Extended commentary of The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy Essay Example for Free

Extended commentary of The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy Essay On the Title: Hardy uses two interesting words: ‘convergence’ and ‘twain’. A convergence is a meeting of two paths, or entities – in this case, a collision! ‘Twain’ is an archaic word for ‘two’, i.e.; both the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg. Such a title immediately positions the reader to the direction in which the poem will go. Hardy is not, as many elegiac poems of the day were, preparing to mourn the loss of the ship and the lives upon it but rather proceeding to examine the philosophical nature of the collision; perhaps it was fated? The other current use of â€Å"twain† was in the pseudonym â€Å"Mark Twain,† made famous by the publication – initially in England – of â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† in 1886. Clems adopted the nom de plume to suggest â€Å"uncomfortable waters† or â€Å"tight navigation,† since two fathoms (â€Å"twain,† the sounding of a Mississippi deck-hand measuring the depth beneath the keel) would be dangerous for a steamboat. Background Information: The ocean liner ‘RMS Titanic’ famously sank, at two o’clock in the morning, upon the 15th April 1912. The disaster claimed 1,502 lives. Hardy was asked to write a poem to be read at a charity concert to raise funds in aid of the tragedy disaster fund. It was first published as part of the souvenir program for that event. Overall Structure: Hardy writes eleven regular triplet stanzas, with an AAA rhyme scheme throughout. The use of triplets allows for a more thorough exploration of ideas in each stanza; unified by the use of the rhyme scheme. Perhaps he also does this to create the effect of inevitability, for the rhymed words form their own paths coincident that lead to a preset conclusion – the reader knows, that is, with which sound each stanza will end after he or she has only read the first line of that stanza. However, that knowledge only appears are having read the first few stanzas or so, echoing the idea that knowledge of those coincident paths of which the poem speaks is not always immediately discernible. Themes: The Vanity of Man, The Relationship between Man and Nature, Fate, Classical Entities. Difficult Language Notes: â€Å"The Immanent Will† – a force of fate. â€Å"Salamandrine† – associated with the salamander (a mythical creature) The poem runs in straight sets but I wish to divide in two for ease of analysis. ‘Part I’ exists from Stanzas I to VI, whilst ‘Part II’ takes the form of Stanzas VII to XII. Part I Notes: First Stanza Notes: Hardy introduces his poem in medias res – the ship has been sunk and lies silently at the bottom of the ocean. He creates a calm effect over his poem through the consonance of the ‘s’ sounds: â€Å"In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.† Particular elements of diction are worthy of note: * â€Å"Deep from human vanity† – this line points to the emerging theme of man’s failed vanity, in creating such a grand object to rule over the natural world, only to have Nature smite it. The phrase â€Å"Pride of Life† accentuates this principle. Note how Hardy uses capital letters to make otherwise simple abstract nouns definitive. Although this is pre-emptive, I will now examine the theme of vaingloriousness (and point out notable pieces of evidence throughout the remainder of the poem) which Hardy presents. He uses irony to evoke the ridiculousness of mans plans. In stanzas I through to V, he juxtaposes images of the ships opulence, such as its mirrors meant / To glass the opulent and the ship’s gilded gear with images of the cold currents, â€Å"sea-worms† and moon-eyed fishes that now flow, crawl and swim through those former interiors. This creates a tangible image of the human vanity referred to in this first stanza; what people design for greatness ultimately ends up in a place of abasement. * â€Å"Stilly† is a highly unusual adverb. Hardy uses it to create a sense of ‘peace’. This is furthered by â€Å"solitude† and â€Å"couches†. ‘Couches’ suggests restfulness, or an equanimity. S.L.S considers an image of a ‘death bed’ upon the sea floor. Second Stanza Notes: Hardy focuses upon images of death and change in this stanza: â€Å"Steel chambers, late the pyres Of her salamandrine fires Cold currents third, and turn to tidal rhythmic lyres.† The furnaces of the ship, which contained the salamandrine fires of her engines (a form of LIFE), now have Cold currents thrid (note the a contrast in temperature – and consequently, a contrast in living state) running through them. ‘Thrid’ itself is another reference to the title, as an archaic word for ‘two’. Where there was once heat and life driving the engines of the ship, there is now coldness and death. A further juxtaposition within this second stanza is the use of the word pyre†, as it connotes funerals and death, while the use of salamandrine insinuates a certain tenacity for life (as salamanders were said to live through fires) that could be associated with the ‘Unsinkable Ship’ idea – there was a theory prior to the sinking, now tragically ironic, that the Titanic was unable to sink. Yet, for all of the tragic (or formerly energetic, given the nature of fire) nature of the ship, Hardy once again returns to ideas of peace and harmony. â€Å"Rhythmic tidal lyres† are reminiscent of the classical entities – such as Apollo’s lyre and his place in Arcadia – and consequently calming images. The distinct iambic meter in this phrase aids the calming lilt of the lines. Hardy presents the Titanic’s corpse in a peaceful light, however chilling and panicked her death. Third and Fourth Stanza Notes: I have above described the idea of vanity. I will pick out key phrases from these stanzas which support this idea – their key point is to achieve the above: * â€Å"mirrors meant to glass the opulent† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent† sea worms. Note the cruelty and emphasis on â€Å"indifferent†. * â€Å"Jewels in joy designed† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind† Note the use of polysyndeton. * â€Å"gilded gear†. Note alliteration. Fifth and Sixth Stanzas: Thus far Hardy has thoroughly examined the idea of vanity and the sunken ship itself. At stanza VI, Hardy changes his focus to the process by which the ship sank, in reference to Hardy’s ‘question’ formulated in stanza V. V â€Å"Dim moon-eyed fishes near Gaze at the gilded gear And query: ‘What does this vaingloriousness down here? VI Well: while was fashioning This creature of cleaving wing, The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything† It is obvious that Hardy engineers the explanation of the collision as a response to the â€Å"fishes’† question – although one would initially expect the final line of stanza V to be rhetorical. Before diverging upon the analysis of Hardy’s response, note some key elements of this stanza: * â€Å"moon-eyed† (white and dull) contrasts with the shiny, golden nature of the â€Å"gilded†. This accentuates the differences between the metallic (man-made) ship and the natural world. Also note the alliteration used in this line. Question why? * In an final assault on the vanitas vanitatum, observe that Hardy utilises anthropomorphisation to allow even the fish to question Man’s will in creating such ‘vaingloriousness’ – a Natural force (perhaps a personification of Nature itself?) labels the ship a vanity. What consequence does this have? This query, although appearing rhetorical, is answered by Hardy. Denoted by the use of ‘Well’, he switches to a colloquial register – this again adds to the sense of a Volta at stanza VI. Also note the sudden introduction of prominent enjambment at the end of the poem. The sense of stanza VI rolls into the VIIth, in direct opposition to the previous use of ‘poetic closure’ to end all previous stanzas – Hardy normally uses a form of punctuation. Now it’s gone. Apart from being a ‘change’ in its innate self, the enjambment aids in increasing the pace of the poem. This is highly