Chocolate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Chocolate - Essay Example In modern English, chocolate originates from the Aztec phrase "cacaua atl" which means "cacao drink†. It also has another phrase xocolatl which meant "bitter water.† This crop is mainly grown I the tropical climates of West Africa, Asia, and Latin. In the past, chocolates used to be expensive and only the well-off families could afford it. However, this has been solved by the emergence of modern methods which has made this luxurious food affordable to all. This paper mainly focus on the challenges facing the chocolate production such as child labour, why people crave for it, and the health benefits it presents to the people and economy of a nation. The emergence of modern methods has tremendously promoted and made this luxurious food affordable to all. Currently, Bolivia is recognized the largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans worldwide. In this region, cocoa is grown using the organic farming system. In areas such as Beni, agroforestry have been put in place to help the indigenous and peasant farmers. Bolivia has a good cocoa that has been revealed to taste good and has a variety of flavours. This region has two types of cocoa namely the hybrid which develop with imported plantations. The other kind is the wild which is part of a system of natural forest and is mainly found in Amazon region and a smaller percentage. In developed nations, child labour in cocoa farms has been controlled and wiped out (Gregory, 2013). This has been done by developing policies that has helped in ending use of illegal child labour on farms supplying cocoa. Additionally, several organizations such as Anti-Slavery Internationals have also assisted in ending this problem. In the West Africa, cocoa is also grown in large scale in countries such as Ivory Coast and Ghana which supply more than 70 percent of the world’s cocoa. The beans are normally grown and sold to the majority of chocolate companies. In the past, there has been a widespread use of child

