to wartime trauma.

Today, however, PTSD is associated with a variety of psychological results, stemming from events such infant death and miscarriages, near death experiences (i.e. car crash), sexual abuse, natural disasters and victimization (Jaffe & Schub, 2011)

There are a number of additional factors to consider such as history of mental illness, severity of the traumatic event, and at what point in a person’s life the trauma occurred. Not everyone who experiences traumatic events will develop PTSD or have the same symptoms. PTSD varies in severity depending upon the biological and environmental factors involved in its development. According to Psychological Medicine (2011), differences in trauma risks are often the result of the event as well as factors directly related to race and demographics.

 A study conducted by Psychological Medicine (2011) found that Caucasians, more than other racial group suffer trauma or become aware of trauma from other family members while African Americans and Hispanics experienced higher risks due adolescent maltreatment (i.e. domestic violence). Among all races exposed to traumatic events, African Americans indicated slightly higher risk factors (Roberts, Gilman, Breslau, Breslau and Koenen, 2011).

Common Causes (War, Natural Disaster, Domestic Abuse, and Homelessness)
There are a small handful of common scenarios that can increase one’s chance of developing PTSD. One of the first cases is war and because there are a handful of wars that United States is currently involved in at present, several studies have been able to utilize the help of active duty military servicemen and women to aid in the research of PTSD in the military.


“…the wars have now been ongoing since 2001, and that by 2008 over 1.6 million American troops had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been only one randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study for Active Duty Service Members with PTSD, and that was conducted in survivors of the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon. Before this report, there were no randomized trials for PTSD in Active Duty Service Members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.” (McLay et al, 2011) The nature of these wars, while highly controversial, has contributed a variety of findings to the field of PTSD research. This particular study concludes that virtual reality is an effective treatment option for many active duty military personnel who are currently suffering from PTSD.

TAU stands for treatment as usual while VR stands for virtual reality. According to McLay et al. “The findings here indicated that Service Members with PTSD related to service in Iraq or Afghanistan were more likely to improve if they received VR-GET than if they received TAU.” VR-GET treatment has been proven successful for many military-related cases of PTSD. Whether or not it proves successful for civilian patients is something that remains to be seen.

War is not the only environmental cause of PTSD. Another factor is being involved in a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane. Victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and more recently, many of the Japanese victims of the tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan have are at an increased risk of suffering from PTSD. Natural disaster victims, faced with the displacement of their families and communities, and often dependent upon government or foreign aid during times of crisis, are left vulnerable to the many ravages that ensue after a natural disaster takes place. They are often uprooted from their homes, losing all of their material possessions, their jobs, and even members of their families such as children, spouses, and pets.

Women and children suffering from domestic violence are also at an increased risk of developing PTSD. (Bertram & Dartt, 2009) Sexual and physical abuse can play a large role in the development of PTSD. In fact, sexual abuse is the leading cause of the development of PTSD among both men and women (Bertram & Dartt, 2009). Prolonged homelessness can also be a cause for PTSD as well as several other types of mental illnesses. Prolonged homelessness is homelessness that lasts for several months or even several years. Depression and PTSD are common among the homeless population. (Bertram & Dartt, 2009)

Finally, severe motor vehicle accidents can contribute to the development of PTSD. “More than 50 million people each year are injured in the road traffic system worldwide, and nearly one-third of the injured patients appear to develop trauma-related psychiatric illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been associated with higher psychiatric comorbidity, attempted suicide, physical illnesses such as asthma, hypertension, and peptic ulcer, as well as high health-care costs.” (Nishi, 2010)


Biological Factors
There are some biological factors that can affect the development of PTSD. One of these factors is a history or prevalence of a mental illness such as bipolar disorder. “Traumatic experiences are frequent in patients with severe mental illness. Garno et al. [9] reported on severe childhood trauma in approximately half of a sample of patients with bipolar disorder. Furthermore, studies of bipolar disorder patients reported on a relationship between child abuse and neglect and an earlier onset of the illness, severity of mania, number of manic episodes, clinical course and higher rates of suicide attempts” (Assion et al 2009) Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycles of high and low moods. Some cases of bipolar are mild while others are severe.

Still, PTSD can complicate and in some cases, worsen the cases of those who are already suffering from bipolar disorder. “However, subgroup analysis has demonstrated higher rates of PTSD in patients with complicated mild traumatic brain injury.” (Jafee & Meyer, 2009)


Schizophrenia is generally characterized by instability in moods. However, unlike bipolar disorder those who are schizophrenic can hear voices, see images that are not there, and suffer from full-on hallucinations. Also, schizophrenia can also cause one to have a lack of feelings or empathy in situations that require it. Severe schizophrenia prevents a person from being able to function in the real world without treatment. PTSD can complicate a condition, often because those who are schizophrenic develop it in their early 20s – significantly later than most other mental illnesses which are generally developed during childhood.

Another mental illness that can aid in the development of PTSD is alcoholism. “Among alcohol-dependent inpatients 32.1% were considered as having lifetime PTSD. Mean scores of alexithymia, novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA) and self-transcendence (ST) were higher in the PTSD group, whereas age and self directedness (S) were lower.

Among age and other factors of TAS-20, ‘difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF)’ predicted PTSD in a logistic regression model.” (Evren, 2010) It is important to note that treating the alcoholism does not necessarily treat the PTSD. PTSD can still remain even if someone is being treated or has successfully been treated for alcohol dependency. Alcohol-dependent inpatients require specific treatments that deal with each individual issue and careful monitoring to determine whether or not the treatments are working.