significant. Seeing as, from this point forth, Hardy creates a ‘convergence of the twain’ within the poem itself – i.e.: he brings the two entities together (I will later explore this process in detail) from obscurity to the point of their collision – then increasing the pace at which the two entities move (which is obviously determined by the pace of the poem) must bring them together faster. This adds to the sense of movement, of fast movement and of dramatic effect. Well done, Mr. Hardy. Note some language details: â€Å"Creature of cleaving wing† is a very interesting phrase. â€Å"Cleaving† has multiple meanings, all of which are appropriate to Hardy’s imagery. Primarily, he may be imagining the ship as it ‘cleaves’ through the water, as all good ships should do. Remember, in its day the Titanic was the fastest liner afloat. â€Å"The cleaving wing† may therefore be the iron bow of the boat. Notice how Hardy is utilising additional anthropomorphisation, in referring to the ship as both a â€Å"creature† and one with â€Å"wing[s]†. The iceberg, however, remains inanimate. I doubt that there are any really deliberate poetic techniques to be synthesized from this but perhaps Hardy encourages a larger empathic response from the animate ship than from the inanimate iceberg? However, we must also acknowledge the metallic â€Å"knife-like† associations with ‘cleaving’ – like ‘cleaver’. This has a highly inanimate connotation. [Another weak point, acknowledged.] There also exists an archaic definition in the verb ‘to cleave’ – as in a Biblical usage – meaning ‘to join in matrimony’. This is of enormous interest. Hardy later plays a great deal upon the idea of the twain being marital (and even sexual) mates. Throughout the poem he refers to them with terms connotating a â€Å"confirmed relationship†. We may be â€Å"reading into† the phrase a little too deeply but it is a comment worthy of note. Perhaps Hardy is using the archaic definition of the verb to further advance his marital imagery? He is certainly no stranger to using such odd vocabulary; observe â€Å"The Darkling Thrush†! Finally, I wish to examine ‘The Immanent Will’. â€Å"Immanent† is not an archaic spelling of â€Å"imminent† – do not get confused in terms of these different words! â€Å"The Immanent Will† is somewhat comparable, in terms of a philosophical idea, to the Christian concept of the â€Å"Holy Spirit† or â€Å"Holy Ghost†. It is a spiritual, but existent, entity within every object which determines its fate or actions. Christianity has branches – notably in Catholicism – which believe in a pre-determined plan, of God’s design. In other words, we are all on a plan set out by God. The Holy Spirit helps us to achieve what God wishes; it provides inner strength and resolve. Hardy did not have an easy relationship with religion; born a Christian, he went through multiple tumultuous periods of atheistic belief. That’s probably why he hasn’t gone and just written; â€Å"God, or some deified entity, has allowed and planned for the demise of this here ship. And that’s why the iceberg, which could have been anywhere in a 3,000 mile radius of the vast Atlantic Ocean, just so happened to strike the ship. Deal with it.† So, instead, he has substituted a strictly non-religious term to his idea of Fate. Indeed, he later refers to the Classical ‘Fate’ entities to again replace any otherwise religious terminology. Remember also that Hardy is not aiming to criticise Christianity in a poem intended to raise money for the victims’ families. Thus, clear religious controversy was not a good idea. Stanzas VIII and IX Notes: â€Å"And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too. Alien they seemed to be: No mortal eye could see The intimate welding of the later history,† Again, Hardy invites further comparison through the use of juxtaposition; he now places the two entities in a relative time scale. The use of the word ‘as’ creates this effect, as it brings almost a simile-esque comparative sense to the stanzas. We must focus on the idea of the twain ‘growing’ – as that is the image which Hardy evokes – and the way in which both are joint in the use of the same verb. The obvious mental image is one of a familial relationship; they grow simultaneously but are fatally unaware of each other. Indeed, the distance between them is made explicitly clear and further emphasized by the alliteration used with â€Å"shadowy† and â€Å"silent†. Observe, in the phrase â€Å"In stature, grace and hue†, Hardy returns to the original theme of the ship’s grandeur. He appears, in this occurrence, to be rather more commending (or perhaps simply more mournful) of the ship and its purpose. Stanza IX further dwells upon the notion of fate. Indeed, Hardy utilises some more imagery worthy of note, full of oxymorons. â€Å"The intimate welding of the later history† It takes little to see that this further advances the ideas of both the twain’s ‘marital intimacy’, of the metal-related imagery associated with the ship, but also, in the final few words, the idea of Fate. If one can know, in the present, the details of the future’s past – in other words, the near future – then surely one is saying in an oddly convoluted way that a certain action is destined to soon take place? It’s an oxymoronic (â€Å"later history† is oxymoronic in my book!) way of saying the same as before; the twain are destined to collide. Stanzas X and XI Notes: â€Å"Or sign that they were bent By paths coincident On being anon twin halves of one august event, Till the Spinner of the Years Said ‘Now!’ And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres. Very little needs to be said about the action in these stanza. The Twain collide, bringing together the long wait in both metaphorical and poetic terms. Hardy’s precise choice of words and imagery is somewhat more interesting, however. For example: * â€Å"Paths coincident† does not point to a coincidence, as one might initially assume, but rather to a â€Å"co-incident† (i.e. â€Å"together†) act. The Twain are, on reflection, on a course which emulates two graphical lines, in the way that they bisect. Does this then also reflect a sense of Fated entity? Graphical lines do not change, thus their ‘collision’ is determined and sealed. * â€Å"Twin halves of one august event† reminds the reader of the action and precise existence of the collision. In the end, the act was a very physical, not philosophical one. Hardy acknowledges this, but attempts to draw out the unified nature of the Twain, in the intrinsic act of their collision. Note that the usual use of â€Å"august† to mean â€Å"awe inspiring or admiration; majestic† is not intended by Hardy here in a positive way. He merely wishes to express wonder at the grand, if tragic, culmination of two great forces. And yes, it is rather melodramatic. * Hardy at lasts then returns to his Fated theme with the phrase â€Å"The Spinner of the Years†. Reminiscent of the Classical Greek Moirai or the Roman Parcae (three old hags who would run, spin and cut the threads of life), Hardy refers to the middle of the three – the Spinner. Spinning a mortal thread has always occupied a position in mythology. Hardy utilises it to draw out a sense of fate. Fate itself conducts the affair, it seems, given that the Twain act upon the word â€Å"Now!† to converge. * Emerson Brown, scholar of medieval literature, pointed out that the poem is 33 lines long, whilst line 33 echoes the 33-year-old Christ’s last words: â€Å"consummatum est.† In any case, when â€Å"consummation comes†, Thomas Hardy sends 1,500 souls to the bottom with an obscene pun. To â€Å"come† has borne a sexual connotation since the 17th century, at least, while consummation traditionally means the fulfilment of the marriage contract by intercourse. The image of the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg copulating is hard to take seriously – therefore we must question whether Hardy truly intends it. Nevertheless, it advances the idea of the twain existing in a marital bond. Note the sudden use of speech, in the present tense. Very dramatic. Brings the Twain together in Time for the last time!