Strategies for Developing Inclusion in Education

Strategies for Developing Inclusion in Education The question of inclusive education whereby mainstreaming, is both complex and contentious. There are many informed opinions and solutions from researchers, politicians and teachers surrounding debates on inclusion. What is apparent is that there is no overarching strategy that will provide all the answers; inclusion is individual, multifarious and wide ranging. It is shaped by social, political, legislative and contextual factors. This paper will first reflect on the concept of inclusion in education and then discuss the implications for teachers and schools. The following issues will be considered; legislation, rights, ethos, behaviour management and resources. THE CONCEPT OF INCLUSION Inclusion in education is recognised as one of the five National Priorities for Education in Scotland by the Standards in Scotlands Schools ect. Act 2000. It was this legislative framework, which set the legal context for inclusion, at least in principle, to what is referred to as the presumption of mainstreaming (Scottish Government, 2003, p.2). The framework focuses predominately on pupils with disabilities and special educational needs; however, inclusion in education takes a much wider context. By definition, inclusion does not primarily focus upon a group of individuals with additional support needs (ASN), but extends beyond this to include all pupils regardless of gender, race, religion, mental and physical ability and social class (Booth and Ainscow, 1998). Similarly, Wilson (2000, p.229) states that in the absence of any rhetoric or ideology, limiting the definition of an inclusive school to one that rejects or excludes no pupils in a particular catchment area on grounds of a bility or disablement or colour or religion or anything else would be restrictive and naive. On both accounts, the concept of inclusion is not constrained to a group of young people with ASN but affects all pupils. It is therefore apparent that inclusion is not about the integration or accommodation of pupils into mainstream education. Nor is it centrally concerned with the inclusion of pupils with ASN. Inclusion is more than this; inclusion seeks to address the individual needs of each pupil to enable all learners to achieve their fullest potential and experience a positive education (HMIE, 2008; Slee, 2001, p.116). ETHOS CULTURE Arguably, inclusionists state that the inclusive school must have a certain ethos and a certain set of ideals, from which certain practices naturally follow (Wilson, 2000, p.229). This broader philosophy of education is addressed by schools, within statements of vision to promote schools as inclusive institutions (HMIE, 2002, p.3). In this statement, an inclusive school is about the strategic action of creating an ethos and set of values based on equity, entitlement, school community, participation, integration and respect for diversity. Table 1 outlines this inclusive approach to education (HMIE, 2002, p.4). Table 1. An inclusive approach to education involves: Creating an ethos of achievement for all pupils within a climate of high expectation; Valuing a broad range of talents, abilities and achievements; Promoting success and self-esteem by taking action to remove barriers to learning; Countering conscious and unconscious discrimination that may prevent individuals, or pupils from any particular groups, from thriving in the school; and Actively promoting understanding and a positive appreciation of the diversity of individuals and groups within society. Although the statements of vision are a credible approach to inclusive education, it is notably palpable statements of aspiration. It is a cultural ethos rather than a strategic approach to inclusion and does not tangibly seek to address how this is achieved in schools. The statements express elements that are mistaken and limited. Such as: (1) There is no mention of teaching practice or teaching strategies. Without doubt, this is a fundamental part of an inclusive school. (2) Barriers to learning are inevitable; parts of the curriculum are not accessible to those without the ability or skill set to access them (being part of the school orchestra requires musical ability). (3) Promoting an ethos of educational success and high expectations may enable some lower achieving pupils to feel excluded and worthless from the education system (Barber, 1996; Hamill 2008; Mackenzie 2008 and Wilson, 2000). With the presence of a summative examination system, how can lower ability pupils feel suc cessful and credible? Is this approach to education encouraging some pupils to feel excluded from school and the education system? To value our self-worth and success based on a criterion of academic achievement does not support an inclusive school. Most pupils will not achieve top grades and will never score very highly on any scale. Barber (1996) suggests that underachievement is routed as a cause of disaffection and exclusion from school, which has been heightened by a climate of high expectations in schools, fuelled by league tables and social pressure. Barber (1996) proposes that underachievement leads to a vicious circle of disaffection and exclusion, which enables pupils to feel marginalised and detached from the education system. In a climate of high expectations and educational success how can lower ability pupils feel included? To overcome this challenge, it is important that institutions educate pupils to value themselves rather than their public merits (Wilson, 2000). Teachers and schools will be faced with the challenge of instilling an ethos of high self-esteem and self-confidence in pupils to discourage disaffection and exclusion. This will go beyond subject knowledge; it will develop personal skills and attributes which will provide young people with life-long skills. This philosophy has been embedded in the Curriculum for Excellence four capacities; to develop young people that are successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors (CfE) (LTS, n.d., and Scottish Government 2010a; 2010b). The Scottish Government proposes that educating young people based on these principles will develop a stronger society for all. This new development will affect the teaching profession as a whole; as teachers develop new skills and teaching strategies to enforce the CfE four c apacities. The onset of the new CfE will exert another challenge for teachers. LEGISLATION RIGHTS Rustemier (2002) claims that although the term inclusion is widely used and signifies a genuine desire to better the experience of all learners, the definition is still misinterpreted or misled, which has resulted in the existence of segregated schooling for some individuals. Inclusion has come to mean almost everything but the elimination of exclusion claims Rustemier (2002) (CSIE, n.d.). This argument is represented in the Standards in Scotlands Schools ect. Act; set-up to support inclusion in education. Even though inclusion in education has a legal standing in the Standards in Scotlands Schools ect. Act; in exceptional circumstances the legal framework still enables the exclusion of certain individuals from mainstream schools, if the following criteria apply: The mainstream school would not be suited to the ability or aptitude of the child; Where there would be a negative effect on the child; If the placement would result in unreasonable public expenditure being incurred which would not ordinarily be incurred If it still possible by law to exclude certain individuals from mainstream schools, then the concept of inclusion in education is fallacious and therefore, does not support inclusion of all pupils. Based on this argument, Rustemier (2002) confirms that the underlying issue in the development of inclusive education is the continuing legislative support of segregated schooling. Accordingly, the Standards in Scotlands Schools ect. Act, supports segregated schooling to prevail in Scotland. The Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education (CSIE) condones all forms of exclusion; maintaining barriers to some students participation in the cultures, curricula and communities of local schools is unacceptableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and aviolation of basic human rights to education without discrimination (CSIE, n.d.). Similarly, Rustemier (2002) states that such action is internationally recognised as discriminatory and damaging to young people and society and breaches all four principles underpinning the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989 (CSIE, n.d.). To overcome the legal constraints surrounding the inclusion of all pupils in mainstreams schools, Wertheimer (1997, p. 4) promotes a UK legislative reform to: i) end compulsory segregation and gradually restructure all mainstream schools so they are accessible in terms of premises, curriculum and facilities, and ii) to plan the phased closure of all special schools. Based on this argument, would the closure of all special schools be serving the best interests of the child? A study by Bunch and Valeo (2004) researched the attitudes of elementary and secondary students towards peers with disabilities attending an inclusive schooling system. The findings reported that students with disabilities were able to develop friendships, learn from their peers, that a small amount of abuse occurs, however it is comparatively minimal and that encouragement and support from their peers is common. The majority of responses from students were in favour of inclusion and rejected the idea that students should be segregated for any reason. The study, however small, provided evidence that an all inclusive education system had positive effects on social development, acceptance of difference, and social integration. The study by Bunch and Valeo (2004) supports the argument of the closure of all special schools. This philosophy of inclusive education was shared by Mittler (2000); the concept of inclusion in education has the potential to transform schools to enable them to be come places which fully support social and educational opportunities for all pupils. In contrast, Cigman (2007) supports the argument of segregated schooling, whereby, special schools promote the best interests of the child; they provide specialist education, which can deliver a more individualised education to better meet the needs of the child. Cigman (2007) proposes that mainstream schools can be a humiliating experience for young people with ASN à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ mainstream schools do not provide a non-humiliating educational experience for some children (Cigman, 2007, p.779). Segregation from mainstream classes and their peers through inclusive support strategies, such as special units can account for feelings of humiliation and alienation, which can be fostered under the flag of inclusion Bishop and Swain (2000, p.24). Contrary to this argument, Oliver (1995) suggests that support strategies, such as special units are an essential means of successfully implementing inclusion in mainstream schools. During my time at school, the use of some inclusive support strategies, such as the support for learning base and the use of classroom assistants, highlighted the issue of segregation and differentiation for some pupils with ASN. The removal of pupils from class and from their peers to attend sessions in the support for learning base and the use of classroom assistants in mainstream classes drew attention to the pupils with ASN. This highlighted the matter to the rest of the class. As a result, some pupils felt alienated and detached from their peers and found their ASN carried a stigma attached to the label. Subsequently, such means of inclusion ignited more serious issues, such as bullying and low-self esteem. What is apparent from the opinions of researchers, politicians and teachers is that few would reject the concept of inclusion in education; however, translating this into practice will serve a greater challenge for teachers and schools. One such challenge schools and teachers is the requirement to address better the needs of the pupils who are alienated or disaffected from school, or by the commitment to educating pupils with special needs in more inclusive ways (HMIE, 2002, p.4). BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT In a study by Dyson, Farrell, Polat, Hutcheson and Gallannaugh (2004), teachers professed that the biggest challenge to inclusion was dealing with pupils who presented social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Some teachers reported a sense of frustration and isolation when dealing with SEBD (Hamill, 2008). Research surrounding this group of young people who present disruptive behaviour becomes far more contentious in the context of inclusion. In a report by HMIE (2002, p.34), it was apparent that the needs of those displaying SEBD and who often act in a disruptive manner (Hamill, 2008, p.68), present difficult challenges to schools and local authorities in promoting schools as inclusive institutions (Mackenzie, 2008, p.762). The problem is both severe and wide-spread. During 2009/10 there were 30,211 exclusions from local authority schools in Scotland, a decrease of 11 per cent from 2008/09 (Scottish Government, 2010c). Conversely, measuring school exclusions is problematic; some schools or local authorities can influence parents to move their child to another school, which has led to an avoidance of registering the move as a formal exclusion (Mackenzie (2008, p.762). The issue of exclusion, hence disruptive behaviour may be much greater than the figures reveal. A study by Hayden (2000) suggests that children with ASN are six times more likely than other children to be excluded. Those excluded are likely to suffer from SEBD. The label attached to pupils with SEBD can influence the way they are perceived and treated by schools, teachers and peers (Hamill, 2008). For many schools, the most obvious solution is exclusion, which compounds feelings of alienation and marginalisation, thus worsening the situation (Mackenzie, 2008, p.762). It is apparent that the use of exclusion to resolve disruptive behaviour does not endorse an inclusive school ethos. Nor does it comply with the right of social inclusion. How does exclusion support the best interests or needs of the child when they feel alienated or marginalised already? Or does it serve the best interests of the other children in the classroom suffering the negative effects of disruptive behaviour? As previously discussed, inclusion in education is regarded as a human rights issue, whereby to exclude a child from mainstream education would be an infringement of their right to social inclusion (Rustemier, 2002; CSIE, n.d.). This issue becomes convoluted when it is applied to the rights of those affected by social inclusion. Based on this argument there appears to be a conflict of human rights. On one-side, the excluded pupil has no right of social inclusion. Whereas, on the other side, pupils who experience constant disruption to their lessons and the teachers time is taken up to resolve such issues, are prevented from the right to receive an education that strives to develop their full potential. When behavioural difficulties disrupt the education of others, whose rights are protected or infringed? Dyson et al. (2004, p.101) found that the impact of children with behavioural difficulties on the learning of others, disrupted lessons and increased the amount of time and effort taken up by teachers to manage pupils with SEBD. Consequently, this diverts teacher time and energy away from the majority of the class and those in most need. Studies by Hamill and Boyd (2000; 2003, as cited in Hamill, 2008, p. 67), found evidence that the group of learners most affected by behavioural difficulties were those who experienced learning difficulties and who found themselves in the bottom sets with the most disruptive pupils. This impacted negatively on the inclusion of other vulnerable learners. Class setting based on ability levels can intensify this issue. Pupils most affected are those with learning difficulties, who most often find themselves in the bottom sets with the most disruptive pupils (Hamill, 2008, p.67).The negative effects of class setting can intensify disaffection from school which often results in disruptive behaviour (Hamill, 2008; Barber, 1996). Mackenzie (2008, p.767) alludes that the practice of setting further excludes disadvantaged children by lowering attainment and motivation, especially in female children of low-waged and unemployed parents (Paterson, 1992). With lessons disrupted by behaviour and teachers time being taken up to resolve such issues, it would seem likely, therefore, to have a negative impact on the attainment of others, however, Dyson et al. (2004, p.101) found no correlation between the inclusion of pupils with SEBD and the attainment and achievement of pupils without ASN. Inclusion was also found to have a positive effect on the wider achievement of all pupils, such as social skills and understanding (Dyson et al. 2004, p.101). In particular, pupils with ASN were found to improve academically, personally and socially. RESOURCING FUNDING There is no doubt that effective inclusion is dependent upon the adequate provision of resources (Hamill, 2008, p. 60). With the onset of educational funding cuts, the availability of resources will be a major obstacle to the successful implementation of inclusion in schools. In a study by Dyson, at al. (2004, p.101), teachers professed that the challenges surrounding inclusion were intensified by a lack of support and resources from external sources. Similarly, in a study by Hamill and Boyd (2000; 2003) teachers held the opinion that inclusion lacked adequate funding and was a politically motivated initiative aimed at increasing financial efficiency rather than meeting the individual needs of the learner. Whether this opinion holds any value, resourcing is a complex issue which goes beyond the constraints of simply providing materials and equipment. Providing adequate resources helps to develop a teachers professional development. Funding can provide the financial support to develop systems both internally and externally, such as specialist teachers. To manage the successful implementation of inclusion in schools, teachers have to be given the opportunity to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) to develop the right skills and knowledge to cater for the diverse range of ASN. There can be no doubt that the level of funding provided to support inclusion in mainstream schools reflects the quality of teaching and progress made by the individual (Hamill, 2008). Those with least teaching experience or professional development, specifically beginning teachers will be most disadvantaged with the impending cuts and limited resources. New teachers with limited teaching experience will be most affected if reductions in teacher CPD progress. Essential skills needed to manage the challenges surrounding inclusion will be affected. Reports of increasing the class contact time of probationer teachers to 0.9FTE (from the current 0.7FTE) will exert extra pressure on beginning teachers (Buie, 2010), which is likely to impact the quality of teaching, as preparation time is restricted. With educational funding cuts to be expected where will inclusion in education be left? Who will be disadvantaged or marginalised from the education system? How will teachers professionalism be affected? The outcome to these questions can only be speculated until the inevitable funding cuts occur. CONCLUSION In review of the wide-spread research in inclusive education, the concept of inclusion is not a marginal add-on to education; it is fundamental to the formation and success of our education system. Inclusion does not exclusively focus on pupils with ASN but affects all learners. An inclusive school will promote an ethos and culture based on equity, entitlement, school community, participation, integration and respect for diversity. Inclusive teaching practice should aim to cater for the individual needs of all learners to enable them to reach their fullest potential. One of the on-going challenges surrounding inclusion is meeting the needs of all learners. With teacher time constraints and resources pushed to a maximum and disruptive behaviour an ongoing issue; it raises the question; will teachers and schools be able to support the needs of all learners? In times of austerity; inevitable budget cuts will put pressure on attaining inclusion in schools. Impending funding cuts to teachers CPD and an increase in probationary hours may risk the quality of teaching and most worryingly the health and safety of teachers? As a beginning teacher, the responsibilities of catering for the needs of all learners will be a challenge, especially when faced with other issues, such as disruptive behaviour, limited resources and an increase in probationary contact time. To manage the challenges surrounding inclusion, I will have to rely on guidance and support provided from colleagues, my professional development and limited school resources. WORD COUNT: 3,229 REFERENCE LIST: Barber, M. (1996) The Learning Game. London: Indigo. Bishop, A. and Swain, J. (2000) The Bread, The Jam and Some Coffee in The Morning: Perceptions of a Nurture Group, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 5 (3), pp. 18-24 Booth, T. and Ainscow, M. (1998) From them to Us An International Study of Inclusion in Education. London: Routledge. Chapter 1. Buie, E. (2010) Fears for teacher jobs as Glasgow threatens to break ranks on budget. Retrieved 15 November, 2010 from TES: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6064294 Bunch, G. and Valeo, A. (2004) Student attitudes toward peers with disabilities in inclusive and special education schools. Disability Society. Vol. 19. No. 1. pp.61-76. Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (n.d) Inclusion Why? Retrieved 15 November, 2010 from the CSIR: http://www.csie.org.uk/inclusion/why.shtml Cigman, R. (2007) A Question of Universality: Inclusive Education and the Principle of Respect, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 41 (4), pp. 775-793. Dyson, A., Farrell, P., Polat, F., and Hutcheson, G., and Gallannaugh, F. (2004) Inclusion and Pupil Achievement. Research Report RR578. ISBN 1 84478 319 7. Hamill, P. (2008) Challenging behaviour understanding and responding. A teachers guide from Primary to Secondary. Hodder Gibson. Hamill, P. and Boyd, B. (2000) Striving for inclusion. Glasgow: University of Strathclyde. Hamill, P. and Boyd, B. (2003) Inclusion: Principle into practice. Glasgow: University of Strathclyde. Hayden, C. (2000). Exclusion from school in England: the generation and maintenance of social exclusion. In: Walraven G, Parsons C, van Veen D and Day C (eds) (2000) Combating Social Exclusion through Education: Laissez-faire, Authoritarianism or Third Way? (pp. 69-82) Leuven: Garant Publishers EERA. HMIE (2002) Count Us In Achieving inclusion in Scottish schools. A report by HM Inspectorate of Education. ISBN 0 7 0 5 3 1 0 1 8 3. HMIE (2008) Inclusion Reference Manual. Internet Version 1: for SMG. Mackenzie, J. (2008) Disaffection from schooling. (pp. 763-782) In Bryce, T., G., K., and Humes, W., M. Scottish education, beyond devolution. (third edition). Edinburgh University Press. Mittler, P. (2000) Working towards inclusive education: social contexts. London: David Fulton. Learning Teaching Scotland (n.d.) Understanding the Curriculum for Excellence. Retrieved 15 November, 2010 from LTS: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/index.asp Oliver, M. (1995) Does special education have a role to play in the 21st century? in Thomas, G. and Vaughan, M. Inclusive Education Readings and Reflections. (pp. 111-117) Maidenhead: Open University Press. Paterson, L. (1992) social class in education. In S. Brown and S. Riddell (eds) (1992) Class, race and gender in school. A new agenda for policy and practice in Scottish education. Edinburgh Scottish Council for Research in Education. Rustemier, S. (2002) Social and Educational Justice The Human Rights Framework for Inclusion. Bristol: CSIE. Scottish Government (2003) National Priorities in Education Performance Report 2003. ISBN 0755908961. Edinburgh, Scottish Government. Scottish Government (2010a) Curriculum for Excellence Building the Curriculum 1 the Contribution of Curriculum Areas a Guide to Developing Professional Practice. ISBN: 978-0-7559-9630-8. Edinburgh, Scottish Government. Scottish Government (2010b) Curriculum for Excellence Building the Curriculum 3 A Framework for Learning and Teaching ISBN: 978-0-7559-5711-8. Edinburgh, Scottish Government. Scottish Government (2010c) School inclusion: additional support needs. High level summary of statistics. Retrieved 15 November, 2010 from the Scottish Government: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/TrendSpecialEducation Slee, Roger (2001) Inclusion in Practice: Does practice make perfect? Educational Review, Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 113-123. Wilson, John (2000) Doing justice to inclusion. European Journal of Special Needs Education, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 297-304.