The chemical processes in the brain that affect the development of PTSD often occur in the pre-frontal cortex. This is why head injuries, domestic violence, and sexual abuse which often encompasses physical violence, are likely to lead to the development of PTSD. “Studies have begun to identify alterations in default mode network activity during the resting state in psychiatric disorders, including major depression (4), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (5), schizophrenia (6–8), autism (9) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (10)” (Lanius, 2010)


Possible Treatments
Treatment for PTSD varies from patient to patient. One treatment that has been used primarily on war veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is the VR-GET treatment, also known as virtual reality graded exposure therapy. Other treatments include a combination of counseling and medication, holistic and alternative methods such as hypnosis and other treatments that are currently being tested. Because of the varying nature of PTSD, there is no uniform consensus on what constitutes efficacy in treatment as every patient will respond differently to each one. Medical professionals must continue to work closely with patients to develop treatment methods that are right for them.

Conclusion
As more research and studies are conducted, physicians and mental health practioners look to pharmacotherapy and other various approaches to minimize or eliminate PSTD (Fletcher, S., Creamer, M & Forbes, D., 2010). There are a number of biological and environmental factors that can and do lead to the development of PTSD. Biological factors include pre-existing mental illnesses and other chemical reactions that occur in the pre-frontal cortex area of the brain. PTSD can develop at any age from virtually any traumatic event, although not all people that experience severe trauma will develop PTSD.

References
Assion, H., Brune, N., Schmidt, N., Aubel, T., Edel, M., Basilowski, M., & ... Frommberger, U.
(2009). Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder in bipolar disorder. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44(12), 1041-1049. doi:10.1007/s00127-009-0029-1Pollice, R. R., Bianchini, V. V., Conti, C. M., Mazza, M. M., Roncone, R. R., & Casacchia, M. M. (2010). COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTAND PERCEIVED STRESS IN SCHIZOPHRENIC INPATIENTS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. European Journal of Inflammation, 8(3), 211-219. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Bertram, R., & Dartt, J. (2009). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Diagnosis for Youth from
Violent, Impoverished Communities. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 18(3), 294-302.
doi:10.1007/s10826-008-9229-7

Evren, C., Dalbudak, E., Cetin, R., Durkaya, M., & Evren, B. (2010). Relationship of
alexithymia and temperament and character dimensions with lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder in male alcohol-dependent inpatients. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 64(2), 111-119. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.02052.x

Gilman, S., Breslau, J., Breslau, N. and Koenen, K. (2011, January 14). Race/ethnic differences
in exposure to traumatic events, development of post-traumatic stress disorder, and treatment-seeking for post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States. Psychological Medicine. 41(1): 71-83 [Electronic Version]

Fletcher, S., Creamer, M., & Forbes, D. (2010, December). Preventing post traumatic stress
disorder: are drugs the answer? [Electronic version] Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(12), 4-7.

Laddis, A. (2010). Outcome of crisis intervention for borderline personality disorder and post
traumatic stress disorder: a model for modification of themechanism of disorder in complex post traumatic syndromes. Annals of General Psychiatry, 919-30. doi:10.1186/1744-859X-9-19
Lanius, R. A., Bluhm, R. L., Coupland, N. J., Hegadoren, K. M., Rowe, B. B., Théberge, J. J., &
Brimson, M. M. (2010). Default mode network connectivity as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity in acutely traumatized subjects. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121(1), 33-40. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01391.x

Jaffee, M. S., & Meyer, K. S. (2009). A Brief Overview of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Within the Department of Defense. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 23(8), 1291-1298. doi:10.1080/13854040903307250

Jaffe, S., & T, S. (2011, June 10). Cinahl Information Systems: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
[Electronic version]. , 1-6.

McLay, R. N., Wood, D. P., Webb-Murphy, J. A., Spira, J. L., Wiederhold, M. D., Pyne, J. M.,
& Wiederhold, B. K. (2011). A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Service Members with Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 14(4), 223-229. doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0003

Nishi, D., Matsuoka, Y., Yonemoto, N., Noguchi, H., Kim, Y., & Kanba, S. (2010).
Peritraumatic Distress Inventory as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder after a severe motor vehicle accident. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 64(2), 149-156. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02065.x

Strawn, J. R., Adler, C. M., Fleck, D. E., Hanseman, D., Maue, D. K., Bitter, S., & ... DelBello,
M. P. (2010). Post-traumatic stress symptoms and trauma exposure in youth with first episode bipolar disorder. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 4(2), 169-173. doi:10.1111/j.1751-7893.2010.00173.x

How I Wrote My Essay on Sidney Sheldon

Really like Sidney Sheldon and his books, you can not stop reading it. The most interesting is that you never know what will happen next and what will be the end.

Mysteriously, but being a man, he describes the women’s fate very well, and men usually are like scoundrels.

But it's not the point. The main thing is the constant voltage, the unpredictability of the plot.He knows how to keep the plot. If you are on half of the book, and took her to read before bedtime - you won't sleep.One drawback of all of his books are similar, a woman who always independent and successful in their careers and love.

When I read another book, I always imagine myself. And I want to be so, or just to be like these women. I am very worried when something bad happens and glad when something good happens.

Sidney Sheldon, as I know, always wanted to be a screenwriter. And when Hollywood was like 50 years ago he was one of the greatest one.

Most of all I liked his book Anger of angels, so unexpected was the fact that main character's son is dead, I was reading and crying like a child.

To be honest it was the first time I cried while reading the book.

It is considered that his books are detective stories, but I would not say so, they have so much drama that I would rather say it’s trilerry and detective novels and romance novels.

People have always loved him. His books are bought up from the counter very fast, he is loved and will always be, I attribute his books to the Classics, to my Classics.