Tesco Plc

Tesco Plc Strategic analysis: a case study of Tesco Plc with reference to Chinese market  · Introduction: This assignment is relating to strategic analysis of Tesco Plc. Main focus is given on global expansion of Tesco in Europe, Asia and U.S. it is difficult to sum up all strategies that has been adopted by Tesco PLC in different parts of the world therefore to be more effective emphasis will be given on strategic analysis of Tesco in China. Furthermore this assignment is focused on the reasons why Tesco has opted to go international. I will analyse certain aspects such as location advantage, to analyse that what was the reason that Tesco has chosen Asian market for it business operation and will include pull factors such as cheap labour, low production cost and increased population, ownership advantage i.e. Toscos reputation, name recognition and goodwill etc and Internalization that how Tesco handles it markets secrets (not to be copied by its competitors) by securing ownership control, as in Chinese market Tesco successfully entered with 51%-49% joint venture with a local company but to secure absolute ownership Tesco increased its shares to 91%. The assignment will also concentrate upon push factors that what were the reason in the UK market that compelled or instigated Tesco to expand its operation to overseas markets. These reasons include UK market saturation, overseas market size, increased economic growth in the home market that enables the company to invest in foreign market and less opportunities of financial growth in the local market because of high competition, exploiting resources etc I will also link different theories with Tesco global strategy i.e. (1) Strategic international expansion (2) Porters five forces (3) Porter diamond model (will be exhibited in appendix) (4) Swot analysis (will be exhibited in appendix) (5) Dunnings electric theory etc It will also analyse the role of Tesco club card loyalty scheme in gathering information from its customers in order to know customers behaviour and need. Furthermore the study also concentrates upon Toscos strategic initiatives i.e. customers focus, act local, maintain focus, use multi formats, developing capacity and build brand etc which is used by the company in its domestic market and overseas. The assignment also contains a COMPARISON OF Tesco with its market rivals i.e. Wal-Mart and Carrefour and their strategic approaches in overseas markets. Similarly the study will also look at Tescos strategy of sourcing to low cost producers and Tescos own brand i.e. Tescos value products etc.  · Company background: Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen in 1919. Since its inception the company has gone through different development stages and Tesco is now one of the UKs largest retailers and is one of the top three retailers in the world. Tesco is operating business activities in three main regions in the world i.e. Europe ( Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and Poland) Asia ( China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and India) and U.S . The company has 3,799 stores located in Europe, Asia and U.S and has employed over 440,000 people around the world.[1] Tesco has adopted different strategies for gaining entry into foreign markets i.e. Acquisition of The Three Guys chain in Ireland in 1979, Acquisition of Catteau in France in 1992, Acquisition of 51 per cent of Global in Hungary in 1994, Acquisition of K-Mart business in Czech Republic/Slovakia in 1994, acquisition of Savia in Poland in 1995, acquisition of ABFs Irish food retailing business in 1997 Acquisition of 75 per cent share of Lotus in Thailand in 1998, Partnership with Samsung (81 per cent) and the acquisition of Homeplus in South Korea in 1999, Acquisition of one Makro store in Taiwan in 2000, Joint venture with Sime Darby Bhd (Tesco share 70 per cent) in Malaysia in 2001, Acquisition of HIT hypermarket from Dohle Gruppe in Poland in 2002, Acquisition of the C Two (C2) in Japan in 2003,[2] Joint Venture in China and wholly owned subsidiary in India. Strategic analysis of Tesco: The main driver of Tescos successful business is because of overseas expansion, moving to higher margin non-food merchandise and maintaining a strong UK core business. Its UK success has been built on low prices, cultivating customer loyalty, offering a range of different store concepts and expanding into retailing services, such as banking and insurance. Tescos focus on non-food items has led some to wonder whether it is fair to compare Tesco with the other grocery retailers at all as it seems to have become a consumer goods company.[3]  · Tesco long-term strategy: Tesco is growing with enormous speed. The company is following its long-term strategy based on five main initiatives, i.e. core UK business, international growth, Non-food, retailing services and community plan are the main objectives of achieving its long term success. Tesco has adopted an effective and constant growth strategy which has enabled the company to strengthen its core UK business and expand into new developed and developing markets around the world. The rationale for the strategy is to develop the scope of the business to enable the company to deliver strong, sustainable long-term growth and competitiveness by following the customer into large expanding markets at home and overseas by serving their needs through selling a wide range of products and services such as food products, financial services, non-food products and telecoms etc.[4] The strategy of diversification and global expansion of Tescos business operation was laid down in 1997 and has been the foundation of Tescos success in recent years. The new businesses which have been established and developed over the last decade are competitive and profitable and have enabled the company to lead largest market outside the UK.  § Core UK business: UK is the biggest market for Tesco and the company aims to provide all its customers with excellent value and choice. The company has developed a range of formats such as Tesco Express convenience stores, Tesco Metro stores, Tesco Super stores and Tesco Extra Hypermarkets.[5] The UK grocery retail market remains the largest source of revenue for Tesco, representing some 50% of last years (2008)  £59.4 billion of sales.[6]  § International growth: Tesco is expanding its presence across the world with main focus on customers need. For the purpose of better understanding of local customers and providing excellent services Tesco employees local staff which helped the company to achieve market leading position in Asia and across Europe. The company is giving more emphasis upon developing a range of local formats i.e. Express stores and Value stores in order to serve the needs of smaller communities. The companys overall performance of overseas businesses was very strong in 2009, particularly against the background of increasingly challenging trading conditions in international markets as the effects of the economic downturn on consumers have grown and spread around the world. [7]  § Non-food: In the beginning Tesco was popular as a food retailer but with the passage of time non-food remains an important part of Tescos strategy and the company continue to grow both sales and market share. Tesco has adopted the policy of differentiation and has now extended its policy to selling non-food items such as clothing, electrical goods, books etc.[8] Similarly Tescos online non-food business, Tesco Direct, continues to grow rapidly, increasing sales by more than 50% in 2009. The company is also planning to introduce an online clothing offer making fashionable, affordable clothes easier to buy for many more customers.[9]  § Retailing Services: Developing Retailing Services has been part of Tescos strategy for over a decade with the aim of bringing value and simplicity to customers through services such as telecoms and financial products. After ten years of success, we have given it a renewed focus and in July we announced that Andrew Higginson would relinquish his role as Group Finance Director to take on the role of Chief Executive of Retailing Services. He has assembled an experienced team to really drive forward this part of the strategy, which we believe has the potential to deliver  £1 billion of annual profit in the next few years.[10] With the rapid changing life style for satisfying customers needs Tesco provides new products and services like online shopping, personal finance and telecoms etc.  § Community plan: Tesco is also playing an active role to be a good neighbour in the communities where the company operates its business activities. We understand the importance of behaving responsibly in all our operations. Over the past year, we have worked even harder to be a good neighbour and have strengthened our contribution to the wider communities we serve.