Good Writing :: essays papers

Good Writing What is good writing and who writes well? In my college essay writing class we have looked at three famous writers from different ages who are considered to be good writers—Seneca the Younger (3-65 A.D.), Plutarch (46-120 A.D.), and Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592 A.D.). Although they are from different times and places, these writers mastered the art of good writing. Albeit they wrote about different things, there are three aspects of their writings that they all have in common--they write about a topic that will catch the interest of the reader, they write clearly, and they are concise. Writing about something that interests your reader is a very important attribute for a writer. In Seneca’s On Noise he wrote about something that everyone can relate to, that is noise. Everyone has dealt with noise that has distracted and annoyed them, so by writing about it Seneca piques the interest of the reader because they want to see how he deals with and what he has to say about the problem. Plutarch’s Consolation to His Wife is of interest to readers because of the intimacy involved between a husband and wife even when dealing with the subject of the death of a child. There is something voyeuristic by nature in human beings, so this story captures one’s interest. Montaigne’s Of a Monstrous Child interests the reader because of the bizarre deformity of the child. Like the interest in what everyone has in common and voyeurism, people are also curious and interested in oddities. To be a well-written piece, a writing must also be clearly and understandably written. Seneca, Plutarch, and Montaigne all write with very good grammar, using common words and thoughts to express themselves. In their works these three writers are able to get their points across in a very easy to read fashion. Anyone who has had to try to stumble through a poorly written piece appreciates a work that is clearly written in an understandable manner. An other â€Å"must† for a writer to be considered a good writer is that his or her work be concise. Writings that seem to ramble on endlessly are a bore and torturous to read. Our three writers make good use of the virtue brevity. Seneca wrote what noise he encountered, how he dealt with it, how he thought it should be dealt with, what he was going to do about it, and then ended.