[11] All communities have their own individual concerns and priorities and so each of our countries has its own Community Plan. Whilst the goals and targets are tailored specifically to each country, each plan is underpinned by five core promises: actively supporting local communities; buying and selling our products responsibly; caring for the environment; giving customers healthy choices; and creating good jobs and careers.[12] Tesco believes that its success depends on listening to the customers, and responding to their feedback by giving them what they want. Often the most significant contributions the company can make to communities are at the truly local level and so over the past year the company have appointed over 250 Community Champions in stores and depots across six countries. These members of staff are dedicated to working with local schools, charities and services to support the causes that matter most of its customers.[13]  · Tesco in Europe:  · Tesco in Asia:  · Tesco in U.S:  · Tesco FDI: Foreign Direct Investment plays an important role in global economic growth and development. Due to global economic system competition increased and different governments are making strategies to reduce or remove trade barriers and encourage foreign companies for investment. Multinational companies are trying to enter new emerging economies to gain competitive advantage over their competitors.  · Tesco JV:  · sourcing: To ensure that we offer the best possible prices for customers we buy many products globally so that we benefit from our scale. We have an international sourcing office based in Hong Kong which is responsible for buying 100,000 non-food products for the Group. The international sourcing operation has seen rapid growth in the last few years and now sources 60% of our clothing in the UK and 40% of hardlines, including electricals, homewares, entertainment, toys and books. In Europe it provides over 25% of our hardlines and 85% of our clothing and we have recently started to source products for Asia. In the last year our international sourcing team shipped 72,000 containers from 54 ports.[14] We also have sourcing centres in China, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Turkey, with smaller offices in Thailand, Czech Republic and Italy. [15] We have invested in buying hubs where we have a critical mass of suppliers and shipment volumes. It helps to be close to our suppliers so that we can ensure great quality products, delivered from ethical sources, on time and at the best price.[16] Where possible we try to source products direct from factories rather than through agents or middlemen. This way we can ensure the lowest possible cost price as well as making sure that our products are sourced safely and fairly. We also manage to strip out more costs by consolidating freight volumes. This gives us the best shipping and transportation rates, which can be passed on to the customer in the form of lower prices.[17] Strategic analysis of Tescos expansion to china: to look at Tescos expansion strategy into Chinese market there are many factors involved. Reasons of Tesco global expansion: Tescos expansion was spatially characterised as being largely regional in nature and less global oriented. Cautiously, Tesco had decided to dominate the smaller central European markets that were unlikely to attract much attention from the large retail multinational peers such as Carrefour and Wal-Mart who preferred to focus on the larger markets. The company incrementally entered markets rather than entering several markets at the same time.[18] Tescos huge growth in this country is a hard act to follow. With the domestic market increasingly saturated, some UK supermarket chains, namely Tesco, Sainsbury (who have now sold their interests in the USA) and MS have looked to overseas markets to maintain their positions. This is a whole new ball game, bringing into play competition with large firms from other countries, such as US retailing giant Wal-Mart and French multinational Carrefour.[19] Main reasons for an organization to expand their business operation to overseas markets include saturated markets, growing economies and improving transportation systems and in some countries business environment seems more attractive than others. Most recently, Tesco has moved into China and the USA, and its rivals i.e. Carrefour has started pulling out of some eastern European countries while focusing on its Chinese strategy and Wal-Mart is also expanding business operation aggressively worldwide.[20] Determinants of foreign market entry modes: The choice of entry mode into a foreign market has a great impact on the success of a firms international operations, so consequently, related theories and critical determinants will be represented in the following section as to understand the relationships between MNEs and different factors. Mode of entry into foreign market: Tesco used a combination of multinational entry mode strategies within one country. As previously discussed, Tesco entered the central and eastern Europe by acquiring a relatively small chain of convenience stores in Hungary, a supermarket business in Poland and a department store chain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (see Table II). It was certainly unusual for such a large public company to become involved in these operations, and even competitors at the time questioned the logic of their approach. However, the use of â€Å"seed acquisitions† with a view to develop knowledge of the market before expanding organically through store-by-store development allowed Tesco to minimise their own human and financial capital in the face of potential economic and political uncertainty.[21] There are a number of strategies that can be adopted by an organization as a mode of entering into foreign market i.e. foreign direct investment, wholly owned subsidiary, joint venture, franchising, licensing and contract manufacturing. Some of these strategies are associated with high risk such and needs high investment and management skills i.e. wholly owned subsidiary and direct acquisition and some of them are exposed to minimal risks from overseas markets i.e. licensing, franchising, contract manufacturing and joint venture. Joint venture is a lowest risk strategy that accompanies greater benefits for the organization such as gaining overseas market knowledge and knowing consumers behaviour from overseas partner, risk sharing and gaining quality management capability.[22] Tesco has opted joint venture in order to gain entry into Chinese market. The company has gained a substantial presence in China in 2004 by signing an agreement of 51%-49% joint venture with a host company Shanghai Hymall Commercial Retail Group which was subsequently increased to 90%-10% in 2007.[23] Market attractiveness: Reasons of global expansion: There are a number of push factors and pull factors that plays an important role in an organizations decision of expanding business operation to foreign markets. The following are the main factors that motivated Tesco to invest in China. Push Factors: Home market saturation: When a business organization decides to enter into a foreign market there are a number of push factors that instigates such organization to invest in foreign market. In the case of Tesco the main factor of its global expansion is home market saturation as there is no room for further expansion because of large number of retailers and high competition. Increased capital gain from home market: Another reason of business expansion to Chinese market could be increased capital and better performance of Tescos business in the UK market which has enabled the company to expand its business to more profitable regions i.e. china. Pull factors: Foreign market attraction: The existence of potentials and financial gains in overseas markets are important pull factors that attract foreign companies to invest in such markets. Chinese market is expanding with enormous speed and it has been predicted that the market will worth $596bn by 2010 which gives an insight to foreign companies i.e. Tesco and its rivals, to exploit the existing potentials in Chinese market.[24] High quality production at low cost: Similarly high quality production at lower cost and the availability of cheap labour is another pull factor that attracts foreign investment. To look at China labour is very cheap and the country is capable of producing high quality products at competitive cost, there for it is very advantageous for Tesco to invest in Chinese market. China is the prime location of sourcing for Tesco products within china and for its business in the rest of the world. Tesco club card loyalty scheme: Tesco is using club card loyalty scheme as a marketing tactics in order to know customers behaviour in purchasing products from Tesco[25] and in return this scheme leads to customers commitment to do business with the organisation, to purchase their goods and services repeatedly, and recommend the services and products to others.[26] Dunnings: To make an effective strategic analysis of Tesco in Chinese market it would be better to take into consideration the Dunnings Electric theory. This theory includes location advantage, ownership advantage and internalization. Motives of International Expansion Many companies expand their business internationally, and compete within the globe market. They know their domestic market better than abroad, and they may face the customs, language, tariff regulations, transport systems and volatile foreign currencies for international operation. This means they will have to face many new challenges, if they decide to enter into a new foreign market, but why do they do so? There are several motives for international expansion (Jobber, 2001). Saturated domestic markets: There are few opportunities for the company to expand in the domestic market with sales and profit pressure. This is one of the major drivers of international expansion. Many of the European supermarket chains were fuelled by the desire to take a proven retailing formula out of their saturated domestic market into overseas market. Small domestic markets: For some industries, survival means broadening scope beyond small national markets to the international arena. Companies cannot compete against with other strong global competitors. Therefore, internationalisation is the fundamental condition for them to survival. Low-growth domestic markets: when economy is in recession at home, companies want to seek new marketing opportunities in more buoyant overseas economies. Customer drivers: Customer expectation is also one of the factors, which affect the companys decision to go international. This is increasingly common in advertising, with clients requiring their agencies to coordinate international campaigns. Competitive forces: when the several companies in the same industry go abroad, this cause others to follow in order to keep the market share and growth rates. This is particular in oligopolistic industries. The attack of the foreign competitor entering into the domestic market is also another factor affecting a companys decision to go abroad. Cost factors: High national labour costs, shortages of skilled workers, and rising energy charges can raise domestic operation costs to uneconomic levels. These factors may stimulate the company to choose foreign direct investment in low costs areas, such as Asia, Central and Eastern Europe. Foreign market expansion can also reduce costs by gaining economies of scale through an enlarged customer base. Portfolio balance: Marketing in different regions provides the opportunity of achieving a portfolio balance, and each region may have different growth rates. By marketing in a selection of countries, the problems of recession in some countries can be balanced by the opportunities in more buoyant economies in other countries. First Buy successful companies abroad, not ones that need turning around:There followed a strong expansion overseas in the 1990s, with ever more significant movement into growing markets such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, Thailand and South Korea. Here Tesco was buying into successful companies, but also ensuring neighboring markets were targeted and that its expansion strategy included eventual market domination. Hence the second lesson for internationalization success: Second It is all about market synergies and market share: Internal strategic processes. One of the chief concerns for retail strategists is market selection. Tesco decided to enter into markets where local competition was soft, hence the initial forays into Eastern Europe and South East Asia, away from the harsh gaze of other expanding giants such as Wal-Mart. Tesco also adapted to opportunistic events, and decided on different entry modes in order to develop knowledge. Hence the next lesson: Third You will never learn anything until you open some kind of store somewhere: External strategic processes. Tesco were comparatively weak internationally compared to bigger, more experienced rivals, despite their increasing dominance in the UK, but it nevertheless decided on an aggressive, organic expansion strategy in its target markets that left some analysts wondering about its long-term prospects. However after sticking with the strategy, it has been paying off, with its vulnerable period seen as a necessity for long-term growth internationally. It also had problems over planning procedures in foreign countries, particularly Ireland, but negotiated with central government for mutual benefit. Also key were Tescos dealing with shareholders, who were initially wary of risking their investment abroad, and there were reports that the City held back expansion within European in the 1990s. However as initial forays such as Catteau became successful, however gradually, soon the debate surrounded the pace of expansion. Tesco initiated a ‘‘ What is apparent from the completed study is that despite concerns from analysts and shareholders about its internalization strategy, and despite negative local press and resources issues, Tesco got it right. public relations exercise to get shareholders more on board with their internationalization strategy, although this was seen through by many, and exerted debatable influence. Internal operation functions. Many international ventures founder on the failure to commit enough human capital to a project, and this constituted Tescos next lesson. Fourth Use strength and size at home to secure the best human resources overseas In order to compete with the likes of Carrefour in their own jardin, Tesco had to make sure it had the very best people on hand to drive its expansion. Experience with financial capital and marketing were also imperative, ensuring that the correct strategies and knowledge was on hand in foreign markets. This is particularly the case in the latter category, where expansion can be seen as an invasion by the home press. While Tesco almost inevitably suffered some bad press initially, the adoption of an intensive PR campaign once business success started to develop overseas highlighted the need for an evolutionary marketing strategy. [27] Factors underlying Tescos success An analysis of the UK online grocery market highlights five factors that have been critical to Tescos success profit model focus; smart mover entry; leveraging â€Å"reach†, â€Å"richness† and â€Å"affiliation† (Evans and Wurster, 1997); strategic positioning (Mintzberg and Waters, 1985; Hamel, 1997); and brand power. [28] The first ‘Fresh Easy Neighborhood Market opened in Hemet, 75 miles east of Los Angeles on 1st November 2007. As the Financial Times commented: ‘Tesco†¦has staked its fortunes on an innovative new store that is about a quarter of the size of a traditional US supermarket, building on the success in the UK and Europe of its Tesco Express local stores. Some elements of the Hemet store will be familiar to UK shoppers. But the store also includes a â€Å"kitchen table† where a staff member heats up samples of prepared foods such as pizza and chicken curry. In a further innovation, all the check-out registers require customers to scan their own goods with staff on hand to assist (Financial Times, 4 November 2007).  · Conclusion: [1] Tesco Introduction: cited at http://www.cn.tesco.com/en/aboutus/aboutus_history.htm [2] P. Mark (2005), Retail multinational learning: a case study of Tesco, Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management Vol. 33 No.1, 2005 pp. 23-48 Emerald Group Publishing Limited [3] Corporate Watch UK, Tesco: a Corporate Profile: Cited http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=252 [4] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [5] Tesco Introduction: Cited http://www.cn.tesco.com/en/aboutus/aboutus_enterprise.htm [6] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [7] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [8] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [9] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [10] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [11] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [12] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [13] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [14] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [15] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [16] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [17] Tesco p Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 [18]International Journal of Retail Distribution Management Vol. 33 No. 1, 2005 pp. 23-48 Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0959-0552, p 30 [19] Corporate Watch UK, Tesco: a Corporate Profile: Cited http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=252#world [20] Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour do battle in the East, VOL. 24 NO. 2 2008, pp. 5-7, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543 [21] International Journal of Retail Distribution Management Vol. 33 No. 1, 2005 pp. 23-48 Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0959-0552, p 31 [22] Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour do battle in the East, VOL. 24 NO. 2 2008, pp. 5-7, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543 [23] Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour do battle in the East, VOL. 24 NO. 2 2008, pp. 5-7, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543 [24] Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour do battle in the East, VOL. 24 NO. 2 2008, pp. 5-7, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543 [25] Tesco American Dream, Doing it differently, Emerald insight, VOL. 24 NO. 2 2008, pp. 11-15, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543, p 13 [26]T. J. Jason. W. Karen (2006), University of Abertay, Dundee, UK, British Food Journal Vol. 108 No. 11, 2006 pp. 958-964 Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0007-070X (originally cited in (McIlroy and Barnett, 2000, p. 348). [27] The secrets of Tescos expansion success, How the UKs largest supermarket is creeping up on Carrefour and Wal-Mart: DOI 10.1108/02580540510630650 VOL. 21 NO. 11 2005, pp. 5-7, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543 [28] The UK grocery business: towards a sustainable model for virtual markets Ray Hackney Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK, and Kevin Grant and Grete Birtwistle Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management Vol. 34 No. 4/5, 2006 pp. 354-368, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Portuguese Essay :: Papers

A nossa associaà §Ãƒ £o, ou seja, a Associaà §Ãƒ £o de Professores para a Educaà §Ãƒ £o Intercultural fez agora, em Setembro de 2003, dez anos. Surgiu ligada a um projecto que existiu no tempo em que o Engenheiro Roberto Carneiro era Ministro da Educaà §Ãƒ £o, que foi sem dà ºvida, para mim, mas tambà ©m sou duvidosa ao afirmar isto porque ele foi meu professor e eu gosto imenso dele e surgiu praticamente porque ele comeà §ou a preocupar-se com estas situaà §Ãƒ µes dos filhos dos imigrantes que vinham das ex-colà ³nias e, entà £o, criou uma Instituià §Ãƒ £o que se chamava Secretariado Coordenador de Programas para a Educaà §Ãƒ £o Intercultural, chamado o Entreculturas. O Entreculturas, depois de um diagnà ³stico feito por alguns elementos no terreno, verificou-se que era necessà ¡rio dar formaà §Ãƒ £o nesta à ¡rea da multiculturalidade e fundou-se, nessa altura a Associaà §Ãƒ £o que tinha sede numa salinha do Secretariado de Entreculturas. Porquà ª a Associaà §Ãƒ £o? Porque era necessà ¡rio para este tipo de actividades, era necessà ¡rio para dar formaà §Ãƒ £o e para que as pessoas tenham crà ©dito, à © necessà ¡rio, realmente, que a Instituià §Ãƒ £o esteja acreditada por um centro de conselho cientifico-pedagà ³gico da formaà §Ãƒ £o contà ­nua e a Associaà §Ãƒ £o nos seus estatutos que, para alà ©m do seu estatuto normal que ela tem, a Associaà §Ãƒ £o tinha, tambà ©m, dentro do estatuto, um centro de formaà §Ãƒ £o. A sala onde vocà ªs està £o à © a sala do centro de formaà §Ãƒ £o, a sala dali à ©, digamos, aquela que lida melhor à   da direcà §Ãƒ £o, a da presidente e aqui à ©, sem dà ºvida, o sà ­tio onde nà ³s fazemos a formaà §Ãƒ £o acreditada e outro tipo de formaà §Ãƒ £o, onde organizamos dossiers, prodeps. 2. Quais as vertentes em que a formaà §Ãƒ £o se baseia? Em và ¡rias vertentes, desde que tenha haver com a multiculturalidade. Portanto, as acà §Ãƒ µes està £o todas elas viradas para a multiculturalidade e somos, sem dà ºvida, o à ºnico centro de formaà §Ãƒ £o que tem esta especificidade, neste momento. 3. Qual à © o pà ºblico-alvo destas formaà §Ãƒ µes? As formaà §Ãƒ µes sà £o para professores, comeà §aram por ser, segundo a legislaà §Ãƒ £o, e para formaà §Ãƒ £o contà ­nua de professores. A legislaà §Ãƒ £o foi alterada ultimamente que tambà ©m dà ¡ para membros, e jà ¡ temos tido, de

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- Hansberry Raisin Su

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters in this play have hopes and aspirations; they all strive towards their goals throughout the play. However, many of the characters in the play have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another; such as Walter’s versus Bennie’s, George’s versus Asagai’s, and the Clybourne Park versus the Younger’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walter and Bennie both have very different mindsets and they constantly are fighting, therefor they both have very different dreams that are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Walter's dream is to be his own boss in a liquor store. All he dreams about is the liquor business that he will have, it is his life. When he finds he lost the money later in the novel, he says "...Man, I put my life in your hands..." ( ) All he ever dreamed of was the liquor business, when he lets out this statement of desperation, the reader really realizes how much all of it meant to him. Bennie's dreams are very different, she wants to be a female doctor. This dream was very unusual for a "colored" girl in the 50's. Her dream requires money from Mama, but so does Walter’s; it is ironic when both of them lose their dreams when the money is gone. When the money is lost, the reader also realizes how large of a role it played in Bennie’s dreams ...

Rape and Intimate Partner Abuse Essay examples -- Sex Crimes

In every 45 seconds, someone is sexually violated in the United States. Out of every 6 women, one has experienced an attempted rape or complete rape. Lesbians and bisexual women remain at increased risk of sexual victimization compared to heterosexual women. In order for a woman to determine the direction of her life, she must first determine her sexuality. Sexuality is a deep, integral part of any human’s life. This should not be a subject of coercion or debate. The society must recognize that a woman has the right to freely pre-determine her sexuality without oppression and discrimination (Burn, 2004). Traditionally, women throughout history and culture have undertaken the role of independent, non-heterosexual, women-connected existence. Lesbianism according to ancient literature review has always existed. The practice has always been unacceptable and deviant. Lesbians are subjected to rape more often than other women. Worldwide, lesbians are subjected to verbal and physical abuse. In most cultures, lesbianism occurs prior to heterosexual marriages. These facts were gathered by Faderman in 1981. Female-female romantic relationships were found in European communities since the 17th century through the early 20th century after studying the fiction and poetry written during this period (Burn, 2004). Today, many societies view bisexuality and homosexuality as a sickness. The societies deny their existence entirely. However, biologists and psychologists believe that both are mere instances of many human variations. After successful lobbying by gay and lesbian political organizations in 1974, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) eliminated homosexuality from its list of mental disorder. The APA now takes the position that homos... ...(2010). External Barriers to Help-Seeking Encountered by Canadian Gay and Lesbian Victims of Intimate Partner Abuse: An Application of the Barriers Model. Violence and Victims, Vol. 25(4), 536-552. Pinto, S. (2012). Intimate Partner Violence: Sexual Abuse. CINHAL Nursing Guide. 1-2. Renzetti, C. M. (1996). The Poverty of Services for Battered Lesbians. Journal of gay and Lesbian Social Services, Vol. 4, pp 61-68. Tigert, L. M. (2001). The Power of Shame: Lesbian Battering as a Manifestation of Homophobia. Women & Therapy, Vol. 23, pp 73-85. Walters, M. L. (2011). Straighten up and Act Like a Lady: A Qualitative Study of Lesbian Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Service. Vol. 23, pp 250-270. West, C. M. (2002). Lesbian Intimate Partner Violence: Prevalence and Dynamics. Journal of Lesbian Studies, Vol. 6(1), pp 121-127.