Wall Mart of the Internet

From â€Å"Earth’s Biggest Bookstore† to â€Å"everything to everybody† to â€Å"Wall Mart of the Internet† to â€Å"World’s most customer-centric company†, Amazon has been tagged with these kinds of labels by its customers and followers. The reason for these many labels is because of the Amazon changing business model. Starting from Single-product and an intermediary with little inventory in 1995-1997 to Multi-product, profit-making, customer-oriented, investor, Services provider in 2000 Amazon has been changing its business model according to market conditions.One indication of a smart company is to continuously change its business model; it is an indication of smart company and ultimately the smart management team. It is also an indication that the company is learning and adopting itself to the external and internal environment. Amazon is the clear market leader for the largest US e-retailing categories of books, CDs and DVD movies. In var ious consumers’ polls, when respondents are asked for their experiences of e-shopping, Amazon â€Å"streaked ahead† of all others as the world’s favorite e-retailer.This means that Amazon is the undisputed favorite on considerations such as convenience, reliability and customer service. Amazon has achieved worldwide success and brand recognition due to paying attention to extensive offline advertising, which helped the company to become one of only three dot. com brands in the Interbrand world league table. It is an illustration of the power of branding that Amazon is the world’s top e-retailer. Before the dot. com downturn in the spring of 2000, the word â€Å"Internet† keyed into what seemed pervasive optimism for a new century.It meant youth, new possibilities and an opportunity to break with traditional business and create new rules. However, in 2000 things drastically changed as many e-commerce start-ups failed to return expected profits and w ent bankrupt. After this came valuable lessons across e-commerce, and evidence for incumbent retailers that factors such as having an established brand provide significant advantages in e-retail and play a part in customer loyalty and increased profit. Analysis of dot.com failures and comparison with traditional retailers in the same industry, for example eToys, which folded in 2000 and was subsequently bought by an established toy retailer, vs. Toys R Us, which successfully opened an e-retail channel through collaboration with Amazon, has revealed several advantages for the established retailer. Newcomers usually build their initial strategy on attracting new customers through aggressive marketing, brand-building and advertising, which logically lead to massive expenses and cash shortages.Amazon, however, has an existing customer base and can build on brand values that are already in place. Amazon’s marketing budgets allow the company to attempt new online projects or busine ss lines, unlike many start-ups. Founder of Amazon. com, J. Bezos rejected the traditional model for retailing. Having known that the usage of Internet is increasing every year with gigantic steps, – some resources report about 2000% usage increase annually, – Bezos decided that his retailing model should be intrinsically connected to Internet.While opening new physical retail outlets can expand the geographical reach of a business and add convenience for consumers, retailing online not only carries these benefits, but also offers further returns that are more specific to online trading. Bezos put books as Amazon’s core product, because they almost ideally correspond for the model of e-retailing. Low unit price, low risk cost, easy to pack and ship, and finally in a high and growing demand, books have become a perfect solution for Amazon’s model. Now books are by far the largest e-retailing category in the US.Research carried out by many companies illustr ates that about 65 per cent of the purchases made by Web shoppers in the US consisted of books. For newly created company, the Internet had global reach and provided the opportunity to trade internationally. For Bezos, Amazon’s broad benefits included the ability to trade 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and operate with lower overheads in terms of staff and space, while more particular advantages included the ability to increase the number of customer â€Å"touch points† and build more personalized customer experiences, products and relationships.However, again for J. Bezos these e-retail advantages did not imply that an online presence is a recipe in itself for success; that kind of thinking was tried and failed with the dot. com boom and bust. Instead, if there was any recipe for successful integration, Bezos found it in variants of established business practices, such as an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the business, for example in relation to technology awareness, which is a good indicator of e-commerce success.Amazon’s mission and strategy is quite simply â€Å"to offer Earth’s Biggest Selection and to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they may want to buy online and [we] endeavor to offer our customers the lowest possible price. † The company accomplishes this by operating six global internet sites: www. amazon. com, www. amazon. ca, www. amazon. de, www. amazon. jp, www. amazon. co. fr and www. amazon. co. uk.Through their zShops, auctions, affiliate program, [email  protected] and Amazon Marketplace programs, Amazon, and their sellers and partners, offer new and used collectibles and products in categories such as apparel and accessories, DVDs, electronics, computers, books, music, videos, cell phones, tools and hardware, the list is almost endless. In order to maintain quality, the company packages and ships all of its merchandis e. They also continue to negotiate volume deals with suppliers to meet their goal of lowering prices.Additionally, Amazon has formed partnerships and alliances with publishers, other on-line retailers, technology providers, either handling their web site operations or linking them to its virtual portal. As part of their diversification strategy, Amazon recently acquired Internet Movie Database www. imdb. com (IMDb), which is an authoritative source of information on movie and entertainment (Dennis et al, 2004). This acquisition is one of many Amazon is making expand its product and service offerings.The company is also preparing to sell internet domain names and already has received the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approval. In order to improve customer service the company is investing in operational facilities, like its multi-lingual customer service support center in the Netherlands, to meet its rapid growth, increase selection and meet future operat ional needs while building efficiencies. This strategy helps Amazon increase its low profit margin, decrease its operational cost, increase customer response and order processing services and pass that savings on to the customer.Amazon strives to provide customers with the best possible online shopping experience by leveraging their powerful and innovative technologies. Part of the company’s competitiveness lies in their proprietary technology, which is licensed to companies like Target to run their e-commerce site. Its patented portal technology allows the customer to customize their on-line experience with personalized home page, product recommendations, email notifications on orders and new products, the ability to post reviews, 1-click ordering, search functions, up selling, and secure shopping cart functions, to name a few.Furthermore, they use technology to drive customer relationships. As an example, the company uses pop up daughter windows to quiz customers about Amaz on. These pop up windows survey the customer about Amazon related facts and in return the customer can get up to . 25 cents a day put in their account for answering questions. Building on this use of technology the company recently received patent approval and plans to add a chat function to enhance the customer experience and help consumers find products through each other.Through its Web Services development and affiliate program it encourages web site owners and developers to create applications capable of interacting with Amazon’s catalog, search engine, shopping cart and merchandising tools. In an effort to remain competitive and preempt new technology Amazon has an ongoing program to develop, update and add software and hardware including partnerships like it’s recently inked deal with Google. com. This will allow them to avoid service disruptions; slow response times, poor levels of customer service, and delays in information delivery.Amazon uses its proprietary technology to transform the online purchasing experience into the easiest and most enjoyable shopping experience online. The site communicates to the customer a visual feel of being in a one stop shop where they can find and purchase virtually anything they want. The site loads quickly, is easily navigated, allows the customer to instantly see an array of products, and provides a host of other customer driven enhancements designed to drive customer satisfaction. Amazon’s site conveys to the customers they can have it their way, all day.And by placing its image on everything it touches Amazon continually reinforces its brand, making it one of the most recognized customer-centric brands in the world. For the first time in year 2000, Amazon management has set its focus on making profit. Again, it is an indication of nothing but smart, opportunistic management that utilized its strength to grow. It is very clear that Amazon management team is very focused. In order to meets its future targets, Amazon has implemented a restructuring plan.It will allow Amazon to reduce operating costs, reduce employee staff, and strengthen some of its fulfillment and customer service operations. According to the quarterly report released by amazon. com for quarter ended September 30, 2004 â€Å"There has been a steep decline in operating costs† (Amazon, Quarterly results, 2004). This has improved the performance of the company. Since its beginning, Amazon has adopted various e-Business model to increase its customer base and recently set its focus on making profit. Given below are the strategies adopted by Amazon.Amazon has a track recording of first gaining expertise in the market and then scaling into other areas. For example, Amazon started with a web-based bookstore model and after gaining expertise in various operations expanded to other segments and geographies. Another example is, after capturing the US market; it expanded its business to Europe, namely the U. K, France and Germany and then to Japan. One advantage of this approach is that the incremental costs to expand the business, whether to multiple product line or geographically are small.This strategy of perfecting before scaling helps in long-term survival and growth of the company. Since its beginning, Amazon has always kept focus on the needs of its customer and never lost sight of it. This gives Amazon a strong foothold of the internet retail business. Playing on this customer strength, Amazon has struck deals with industry leaders retailers Toysrus. com, Borders, Drugstore. com, and Target to help them draw customers to their Web sites, thereby giving birth to its services segment. Amazon is playing on its strength here and in the process creating a place for itself as a provider of e-tail services.Under Amazon’s cooperative model, the partners do not compete with each other and try to lessen each other risks. This cooperation represents a symbiotic relationship, where t he two partners do what they do best while depending on each other to eliminate respective weaknesses. On August 10 2000, Amazon and Toyrus announced a strategic alliance. According to the press release by Amazon â€Å"The two companies have entered into a strategic alliance under which each company will assume responsibility for specific aspects of the toy and video games and baby products stores.Toysrus. com, in collaboration with its majority shareholder, Toys â€Å"R† Us, Inc. , will identify, buy and manage inventory; Amazon. com will handle site development, order fulfillment, and customer service, housing both Toysrus. com's and its own inventory in Amazon. com’s U. S. distribution centers† (Dennis et al. , 2004:118). This alliance helped Amazon in eliminating its inventory risk, as it does not have to purchase or store any toys until the customer have ordered and paid for the goods. Under Amazon’s coopetitive model the two parties act as provider and customer.Both the parties compete with each other but one party tries to lessen other risks and in return gets the share of others business. On Apr 11, 2001 Amazon and Border announced strategic alliance. According to the press release by Amazon on Apr 11, 2001, â€Å"Amazon. com will be the seller of record, providing inventory, fulfillment, site content and customer service for the co-branded site. The new site will continue to offer content unique to Borders. com, including store location information and in-store event calendars† (Prior, 20001:6).In this case Amazon will continue to sell books on its own, but will also provide services to Border. In return Amazon will get a share of every sale by Border. According to an article on Informit. com â€Å"The Click and Brick model allows an existing offline business to profit from partnering with an emerging online presence†. [5] In this regard, Amazon has struck a deal with electronic retailer Circuit city. This wil l give the customer, the advantages of picking up their purchases from hundreds of stores rather then paying for shipment charges.Amazon will receive a share of the revenues for all Circuit City electronics goods sold through Amazon. Amazon will be responsible for processing the transaction while Circuit City will be responsible for order fulfillment and product-related customer service. In all these cases, Amazon is extending its channel expertise in Web retailing to â€Å"e-nable† other retailers. With a full year’s experienced retailers under its belt, Amazon is set to scale the service model. The Borders and Circuit City deals are important steps in that direction.The coopetitive model is converting Amazon into a â€Å"product-less platform provider†, directly impacting its bottom line, with no inventory costs. The business model adopted by Amazon has given it a boost in its online business. By making strategic alliances with the industry leader and making t he life of customer has made Amazon a profit making company. According to 2004, financial results Amazons’ â€Å"Operating cash flow was $567 million for 2004, compared with $392 million for 2003. Free cash flow grew 38% to $477 million for 2004, compared with $346 million for 2003.Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards outstanding totaled 434 million at December 31, 2004, compared with 433 million a year ago. Net sales were $2. 54 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $1. 95 billion in fourth quarter 2003, an increase of 31%. Net sales, excluding the $85 million benefit from changes in foreign exchange rates, grew 26% compared with fourth quarter 2003† (Amazon, 2005). Amazon business model has steadily evolved and over the years the large retailers have realized the importance of Business-to-consumer e-commerce.In contemporary context, along with other e-commerce companies Amazon experiences several problems. Financial and marketing analytics indicate that due to increased online competition, Amazon is gradually loosing its market share. Experts and investors indicate that Amazon’s technology and content costs soared 59% in the quarter, while the company keeps spending heavily on marketing campaigns, free-shipping promotions and other marketing activities to attract customers to shop regularly on its site.It is not surprising that Amazon is spending estimated 60 percent of their revenue on numerous marketing activities and building an appropriate brand image. Amazon’s brand allows company to be known, distinct, and credible in the minds of existent and potential customers, consumers, and stakeholders. Amazon’s brand facilitate the building of relationships with existing and potential customers, consumers, and stakeholders. In addition, company’s brand communicates the benefits offered to buyers and stakeholders that embody the value system of the company.Due to increased online comp etition, the brand image strategy utilized by Amazon is justified because it helps to retain existing customers and to attract new ones, gradually making them returning. For every business, particularly online e-retailing, good customers’ returning rate is an indication of a healthy business. That’s why Amazon should pursue this aggressive marketing and branding strategy to keep its customers. Many analysts discuss merger opportunities for Amazon. The merger will help Amazon. com expand the market share in E-commerce and create a new passageway.For instance, Amazon. com can merge with Wal-Mart, which has $26 billion market value and only $756 million debt. Now Wal-Mart is interested in E-commerce and online shopping. If Amazon. com merges with Wal-Mart, they will become the largest retail company in E-commerce. Amazon. com will also increase its market share. In addition, after the merger, Amazon. com can gain more marketing resources from Wal-Mart to create a new sale s passageway. For instance, customers can purchase the products from Amazon. com on the Internet and pick the items, or return them at Wal-Mart.It will provide additional choose for customers. The merger may help Amazon to create new customers and products. Bertelsmann has $14 billion market value and the company’s strategy now is focusing on music retailing and book sales. Their business is related to Amazon’s business. The CEO of Bertelsmann is also trying to open their business in American market (Brynjolfsson & Urban, 2001). If Amazon. com merges with this company, it will gain the new customers from Bertelsmann. Furthermore, integrating the products from Bertelsmann, Amazon.com can create new products on their website. Finally, a merger can improve and cover the financial loss of Amazon such as net sales loss, long-dept and cash loss. For instance, if Amazon merges with General Growth Properties, which has 136 malls in 37 states and owns $2. 8 billion market value , Amazon. com can still keep the power of operation and exercise the new marketing strategies (Brynjolfsson & Urban, 2001). Moreover, Amazon. com can gain the financial support from this company to cover its long-debt $2 billion. In addition, the merger will help Amazon.com increase the financial resources such as the amount of cash flow, and also decrease the cost and expense of the company. Another future prospect is to invent a new E-business strategy. E-commerce is one way that people can trade on the Internet. This trading system is very important, but it is not the only thing that the e-commerce enterprises should focus on. Amazon. com is a giant in E-commerce and the company uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to trade, but Amazon cannot make profits even though the company has very strong technological support.Some specialists point out that communication, resources allocation, and project management guarantees success in E-commerce. Effective communication, which can improve bu siness performance, is one of the objectives that Amazon. com should fulfill. Effective communication includes two aspects: internal and external. First of all, internal communication emphasizes negotiation. Necessary and correct information must be communicated precisely between the employees or the departments. Secondly, external communication emphasizes on empowerment and good timing.For instance, Customer Services is a department that helps customers to solve problems. They have to communicate with the customers and understand what the customers want and need, and then report to the departments or the board. If the customer service department has the power to react immediately from the problems of customers and has good communication and relationship with the customers, it will create more business opportunities for Amazon. com. The second key that helps industry to succeed in E-commerce is resources allocation. There are various resources in the enterprises such as human resour ces and customer resources.First of all, concerning human resources, Amazon. com should understand employees’ particularities and arrange them in appropriate positions. If the employees are set in the right positions, the company should become more efficient. Secondly, in regard to customer resources, Amazon should collect information, such as suggestion, complaint or demand from the customers and then try to improve their products or services to provide better services to the customers. If the services satisfy the customers, Amazon will create more and more opportunities and new customers in the near future.For example, new outsourcing strategies should be used to collect focus group to survey customers’ opinions. The third key that may become helpful for Amazon is project management. A successful E-commerce enterprise should focus on project management. Project management emphasizes teamwork (Epstein, 2004). There are many teams in the company and each team has its d ifferent project and goal. Each team also has its power to make the decision. The responsibility of the team is to achieve the product. The responsibility of the enterprise is to manage the teams and make sure that the projects can be finished effectively.Distributing the limited resources to different teams and projects is the great challenge to the project management. The best way to overcome this challenge is to emphasize effective communication and negotiation Amazon. com is now considered as the world’s largest e-retailer of books, CDs and DVDs. The Amazon’s web portal is user-friendly, enabling e-Shoppers to find books quickly by title, author or subject. Users can find their title in seconds from a few keywords. Synopses and contents lists are provided, along with a list of other relevant books.Amazon keeps a record of customers’ preferences and advises when new books likely to be of interest are published. During many years, Amazon is renowned for custom er service, security and fast delivery. However, in current business context, the company is loosing market share, though is still well-recognized leader in online industry. The company keeps heavily investing in its brand through aggressive online and offline marking, building appropriate brand awareness among its current and potential clients. References Amazon, Inc. (2004). Quarterly results, Available at < http://media. corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/97/97664/reports/91338ACL. pdf> Amazon, Inc. (2005). Press release Q4 Financial Results, Available at < http://media. corporate-ir. net/media_files/irol/97/97664/news/Release_Q4_04. pdf> Retrieved June 5, 2006 Dennis C. , Fenech T. , Merrilees B. (2004). E-Retailing, Routledge, London Brynjolfsson E. and Urban G. (2001). Strategies for E-Business Success, Jossey-Bass Epstein M. (2004). Implementing E-Commerce Strategies: A Guide to Corporate Success after the Dot. Com Bust, Praeger Prior, M. (2001). â€Å"Amazon to Operate Borde rs. com. † DSN Retailing Today, May 1, 40(9): 6.

Corporations today Essay

In the United States today there are millions of corporations in many different industries. All of them must abide by the current taxation rules and regulations that have been set by IRS and congress. The Internal Revenue Code, which was originally founded in 1939, set the foundation for the codification that we have in place today. The code arranged all Federal Tax provisions in a logical order and placed them in a separate part of the federal status. Over the years, congress has updated and amended the tax code in 1954, in 1986 Tax Reform Act, and is constantly updating the code due to its importance in assessing judicial and administrative decisions. The arrangement of the code is broken down starting with a Subtitle, broken down into chapter, subchapter, part, and then section (2). It is extremely important for Corporations today to make sure they understand the tax code so they can be aware of the benefits and consequences that may arise in daily business transactions. Asset and property transactions are a large of certain corporations day-to-day operations. Normally property and asset transactions will produce tax consequences if a gain or loss is realized. A transfer of property to a corporation in exchange for equity creates the grounds for a taxable sale and the amount to be recognized but there are exceptions to the rule (4). The code does provide exceptions to the rule and allows ways around recognizing a gain or loss upon the transfer of property to a corporation. Section 351(a) is one exception to the rule. The general rule states, â€Å"No gain or loss shall be recognized if property is transferred to a corporation by one or more persons solely in exchange for stock in such corporation and immediately after the exchange such person or persons are in control (as defined in section 368(c)) of the corporation†, according the internal revenue code (1). The idea and principal behind the rule is based on the transfer of property and isn’t a closed transaction because a transferor has not cashed in the position in the transferred property. Instead, the person continues to own the transferred property throughout ownership of the transferee corporation stock and there has just been a change in the form of ownership. Congress believes that tax rules should not hinder firms from making business decisions, hence why section 351 was written (10). In order for section 351 to be used and applied there are 3 items that must be met for the transaction to be considered for the non- recognition treatment. The first requirement is that there must be a transfer of â€Å"property† to a corporation. It is very important that corporations understand the definition of property because in the past issues have arose. Plant, Property, Equipment, installment obligations, and unrealized receivables of cash basis are all considered as property. The main property exclusion in the code is that services are not considered as property (6)(11). Another requirement is that the transferors must receive common or preferred stock that is not qualified preferred stock of the transferee corporation. Non-qualified preferred stock is not permitted because it has similarities to debt instruments. Stock warrants and stock rights are also excluded and would be treated as boot (7)(11). The third requirement that must be met in order for a corporation to use section 351 is that once the transfer is complete, the transferors must be in control of the transferee corporation within the meaning of section 368(c). Control means that the people involved must own a minimum of 80 percent of the total combined voting power and numbers of shares of stock. The two criteria for control both must be satisfied as per Rev. Ruling 59-259. Section 351 is a mandatory transaction if a transaction meets the provisions requirements as per Gus Russell, Inc. v. Commissioner, 36 T.C. 965 (1961)(8). If and when all of the section 351(a) requirements are met, the transferor will not recognize a gain or loss on the transfer property to the corporation. During the transaction, if the transferor receives boot, section 351(b) requires them to recognize the gain (capital, long-term, or short-term) equal to the lessor of the gain that would be recognized under section 1001 if the transferor were treated as selling property transferred and the fair market value of the boot received. Under section 351(b)(2), no such loss of any realized loss to be recognized (4)(8). There are situations where once the 351(a) factors are met, a transferor will transfer stock received to someone outside of the control group, and then the requirement after might not be met. A transferor might distribute some of the control received to the shareholders after the requirement based on 351(c). This type of distribution can be taxable to both the shareholders and the distributing corporation. Section 351(c) also relates to situations where there has been a transfer of stock to a corporation in a section 355 transactions (7). Section 351(c)(2) allows shareholders to dispose of all or part of the transfers stock without preventing the corporations Section 351 transaction from satisfying the â€Å" control immediate after† requirement (4). Section 351(d) states that there are times when services, certain indebtedness, and accrued interest not treated as property as per James v. Commissioner, 53 T.C. 63 (1969); cf. Hospital Corporation of America v. Commissioner, 81 T.C. 520 (1983). An example of this would be receiving stock for legal services (11). Even though there are major benefits to meeting the requirements of section 351, one of them being the ability to permit shareholders of a corporation to defer recognition of a gain or loss on the transfer of assets to the corporation, there are also times that it will be advantageous for a corporation to avoid using Section 351 for tax planning purposes (9). A transferor might want to be able to recognize the gain if it will not negatively affect them. If a transferor is in a low tax bracket or the gain could be a beneficial capital gain that could be offset with capital losses, they might not want to use section 351. Another scenario where it could be an advantage not to use section 351 would be if the transferor wanted to allow for immediate loss recognition. There are alternatives for a transferor who would like to recognize the loss (3). Back in March of 2005, the IRS and treasury department proposed a â€Å"net value† regulation to address the application of several non-recognition provisions to the code. The idea behind the proposal was to add the concept of â€Å"exchange of net value† requirement to Sections 332, 351, and 368(6). The reason being that a â€Å"net value† is appropriate because a transfer of property in exchange for the assumption of liabilities resembles a sale and should not be afforded. For the purposes of section 351, stock would not be treated as issued property unless the fair market value of the assets of the transferor corporation exceeds the amount of its liability immediately after the transfer (5). In conclusion, corporations need to make sure that they understand the tax codes and regulations that are set in place by the internal revenue code. Section 351 is a very interesting section and should be used in tax planning with corporations that are involved with property and asset transactions will that will produce tax consequences if a gain or loss is realized (2). In order for a corporation to use the section, all three preliminary requirements must be met. Just like any code section there are advantages and disadvantages of meeting the requirements and applying the code section to a corporation. Going forward it will be interesting to see if there will be any changes or amendments in the near future based on new court rulings. Works Cited Page (1) 26 USC Treas. Reg.  § 1.351 (2) Hoffman, Raabe, Smith, and Maloney. Corporations, Partnerships, Estates and Trusts. N.p.: South-Western, 2012. Print. (3) Richardson, William M. â€Å"Opportunities and Pitfalls Under Sections 351 and 721.† Opportunities and Pitfalls Under Sections 351 and 721. Willam and Mary, n.d. Web. (4) â€Å"Internal Revenue Code Section 351.† Www.bradfordtaxinstitute.com/Endnotes/IRC_Section_351.pdf. Bradford Tax Institute, n.d. Web. (5) Silverman, and Johnson. â€Å"Assessing the Value of the Proposed â€Å"No Net Value† Regulations.† Steptoe and Johnson LLP, 6 Oct. 2006. Web. (6) Jegen. â€Å"Section F-2033 – Income Taxation Of Corporations And Shareholders – Income Tax Effects.† Www.iupui.edu/†¦Tax/F-2033-EH.C&S.Tax.Effs.Of.Incorp.Pro.pdf. N.p., n.d. Web. (7) Leong, Lisa. â€Å"Section 351.–Transfer to Corporation Controlled by Transferor.† Associate Chief Counsel, n.d. Web. (8) Wells -Hall, C. â€Å"Tax Considerations of Transfers to and Distributions from the C or S Corporation.† Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw LLP, n.d. Web. (9) M&A Tax Report. â€Å"Thinking the Unthinkable: Recognizing Gain on a 351 Transfer.† Panel Publishers, n.d. Web. (10) â€Å"Corporate Formation.† Ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of†¦/15†¦/session11.pdf. N.p., n.d. (11) â€Å"Code of Federal Regulations.† Http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2005-title26-vol4/xml/CFR-2005-title26-vol4-sec1-351-1.xml. Title 26 – Internal Revenue. CHAPTER I, n.d. Web.