Love Song of J.Alfrrd Prufrock Notes

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock â€Å"A reader’s response to a text is influenced by that responder’s social, cultural and historical context† Choosing one of T. S Eliot’s poems set for study, consider to what extent your personal response to your chosen poem has been shaped by the enduring power of its intellectual and artistic qualities. (Quote) â€Å"There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;† Good morning /Afternoon Ms and fellow classmates. A reader’s personal response to a text is shaped by the enduring power of its intellectual and artistic qualities.Their response is influenced by that responder’s social, cultural and historical context which is why texts including ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ can be interpreted in various ways by various people. ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock‘, was composed by poet T. S Eliot. Born in St Louis Missouri U SA, he attended Harvard University in 1906 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ was the earliest of T. S Eliot’s major works and was completed between 1910 and 1911.It is an examination of the tortured mind of the prototypical modern man – eloquent, neurotic and emotionally stilted. The ideas and themes explored and their relevance to us today: In ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ there are various themes, symbols and ideas explored. The damaged mind of humanity and the changing nature of gender roles are two of the main themes explored in the poem. Like many modernist writers, Eliot wanted to capture the transformed world which he perceived as fractured and denigrated and also wanted his poetry to express the fragile psychological state of humanity in the twentieth century.In the poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ Prufrock, the poems persona, is constantly quest ioning the romantic ideal of society; wondering whether he should make a radical change, or if he has the fortitude to continue living demonstrating a sense of indecisive paralysis in the persona. This is seen when Prufrock, unable to make decisions, watches women wander in and out of a room, â€Å"talking of Michelangelo. † Humanity’s collectively damaged psyche prevented people from communicating with one another, an idea that is clearly evident in Eliot’s poem.This also reflects the theme of the changing nature of gender roles, over the course of Eliot’s life, gender roles and sexuality became increasingly flexible, and Eliot reflected those changes in his work, including ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’. Prufrock is unable to talk to women and fears rejection, this conveys the feeling of emasculation experienced by many men as they returned home from World War 1, which was during Eliot’s time, to find women empowered by their new role as wage earners. These themes evident throughout ‘The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock’ are relevant in today’s contemporary society. Women constantly faced oppression which was seen as conventional in society in the twentieth century, men were the bread winners while women left school early to stay at home and raise children. Throughout history, especially in Eliot’s time, society transformed and women fought back against this inequality, discrimination and injustice in all its forms which led to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopting the convention of the equal rights of men and women.This period of revolution is why today, in most parts of the world, women’s rights and freedoms are supported by law and they are no longer ignored or suppressed. The unusual independence from men shown in the women in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ is what cause a shift in society and history and is also why today women have th e right to vote, attend school, earn the same wage as men, and even lead a nation. Your response to the poem as compared to Eliot’s time: My own personal response to ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ was, at first, complete confusion as I was unable to understand what it was that Eliot was trying to convey.I soon realised that Prufrock, the poems persona, was psyche Your time and place, reflecting upon the ways in which context has shaped your response to the text: Prufrock, the poems persona, seems to be addressing a potential lover, with whom he would like to â€Å"force the moment to its crisis† by consummating their relationship. But Prufrock knows too much of life to â€Å"dare† and approach the woman: in his mind he hears the comments others make about his inadequacies. The poem moves from a series of fairly concrete physical settings – a cityscape with several interiors- to a series of vague ocean images onveying Prufrock emotional distance from the world as he comes to recognise his second-rate status. â€Å"Prufrock† is powerful for its range of intellectual reference and also vividness of character achieved. The modernist movement and the new perception of the world at the time along with the desire to create something new was one of the main influences in Eliot’s work. Modernist texts emerged in the early 20th century and were influenced by developments in psychoanalysis and anthropology , by social reforms and by the growing industrialisation and mechanisation of society.Modernist texts such as Eliot’s are more interested in representing the inner life of characters. For modernists the process of artistic creation exposed the alienation and displacement that individuals often experience in modern, industrial society. Other influences on Eliot’s work were the changes in religion, evident in Journey of the Magi, his questioning of traditional political paradigms and the way soci ety worked and how it was structured. It is evident that there is use of dramatic monologue throughout Eliot’s piece which helps to express a condition of instability.The epigraph to this poem is from Dante’s Inferno and describes Prufrock’s ideal listener; one who is as lost as the speaker and will not betray to the world the content of Prufrock’s present confessions. In the world Prufrock describes, though, no such sympathetic figure exists, and he must, therefore, be content with silent reflection. Using fictional personalities such as J. Alfred Prufrock to express a state of inner turmoil or a multiplicity of selves contained within one person. J.Alfred Prufrock is not just the speaker of one of Eliot’s poems, he is the representative man of early modernism. Shy, cultivated and oversensitive, the speakers of his poems are trapped inside their own excessive alertiveness. The general fragmentation of the poem is obvious and notorious. The poem se ems a perfect example of what Terry Eagleton calls â€Å"the modern transition from metaphor to metonym ; unable any longer to totalise his experience in some heroic figure, the bourgeois is forced to let trickle away into objects related to him by sheer contiguity. Eliot was interested in the divide between high and low culture â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is, as the title, implies a song, with various lines repeated as refrains. That poem ends with the song of mermaids luring humans to their deaths by drowning—a scene that echoes Odysseus’s interactions with the Sirens in the Odyssey. Music thus becomes another way in which Eliot collages and references books from past literary traditions. Eliot chooses to make Prufrock an unacknowledged poet

Internet as a Learning Tool

International Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011 INTERNET AS LEARNING TOOL: INDIAN ENGINEERING STUDENT’S PERCEPTION Vandana Sharma [1], Rishu Chhabra[2] 1 2 Education & Research, Infosys Technologies Limited, Mysore, Karnataka, India Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Chitkara University, Punjab, India, ABSTRACT Our global economy now relies on brainpower and innovation rather than manual labor and raw material as a generator of wealth and good education has become the key part in shaping the success of the countries.Over the last decade, t h e I T revolution has brought in advancement that shows increasingly visible effects on the education with the birth of online education. First student community realized the effect of the internet on their education. Invention of internet has removed all the barriers to learning. The scope of this paper is to analyze the north Indian engineering student’s percep tion about internet as learning tool effects of internet on them in perspective of their relations, education, entertainment and and socialization.Technology can have both positive and negative consequences on people in different walks of life at different times. Now necessity is to understand the true impact of it so that everybody gathers benefits that yield a healthy mind. In this paper, with the help of an empirical study it was inspected that whether the contacts via e- mail, online chatting and availability of information through Internet would lead our students in a better learned and connected individual. Study also examines the kind of learning mode students prefer.These issues are discovered in detail and suitable solutions are proposed to counter the negative effects of internet on students. Keyword: Internet, education, learning tool INTRODUCTION Internet is a tool for the improvement of learning. A textbook which was a traditional learning tool are now out of date as in ternet moves quickly and provides updated information and includes a wide variety of International Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011 international sources. Now learning has a greater reliance on information acquired from the internet rather than from textbooks.Dependence on this tool has increased exponentially and unbelievably. Social, geographical, economical barriers are disappearing as students interact worldwide. The technological revolution has a faster and deeper impact on more and more lives. This has further increased with the improvement of technology. Venkatesh [1] surveyed in his paper that all technologies create an impact of s o m e k i n d . For example, the television technology has had an influence on the media habits of the public, their attitudes and behavior towards entertainment and the interaction between family members.Cole [2] assessed the requisite of Internet as a mainstream medium t h a t m a y s o o n b e a s prevalent a s television although pace of its diffusion seems much faster. Kraut e t al [3] conducted a longitudinal study on the effects of Internet on social involvement and psychological well-being. Their findings show that the greater use of the Internet was significantly related with decreased community within the family, a decrease in local social network and loneliness and depression. In a report of SIQSS, [4] N.Nie has also continued with the negative consequences of the Internet that are similar with the outcomes of the Kraut group. Katz and Aspden [5] made a survey using 2500 respondents, 8 percent of them were Internet users. Comparing users with non-users, they establish no evidence t h a t t h e u s e o f i nternet reduces people’s membership in social and religious organizations. Among users, more use of the Internet was related with additional contact with family members and an increased involvement in online communities. This survey contradicts the discoveries presented in [4] and [5].Wellman [6] made a survey on â€Å"the National Geographic Society website† and came out wi t h t h e s u g g es t i o ns t hat t h e I n t er n e t can be used for increasing interpersonal connectivity and organizational involvement. Not only can expose people to more inf ormation and more contacts, it can reduce commitment to community. However, this increased connectivity and involvement. In 2009 there were nearly 81,000,000 users of internet in India. There are many studies available at global level about the impact of internet on students but studies about Indian engineering students are not available.INTERNET IN EDUCATION There are number of main advantages of using internet for education [7] A . Flexibility and Variety The flexibility of the internet is possibly the greatest advantage for online education. Websites, interactive activities, lecture notes, videoconferencing, webinars, chartrooms, and blogs, online education studen ts and their educators can interact in ways that are already known to them. Internet provides user friendly interface International Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011 to user and new users also feel more comfortable with time B.Ease and Low Cost of Access Internet has defeated the distance barrier for learning. Students need not to move to gain knowledge. It has become easy and affordable for everyone from a rural area student to a working professional. For the purpose of interactive courses and videoconferencing rural students are facing problem and this still requires attention C. Ease and Low Cost of Setting Information Online Email, chat and interactive online meeting has become new way of learning. Information regarding a course is all available online. This is not only accessible but is affordable for institutes also.Records are available for 24X7 for any time use. D. Ease of Updating Information Online Information up dation is easier than revising a textbook. Results can be displayed just after an exam. A new course is easy to add. New research or finding can become part of syllabus instantly. In [8] Aytekin ISMAN, Fahme DABAJ studied students-teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards internet based on various parameters. It was concluded that at education cycle of students concentrate more to learn internet alternatives and functions for getting great positive benefit their future life by adapting contemporary trends.In [9] Hong etal studied . Students' attitudes toward the use of the Internet for it is important that students should b e exposed learning at a university in Malaysia and showed that to this web based learning so that they could get benefit from Web-based courses and Web-assisted conducted in their field of specialization by the various departments. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this research was to collect information about the impact of internet on learning of eng ineering students. This study is directed to answer following questions: †¢ †¢ †¢ What is the attitude of students towards using internet for their course contents?Do the students prefer using internet over books? Does internet builds confidence in students by helping them in presentations etc.? METHODOLOGY The research instrument in this study was a questionnaire. There were total of 20 questions in this questionnaire each with five selections of response from â€Å"Strongly Agree† to Strongly Disagree†. Questions were divided into four categories. In first category questions were framed to measure student’s attitude toward International Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011 he use of internet for their course purpose. Sample question for this category is â€Å"With the help of internet I am able to collect more study material â€Å". Second category asks students about their preference of internet over books. Sample question for this statement is â€Å"For study purpose I prefer spending time on internet surfing rather sitting in a library â€Å". Third category measures the student’s attitude for internet as a tool of confidence builder. Sample question is â€Å"Internet has boosted my confidence as I am able to present my reports, seminars etc. n better wayâ€Å". In the last category miscellaneous questions were asked to get student opinion about group learning through internet using blogs and discussion forums, their time spent on internet etc. As all students were engineering students, questions were not asked to measure their basic knowledge and skills of the internet. Population under investigation included 100 students of Computer Science & Engineering of a Wifi enabled engineering institute campus. All students use Laptop and Internet on daily basis. RESULT AND DISCUSSION A.Student’s attitude towards using internet for their syllabi There were four questions under this category. For each statement responses were coded 2 for â€Å"Strongly disagree â€Å"to 5 for â€Å"Strongly agree† and 1 for â€Å"No opinion†. Thus the scores for each student on the statement ranges from 8 to 20. Scores from 8-10, 12-16 and 17-20 were classified as having â€Å"negative† ,†neutral† and â€Å"Positive† attitude towards the use of internet for learning. Table 1 shows the result. Table1. Student’s attitude towards using internet for learning. Scores 8-10 12-16 17-20 Attitude Negative Neutral Positive Frequency 2 58 40B. Student’s preference of internet for study material over the books For each statement responses were coded for 2 â€Å"Strongly disagree â€Å"to 5 for â€Å"Strongly agree† and 1 for â€Å"No opinion†. Thus the scores for each student on the statement range from 10 to 21. Scores from 10-14, 1517 and 18-21 were classified as â€Å"do not prefer us ing internet â€Å",†no preference† and â€Å"prefer use of internet† over books. Table 2 shows the result of student’s preference of internet over books International Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011Table2. Student’s preference of internet over books Scores 10-14 15-17 18-21 Preference Frequency Do not 15 Prefer No 48 preference 37 Prefer C. Student’s attitude towards internet as a confidence builder For each statement responses were coded 2 for â€Å"Strongly disagree â€Å"to 5 for â€Å"Strongly agree† and 1 for â€Å"no opinion†. Thus the scores for each student on the statement range from 2 to 10. Scores from 2-4, 5-7 and 810 were classified as having â€Å"Negative â€Å",†Neutral† and â€Å"Positive† attitudes towards the use of internet for learning.Table 3 shows the attitude of students toward internet as confidence builder. Table3. St udent’s attitude towards internet as a confidence builder. Scores 2-4 5-7 8-10 Attitude Negative Neutral Positive Frequency 11 31 58 Despite of the fact that the students in this survey were from computer science & engineering stream half of the students find it difficult to understand all the terms on WebPages. 90% students spend 1-5 hours on internet. 66% students use blogs and discussion forum for the solution to their technical problems.Only 8% students disagree that internet can be helpful in group learning. 79% students consider that mixture of online course and classroom course will be better for learning process. 84% students feel that internet helpful to prepare them for examination. 71% students do not find internet adding to laziness. 51 % students believe that the use of internet has decreased the verbal communications among themselves. Internet has positive impact on learning domain but has negative impact on social aspects of a student’s personality.Thoug h students realize this they should indulge more in social interactions and activities. Institutes should hold seminars time to time to make students aware about the importance of internet as learning tool. Institutes should encourage group learning through internet and should promote the use of blogs for learning purpose. Courses should be designed in blended format of classroom and online teaching. As result of this survey showed that more Indian students are opting online books as compare to paper book so use of online bookInternational Journal of Computing and Business Research ISSN (Online) : 2229-6166 Volume 2 Issue 2 May 2011 reading devices should be promoted. The use of such devices is user friendly. CONCLUSION In this paper result of the survey of use of internet as learning tool by engineering student has been presented. Engineering students are using computer and internet on daily basis. Maximum students find internet a very useful tool for their studies. Students prefer online books and study material. They find internet helpful to boost their confidence for presentations and reports.Engineering institutes should promote the use of internet as a learning tool and should provide infrastructure to facilitate the students. Students also feel that excess use of internet may cause some socialization problems. REFERENCES [1] A. Venkatesh, A c onceptualization of Household/Technology Interactions, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 12, 189-194, 1985. [2] J. I. Cole, The Impact of the Internet on Our Social,Political and Economic Life, The UCCLA Center for communication Policy, 2000. [3] R. Kraut, M. Patterosn, V. undmark, S. Keisler, T.Mukophadhyay and W. Scherlis, Internet Paradox: being? , a Social Technology that Reduces Social Involvement and PsychologicalWell53(9),1998a. American Psychologist, [4] N. 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