Take this quiz to find out what your most dominant work trait

Take this quiz to find out what your most dominant work trait You have several traits that are excellent for work; such as being hardworking, dedicated, loyal†¦ The list goes on and on. But have you ever wondered what your most dominate trait in work is? It’s so hard to just pick one that’s why this quiz is perfect for helping you decide.  Source [Playbuzz]

Free Essays on Freemarkets Case Analysis

Individual Case Analysis FREEMARKETS, Inc. Electronic Commerce Contents I. Introduction II. Description of the Company III. Description of the Industry IV. Description of FreeMarkets Auctions V. Analysis of Porter’s Five Forces VI. STEEP and SWOT Analysis VII. Business Model VIII. Target Markets IX. Company Core Competencies X. Company and Industry Financial Information XI. Key Company Challenges XII. Problem Statement XIII. Strategies and Recommended Actions XIV. Summary XV. References INTRODUCTION Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has traditionally been separated into two main categories: Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C). B2B e-commerce is broadly defined as sales of goods and services between firms, transacted over the Internet. B2B e-commerce is by far the largest segment of the Internet economy, accounting for 92% of all electronic commerce worldwide and $450 billion of economic activity in the U.S. last year. B2B E-commerce is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 61% and by 2004 will account for 25% of national GDP. The success of e-commerce generally – and B2B e-commerce in particular – stems from its ability to make markets more efficient in an economic sense. B2B has been successful in creating more efficient markets by reducing market risks caused by informational asymmetries and by adding more liquidity to markets. Added liquidity is a result of an electronic market’s ability to aggregate buyers and sellers at a very low cost, especially when they are spread out across a large geographic area. A more liquid market tends to drive prices closer to cost, which in turn forces sellers and producers to become more efficient. For example, a firm’s procurement department can use B2B exchanges to instantaneously receive and compare price quotes from hundreds or even thousands of potential suppliers. ... Free Essays on Freemarkets Case Analysis Free Essays on Freemarkets Case Analysis Individual Case Analysis FREEMARKETS, Inc. Electronic Commerce Contents I. Introduction II. Description of the Company III. Description of the Industry IV. Description of FreeMarkets Auctions V. Analysis of Porter’s Five Forces VI. STEEP and SWOT Analysis VII. Business Model VIII. Target Markets IX. Company Core Competencies X. Company and Industry Financial Information XI. Key Company Challenges XII. Problem Statement XIII. Strategies and Recommended Actions XIV. Summary XV. References INTRODUCTION Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has traditionally been separated into two main categories: Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C). B2B e-commerce is broadly defined as sales of goods and services between firms, transacted over the Internet. B2B e-commerce is by far the largest segment of the Internet economy, accounting for 92% of all electronic commerce worldwide and $450 billion of economic activity in the U.S. last year. B2B E-commerce is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 61% and by 2004 will account for 25% of national GDP. The success of e-commerce generally – and B2B e-commerce in particular – stems from its ability to make markets more efficient in an economic sense. B2B has been successful in creating more efficient markets by reducing market risks caused by informational asymmetries and by adding more liquidity to markets. Added liquidity is a result of an electronic market’s ability to aggregate buyers and sellers at a very low cost, especially when they are spread out across a large geographic area. A more liquid market tends to drive prices closer to cost, which in turn forces sellers and producers to become more efficient. For example, a firm’s procurement department can use B2B exchanges to instantaneously receive and compare price quotes from hundreds or even thousands of potential suppliers. ...

Andrew Johnson Fast Facts - 17th President

Andrew Johnson Fast Facts - 17th President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) served as Americas seventeenth president. He took over after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was president through the early days of reconstruction at a time when emotions ran high. Due to disagreements with Congress and his staff, he was actually impeached in 1868. However, he was saved from being removed as president by one vote.   Here is a quick list of fast facts for Andrew Johnson. For more in depth information, you can also read the Andrew Johnson Biography Birth: December 29, 1808 Death: July 31, 1875 Term of Office: April 15, 1865 - March 3, 1869 Number of Terms Elected: Term - Finished out the term after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. First Lady: Eliza McCardle Andrew Johnson Quotes: Honest conviction is my courage; the Constitution is my guide. The goal to strive for is a poor government but a rich people. There are no good laws but such as repeal other laws. If the rabble were lopped off at one end and the aristocrats at the other, all would be well with the country. Slavery exists. It is black in the South, and white in the North. If I am shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet. Who, then, will govern? The answer must be, Man - for we have no angels in the shape of men, as yet, who are willing to take charge of our political affairs. Major Events While in Office: ReconstructionThirteenth Amendment Ratified (1865)Alaska Purchased (1867)Impeachment Proceedings (1868)Fourteenth Amendment Ratified (1868) States Entering Union While in Office: Nebraska (1867) Related Andrew Johnson Resources: These additional resources on Andrew Johnson can provide you with further information about the president and his times. Andrew Johnson BiographyTake a more in depth look at the Seventeenth president of the United States through this biography. Youll learn about his childhood, family, early career, and the major events of his administration. ReconstructionAs the Civil War ended, the government was left with the job of mending the horrendous rift that had torn the nation apart. The programs of reconstruction were efforts to help achieve this goal. Conspiracies Surrounding Abraham Lincolns AssassinationAbraham Lincolns assassination is rife with mystery. Was his death masterminded by Booth alone, by Jefferson Davis, by Secretary of War Stanton, or even by the Roman Catholic Church? Find out more about the conspiracies in this article. Chart of Presidents and Vice PresidentsThis informative chart gives quick reference information on the presidents, vice-presidents, their terms of office, and their political parties. Other Presidential Fast Facts: Abraham LincolnUlysses S GrantList of American Presidents

My Only Loving Idol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Only Loving Idol - Essay Example My father worked very hard, right after he finished college because he had no other option, but to work hard and to be successful, if he wanted to continue living in Beijing. Meanwhile, my father had to start everything from zero because his father did not have any money or suggestion to give to him. And this is obviously the gift for the elder generation. Although it could be risky and challenging, my father had never given up the opportunity to maintain his own business until today. He always tells me the story about his struggling process. From these stories, it is quite obvious that my father is proud of his efforts in life and his success. And fortunately, people were given a lot of opportunities to start their own business at that time, so as to overcome the negative impacts of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Chinese government promised a lot of encouragement to the people, which were designed to help them to start their own business. It is easy to see that people in that part icular generation had the spirit to be entrepreneurs. In my view, the attitude of hard work and frugality that was shaped by the phenomenon of Chinese Cultural Revolution is the main reason behind the creation of wealth in China, in my father’s generation. And this also explains why there was a lot of young Chinese people craving to start their own businesses. Working hard and working independently are the keywords for my father’s generation. Because my father grew up in a very poor family, he had nothing but himself.

What impact are technologies such as iPlayer, 4OD and You Tube having Essay

What impact are technologies such as iPlayer, 4OD and You Tube having on audiences and broadcasters - Essay Example The current scenario is as Negroponte surmised in the mid-nineties, â€Å"wholly new content will emerge from digital, as will new players, new economic models and a likely cottage industry of information and entertainment providers† (1995, p. 18). In the recent years, emergence of new technologies like the iPlayer, 4OD and You Tube along with the merging of various market forces have led to contention over the fact as whether traditional form of broadcasting would be soon obsolete, owing to widespread Internet use, or whether the audience would switch over and browse Internet primarily through their televisions. The industries that function within the arena of mass media and communications face persistent pressure in the form of ever-growing demands from their audiences, and they must necessarily conform and evolve in order to meet these demands and survive the stiff market competition. In order to retain their audience, the television industry adopted the process of converge nce with Internet, where it became possible for â€Å"multiplexing - the ability to offer ancillary digital streams of data, image sound and interactivity simultaneously† .... Discussion The introduction of modern technology in the arena of television industry during the late 1990s signalled a sort of abundance, when the number of channels being aired increased, while simultaneously expanding their worldwide purview, along with the addition of new storage and interactive faculties. The complete switch over to digital TV from the older analogue version started region wise in UK, from 2008 and is expected to end by 2012. Even though the changeover to digital version is nearly over, the switch over to a high-tech Smart TV (that converged TV with internet) until the end of 2011 was relatively low, where observations reveal that until recently only 12% of the British people had a Smart TV in their homes, a figure which is now progressively increasingly (Brilot, 2012). Within communications and mass media sector, television is the last segment to have received internet connection (Brilot, 2012). It was viewed that the chief successor to the traditional form of t elevision broadcasting services would be the internet-based video streaming sites that would offer a revolutionary mode of interactive sessions, along with personalised television programs (Harries, 2002, 219). Therefore, it was regarded that the online video streaming websites would turn out to be a main competitor for the traditional form of television broadcasting. However, recent reports show otherwise, where it is observed that traditional live TV viewing is still more popular amongst UK audience (more than 90% of the total population prefer ‘live’ TV viewing), than the modern technological developments, that include iPlayer, 4OD and You Tube viewing (Bairamian, 2010). Besides this, despite various sites that offer direct viewing of videos (like YouTube or iPlayer)

Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Economy - Essay Example This paper also argues that the global system of economic affairs is prone to repeated crises due to the nature of neoliberalism and capitalist forms of economic development throughout the globe, the following will explore the recent global economic crisis and compare it with the Great Depression of 1929. Accordingly, the current economic crisis shares many parallels with the economic crisis that occurred eighty years ago. This paper will look at the role of organizations such as the IMF in mitigating – although not hindering – the outbreak of the global economic crisis. The essay then concludes with an overview of the issues analysed (Harvey, 2007: 33-27). Planned capitalism, expressed through governmental economic intervention and the Bretton Woods Agreements of 1944, exploded during the 1970s. Bretton Woods, which established both the World Bank and the IMF, symbolised the supremacy of the United States in setting international monetary policy. Hobsbawm argues that these two international institutions were â€Å"de facto subordinated to US policy† (1994: 274). When the United States pulled out of the Bretton Woods monetary system in 1971 and allowed its currency to float in international markets, it caused a chain reaction with unexpected global ramifications. Currencies were devalued across the board and the United States, as well as its Western allies, was ill equipped to deal with the resulting oil embargo implemented by OPEC two years later. When OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, announced that it would no longer be shipping oil to countries that had supported Israel in its war with Egypt and Sy ria in 1973, it triggered an international calamity known as the Oil Crisis of 1973. The Yom Kippur War – as the war between Israel and the joint forces of Egypt and Syria in 1973 is now known – inadvertently led to a global economic crisis OPEC members

Business decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business decision making - Essay Example The study will also put into consideration the sales value of the organization and factors affecting sales by use of graphs. In addition, measure of performance of the organization will be of much concern and various methods will be used. Some of those methods include; mean, mode, median, standard deviation, Variance, correlation coefficient, rage and Net present value methods. 1.1) Primary data usually gives firsthand information about the target market. When coming up with a plan for the following should be considered; research method, contact methods, sampling plan and research techniques and instruments. These methods of collecting data differ from those of secondary methods. In primary research a clear plan of contacting people who will participate will be decided on. This may include the use of phone interviews online surveys and other mediums to find out customer preferences from prospect customers. The sampling plan will involve taking into consideration the size of the sample to be used. The research instruments will involve the use of questionnaires (Boswell, Boswell, and Cannon, 2014). The use of secondary data will involve using data that has been already documented. These data may be useful because a comparison of similar organization in the industry may be used in forecasting sales (Kothari, 2005). Collecting primary data has advantages over secondary data because they are fresh, precise and are related to the issue of concern. Secondary data may be outdated thus may give wrong projections, may contain errors, may not be easily accessible and might be of low quality (Mooi, and Sarstedt, 2011). 1.2) The sampling frame refers to the target group which researchers can use to make selections. It contains a comprehensive and updated list of the members of the population involved in the research. There are various methods which can be used for sampling. They can be classified into two main categories which includes

Digital forensic incident response Research Paper

Digital forensic incident response - Research Paper Example Digital forensic investigation is important for productive prosecution of the criminals who engage in digital crimes. It is also useful in recovery of misappropriated resources such as finances, important information and others. The investigators should therefore make sure that they obtain quality forensic evidence which the courts of law require in administering justice. As put forth by Selamat et.al (2008), digital forensic investigation is distinct from digital investigation in that the techniques and procedures that the investigator will use allow the output to be applied in a court of law. In this regard, the researcher ought to consider significant steps to carry out a successful forensic investigation. Our evidence is well hidden in images, codes, encrypted files, missing folders and files among others that need to be cracked so as to reveal the misappropriation. The investigator will collect information on: system sabotage; information related on attacks; hijacks on email; sensitive information; selective information on organized and unorganized crimes; cracking and hacking and other important information (International Journal of Advance Research, 2013). The fact that American Marketing Systems hav e suspected that there is something odd happening in the company provides the platform for investigation to verify the basis of these allegations, establish the culprits and reveal the procedures they are using to skim. In this paper, the investigator presents an extensive report of the existence of the skimming, the culprits and the procedure they use. The investigator will perform information analysis, network intrusion, examine malicious file. He will also use tools which have the ability to crack encrypted files and passwords. Most of forensic audit failure is as a result of lack of proper prior planning. Bearing this in mind, the investigator will spend quality time in planning on the devices which

Revitalization & Tradition and Continuity & Perseverance and Essay

Revitalization & Tradition and Continuity & Perseverance and Transmutation - Essay Example Most religion see rebirth as a full membership to the religion. Rebirth can be done in so many ways; the first way is through initiation. When one undergoes some traditional methods of initiation he is considered to be mature and so moves from being a junior member of the religion to a senior member of the religion. By so doing the person is seen to have crossed the line from childhood to maturity and can do a lot of things including marriage. Some religions also baptize their members through fire and some through water and others through different methods. When this is done then the new member is now considered to be reborn and to have changed from the old self to the new self (OlupoÃŒ £na, 1991). A lot of traditions are still practiced by the modern African religions. Traditional activities such as circumcision that used to be done as an initiation process in the past are today done by the modern African religious sects as a religious activity and not as a traditional activity. Other activities such as worshiping objects have been turned into a religious practice whereas the same activities were done in the past as a cultural activity. Many activities that were done in the past as cultural activities have been replaced as religious activities. This shows that the African religion is in a way trying to preserve the traditional African culture by making them look as if the activities are religious. This is mainly done to make people to accept the culture and not consider the activities to be primitive as is always the case with most traditional African cultures (OlupoÃŒ £na, 1991). In most African traditional myths, death and suffering is as a result of sin that was caused by human disobedience. To them suffering is for all men and will only stop to the good people, the people who do good while they are still alive. When these people die they will be transformed into other people who will suffer no more. However to all those

Digital forensic incident response Research Paper

Digital forensic incident response - Research Paper Example Digital forensic investigation is important for productive prosecution of the criminals who engage in digital crimes. It is also useful in recovery of misappropriated resources such as finances, important information and others. The investigators should therefore make sure that they obtain quality forensic evidence which the courts of law require in administering justice. As put forth by Selamat et.al (2008), digital forensic investigation is distinct from digital investigation in that the techniques and procedures that the investigator will use allow the output to be applied in a court of law. In this regard, the researcher ought to consider significant steps to carry out a successful forensic investigation. Our evidence is well hidden in images, codes, encrypted files, missing folders and files among others that need to be cracked so as to reveal the misappropriation. The investigator will collect information on: system sabotage; information related on attacks; hijacks on email; sensitive information; selective information on organized and unorganized crimes; cracking and hacking and other important information (International Journal of Advance Research, 2013). The fact that American Marketing Systems hav e suspected that there is something odd happening in the company provides the platform for investigation to verify the basis of these allegations, establish the culprits and reveal the procedures they are using to skim. In this paper, the investigator presents an extensive report of the existence of the skimming, the culprits and the procedure they use. The investigator will perform information analysis, network intrusion, examine malicious file. He will also use tools which have the ability to crack encrypted files and passwords. Most of forensic audit failure is as a result of lack of proper prior planning. Bearing this in mind, the investigator will spend quality time in planning on the devices which

Video performance viewing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Video performance viewing - Essay Example The movement of the dancers can be seen to reflect this mood, especially through my favorite dance move during the ‘Jellicle’ Song. My favorite dance move would be the one, where majority of the cats come rushing into the foreground from the background, that is of an elevated platform, while some cats still remain on that platform. The sudden movement is the exact of a cat, which has spotted a ball of yarn and is eager to play with it, and the dance movements that follow, such as the twirl and arm movements, exactly give the feeling of a cat extending its paws to tap the ball of yarn. Here, the performers are seen to use the maximum space in stage, as they cover up the foreground as well as the background. The characters have been well developed and portrayed, not only do they have great costumes, but they have been able to capture the essence of domestic felines to the best extent. The various dance moves, such as the short leaps represent the movement of real cats, such as when they pounce on their preys etc, thus communicating feelings of victory, happiness etc. Therefore, it becomes clear how dance is used to express or communicate feelings and thoughts through theatre, and moreover, the music or scores are seen to strengthen the portrayal of these thoughts and feelings, thus helping the audience to better grasp the storyline as well as the major

Synthesis of CNTs From Hydrocarbons Resources by CCVD

Synthesis of CNTs From Hydrocarbons Resources by CCVD 1. Introduction Carbon nanotube is one of the most promising candidates of nanomaterials which own wonderful mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. With one hundred times the steel’s tensile strength, thermal conductivity better than all materials except the purest diamond, and electrical conductivity contact to the copper with ballistic transport of electrons present the ability to carry much higher currents without heat generation. Carbon nanotube can be categorize to single-walled carbon nanotube and multi- walled carbon nanotubes, when SWCNT has one rolled layer of graphene sheet to form cylindrical shape, MWCNT consist of multiple cylindrical rolled graphene sheets (Fig. 1). General carbon nanotube synthesis methods are Arc discharge, laser ablation, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, CVD is the most convenient method to grow all kinds of CNTs and the best choice to produce large amount of CNTs at relatively low cost and with mild growth conditions. The use of hydroca rbon resources for the production of high-value chemical and materials such as carbon nanotubes obtain obvious impact of sustainable development. In this direction, several research groups have explored the use of hydrocarbons as a carbon sources for CNTs synthesis. 2. Synthesis of CNTs by Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Recently, Catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) is the most familiar technique to grow all kind of CNTs. Several motives can explain this favoring. Firstly, consider the technical operation it is easy to perform the reaction between a catalyst and a carbon precursor; it only requires an oven designed with a tubular reactor such as quartz tube, and a few of gas flow controllers in order to feed the require gases. Secondly, a numerous of parameters can be contrasted and investigated from the scientists, not only during the catalyst treatment but also the CNTs growth, which influence the quality, purity, and yield of the CNTs. The mainly vital parameters for CNTs synthesis by CCVD technique is the temperature. In CCVD, energy is donated to hydrocarbons to break them into reactive radical objects in the temperature range approximately from 500-900Â °C, sometimes more. These reactive species diffuse down to a catalyst surface where they remain bonded. As a result, CNTs are formed. T he commonly used energy source is resistive heating. Generally, there are two processing system patterns for CCVD to synthesis CNTs are horizontal and vertical system. In this literature we will demonstrate a usual horizontal system due to it is far reaching for most scientists. I horizontal system there are two techniques for utilization floating and fixed-bed catalyst technique, displays in Fig. 2. Floating catalyst mainly apply when a mixture of reactants and catalyst are present in the gas phase in the reactor at a promoted temperature during CCVD process. The catalyst in the gas phase experience transformation cause by the redox gases and or the elevated temperature and form solid phase nano particles where the CCVD reaction occurs. This method enclose on obstacle in preventing the nano particles and reactants from coalescence which is when the solid catalyst nanoparticles hold on the reactor surfaces, they could have adequate residence time for CNTs growing. In other words, any unreacted gas precursor and solid catalyst nanoparti cles which they have not capable to react and holds on the reactor surfaces at adequately elevated temperatures are swept away from reactor with the carrier gases and unused reactants. Therefore, the result practically will reduce the productivity and process efficiency. In the fixed bed process, the catalyst which is in the solid phase is set in boats and places inside the reactor then the reactant with carrier which they are in the gas phase are introduced at an elevated temperature where the reaction takes place in CCVD. The efficiency and productivity of CNTs growth in this system are limited by heterogeneous contact between the gas and solid reactant and ascent of the reactor gradients temperature. Because of increase growing nanotubes it cover the catalyst nanoparticles surfaces, the diffusion of carbon precursor to the catalyst nanoparticles will decrease. Therefore, the effectiveness of the catalyst nanoparticles surfaces will reduce. 2.1. Catalyst Catalysts play an essential role for synthesis of CNTs in the CCVD and hence enhance the suitable characteristics of desired catalyst will be improved the attained CNTs quality and process yield as well. Transition metals in the figure of nanoparticles such as Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni) and their alloys have been specified as the most effective catalysts for CNTs synthesis. These catalysts can Growth CNTs in three steps according to Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) mechanism: Firstly, a gas precursor produces carbons which adsorb and dissociate on the surface of the catalyst particles to form elementary carbon atoms. Secondly, the carbon atoms dissolve in the bulk of the nanoparticles to form liquid metastable carbide and diffuse within the particles. Finally, solid carbons precipitate at the rear side of the nanoparticles to form carbon nanotubes. Solid organometallocenes such as nickelocene, cobaltocene, and ferrocene are extensively used as a catalyst for utilizing CNTs, because they deliver solid metal nanoparticles which effectively catalyze the hydrocarbons decomposition. Experimentally, the catalyst particle size is in charge of CNTs diameter. Figure 3 (c) summarize that catalyst particle diameter plays a significant role for determining the structure the utilized nano carbon. Catalyst nano particles with 1 nm diameter mainly utilized SWCNTs [ ], while MWCNTs are utilized from catalyst nanoparticles with diameter 0f 10 – 50 nm as well as the number of MWCNTs layers increased with the particles diameter. In other hand, another nano carbon structure named nano-onion utilized when catalyst nanoparticles with diameter exceed 50 nm. Attaining hydrocarbons decomposition on the catalyst surface unaccompanied and preventing the aerial decomposition is the Key of obtain pure CNTs. Furthermore, alloys have been proven to gain higher catalytic activity comparing with pure metals. Despite considering the Fe, Co, and Ni metals nanoparticles the effective catalyst for CNTs synthesis, other metals such as Cu, Au, Ag, Pd, and pt as well were discovered to be catalysts for CNTs growth from a variety of hydrocarbons. Therefore, this is unlocked field of research to utilize different CNTs technique with variety hydrocarbons by adjusting temperature and pressure. 2.2. Hydrocarbons decomposition and Thermodynamics In order to understand the reaction in the CCVD, the main aspect which should be taken in our consideration is thermodynamics. The reaction fulfill to the creation of solid carbon nanotubes have be thermodynamically usefulness under the selected temperature and pressure conditions. Gibbs free energy (ΔG) is the key for extraction this information. In the term of the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons ΔG depends on the reactivity of the hydrocarbon for example; whereas methane’s decomposition is thermodynamically preferable above 600 Â °C because it is the most stable hydrocarbon molecule, ΔG for ethylene, acetylene or benzene is already negative at 200 Â °C figure 3a). The expert found that CNTs are frequently synthesized by CCVD using methane precursor at temperature of above 850 Â °C due to the slow reaction rate, while CVD synthesis of CNTs using acetylene is often carried out at temperature of 500-750 Â °C and for ethylene is 650-850 Â °C. [ , , , ] High quality of SWCNTs is usually utilized by CO decomposition over metal nanoparticles, but this reaction is thermodynamically limited above 600 Â °C. Therefore, the reaction required high pressure about (10-30 bar) to substitute the equilibrium for growing feasible yields of SWCNTs. [ , , ] Magrez et al. established possibility of growing high quality of MWCNTs when added stoichiometric amounts of CO2 and C2H2 by CCVD at 400 Â °C[ ]. The solid carbon formation happens by oxidative dehydrogenation of acetylene as a substitute of dehydrogenation or pyrolysis. Thermodynamically, the reaction of CO2 addition is favorable. While numerous reaction paths are feasible, the solid carbon formation accompanying with CO and H2 is favored. It is quite clear now also possible to accomplish the attained knowledge to discover reaction conditions which gives the greatest solid carbon formation to obtain highest CNTs yield. Figure 3. Thermodynamic data calculated with the ChemKin database. a) Gibbs free energies of formation for various carbon precursors. The energies are normalized to the number of carbon atoms in the precursor and correspond to its pyrolysis. b) Gibbs free energies of typical reactions: CO disproportionation, water gas shift, oxidative dehydrogenation of acetylene, and pyrolysis of ethanol. The energies are normalized to the number of solid carbon atoms. 2.3. Carbon Precursor for Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition The carbon precursor plays an important role in the growth, characteristics and properties of CNTs, because of their own binding energy, type and role of reactive groups and thermodynamic properties. Concerning gaseous carbon precursors, the CNTs growth efficiency depends strongly on the concentration and reactivity of gas phase intermediates produced simultaneously with reactive radical species as a result of hydrocarbon pyrolysis. Therefore, it is expected that the most capable intermediates, which have the ability of physisorption or chemisorption on the catalyst surface to initiate CNTs growth, suppose to be produced in the gas phase. A comparison of produced CNT characterizations showed that there is a relationship between chemical structures of hydrocarbons and the CNTs formation [5,7,17,49,62,64,74–77]. Hernadi et al. [49] affirmed that unsaturated hydrocarbons have much higher yield and deposition rate than saturated gases. Besides, saturated hydrocarbon gases manage t o produce highly graphitized filaments with fewer walls compared to unsaturated gases. Consequently, they suggested that saturated hydrocarbons are favored for SWCNTs growth and unsaturated hydrocarbons for MWCNTs. However, SWCNTs have been obtained from a highly diluted unsaturated hydrocarbon [10,19,23,38,40,47,75,76,78,79]. The growth of clean SWCNTs was observed at relatively low temperatures using alcohols with various catalysts [19,25,30,64,81–85]. The authors concluded that alcohols are much better carbon sources for SWNTs than hydrocarbons and this is likely due to the ability attributed to OH radicals to etch away amorphous carbon deposits. General experiences show that low temperature CVD about 600–900Â °C grow MWCNTs, while high temperature at 900–1200Â °C reaction favors utilizing SWCNTs. The results indicate that SWCNTs have a higher energy of formation due to small diameter and high curvature which tolerate the high strain energy. Therefore, SWCNTs grow from only selected hydrocarbons such as carbon monoxide, and methane which have an equitable stability at higher temperature, whereas common effective precursor for MWCNTs such as acetylene, benzene, and xylene are unstable at higher temperature which lead to deposit a large quantity of amorphous carbon. Hata et al. synthesized a highly efficient of impurity-free SWCNTs by water assisted ethylene on substrate in CVD method (Hata et al., 2004). It was reported that controllable rate of steam into the CVD reactor operated as mild oxidizer leads to selective remove of amorphous carbon without harmful the CNTs growth. Controlling relative rate of ethylene and water steam was essential to minimize catalyst’s poison. These studies ascertain prove that carbon precursors play an important part in CNTs growth. Thus, by accurate selection of carbon precursor and water vapor rate, not only the catalyst’s lifetime but also CNTs growth could be crucially maximized and therefore both quality and yield of CNTs could be improved. Hydrocarbons such as carbon monoxide, methane, ethylene, acetylene, benzene, and xylene are typically the most commonly used CNT precursors. Among the essentially experiences of synthesis CNTs by CVD technique are that MWCNTs ware grown from the decomposition of benzene at 1100Â °C [] and acetylene at 700Â °C []. Both of these reports were used iron nanoparticles as the catalyst. As well as, MWCNTs were also grown from many other hydrocarbon precursors including cyclohexane [] and fullerene []. As well as, MWNTs were utilized from supercritical toluene at 600 Â °C and using ferrocene as growth catalysts, the toluene serves not only as the carbon source for nanotube formation but also as the solvent. On the other hand, synthesis of high purity SWCNTs at low temperature was reported when Fe-Co supported on zeolite utilized as a catalyst in alcoholic CVD and since then, ethanol consider as the most common universal CNTs precursor in the CVD method. Particular aspect of ethanol for growing CNTs with nearly free from amorphous carbon due to the effect of OH radical which operate as the mild oxidizer. Afterward, vertically aligned SWCNTs were grown as well on Mo-Co supported on coated silicon substrate. Lately, the articles have been shown discontinuous supply rates of acetylene to ethanol CVD apparently assists ethanol to increase the catalytic activity and therefore enhances the CNTs growth rate. Apart from the well-defined chemical reagents described above, CNTs have also been successfully and systematically synthesized from domestic fuels such as kerosene (Pradhan et al., 2002), liquefied petroleum gas (Qian et al., 2002) and coal gas (Qiu et al., 2006).