Software Patents and Piracy in China

Introduction Background Information Technology (IT) is one of the most important elements in the development of the world economy. The software industry forms one of the most essential components of IT. The size of the global software market has undergone a significant growth over the past few years. According to a report by Gartner Incorporation (para. 1), the software market averaged $245 billion in May 2011. However, one of the major challenges facing the software industry is piracy which entails infringing the copyright laws associated with products such as music, movies or software.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Software Patents and Piracy in China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In an effort to curb software piracy, different governments have instituted various Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). One of the commonly used IPRs in the software industry entails the patent laws. Patent laws give in ventors a monopoly over their inventions by prohibiting illegal publication and distribution of software programs either through counterfeiting, rentals, soft lifting and hard disk loading (MacQueen, Waelde Laurie 4). Considering the fact that development in IT is increasingly being considered as one of the most effective ways through which a country can gain a high competitive advantage, some countries are considering software piracy as an effective way through which they can attain their desired competitive advantage at minimal cost (Jones 24). The rate of software piracy is highest amongst the emerging economies. This arises from a number of factors such as affordability, poor enforcement of IPRs, technical barriers and the comparative value associated with pirated software (Deloitte 2). Most of the developing economies have a relatively low per capita income. As a result, the consumers have other spending priorities rather than purchasing legitimate software. Additionally, indi vidual consumers attach the same value of legitimate software to pirated software. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is categorized amongst the countries with the highest rate of software piracy. In 1998, the rate of software piracy in China was 96 %( Jones 24). However, China has continuously implemented measures aimed at curbing software piracy due to pressure from other countries to comply with International IPRs. As a sign of its commitment towards IPRs, China has joined a number of international IPR conventions. This has enabled it to understand the importance of IPRs in dealing with software piracy. As a result, China has experienced a decline in the rate of software piracy over the past few years. By 2008 the rate of software piracy was 80% (Deloitte 24). This shows that the rate of software piracy in China is still high despite the measures implemented. China is ranked as the 2nd largest market for personal computers and the 10th with regard to software. This shows that th ere is a high market potential for software. The gap with regard to software market can be associated with the high rate of software piracy.Advertising Looking for research paper on intellectual property? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the factors that have contributed to the high rate of software piracy relates to existence of an imbalance between demand for software products such as movies and other entertainment products and their supply. The Chinese government has implemented a quota system that is aimed at regulating importation and distribution of entertainment products for example television shows. This has led into a shortage for entertainment digital entertainment products such as movies. As a result, most individuals have resulted into the black market for software products. Software piracy negatively affects the growth of the world economy. This arises from the fact that a significant proportion of tax reven ue and wages are lost annually. Additionally, software piracy acts as a barrier towards creativity and innovation. This is due to the fact that motivation for creativity and innovation is significantly reduced. Personal experience In 2007, I had an opportunity to travel to China to my relative who relocated there. One of the issues that I noticed is the ease with which one can purchase pirated products. This made me to ascertain that China is one of the countries with the highest rate of piracy. Some of the most pirated product categories which I noticed included software, fashion clothing, electronics and jewelry. With regard movies, it was relatively easy to purchase them from street vendors. One the factors that made me to identify that the movies were pirated is the cost at which they were sold. For example, one could purchase movies which were still in the theatres for only $1. Some of the movies were of the same quality with the original ones while others were of poor quality. The poor quality of the pirated DVDs and CDs was as a result of failure by the counterfeiters to access the original copy. As a result, they would video tape movies in the theater screens from which they would make copies. However, pirated computer software and video games were not easily accessible from the street vendors. One would be required to purchase them from a particular central area where they were abundant. The discs which contained the video games and the computer software had no labels which made one to easily identify them as counterfeits. Additionally, the distribution of the discs was made in simple sleeves. In these stores, one would be able to select a variety of software which would be burned into one CD as per the customer’s request. In order to gain firsthand experience on the extent of computer software piracy, I enquired the cost of a number of computer software which included FrameMaker, Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat. The cost of the software was only $ 20 while the genuine ones cost more than $700. My relative informed me that software piracy is considered to be a part of the Chinese culture. This arises from the fact that copying in china is not associated with any form of stigma. Most individuals have developed a perception that they ought not to pay more for software whereas they can access a fake one which works just like the original one at a low cost.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Software Patents and Piracy in China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Software patent laws in China Over the past two decades, China has increasingly been committed towards ensuring adherence to IPR laws. For example, from 1980 to 1995, China has implemented a number of trademark laws, copyright, patents and computer software regulations in an effort to counter software piracy. Despite this, software piracy is so prevalent that one can consider that there are no soft ware patent or copyright laws in China. Since its ascent to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has increased its crackdown on organizations manufacturing pirated software. Additionally, the Chinese government has invested a significant amount of money towards development its legal systems and regulatory codes in an effort to enforce software privacy. For example, the Chinese government is committed towards ensuring that all state-owned enterprises and other government agencies use legal software in their operation. This has played a critical role in the decline in the rate of software piracy (Business Software Alliance para. 6). However, China has continued to experience an increase in loss of its revenue due to software piracy arising from infringement of IPRs (Hille para. 1). This indicates that the software patent and copyright laws implemented by the government are not sufficient. The inefficiency of these laws arises from a number of factors such as overreliance on admin istrative measures. For example; the administrative measures incorporated by China are evidenced by the fact that it has seized about 10 million boxes of illegal video products. Additionally, more than 4,000 video selling shops have been closed (Zhang Xie 2). In an effort to enhance the IPR laws, the Chinese government has established State Copyright Bureaus in all the provinces and municipalities. Despite these efforts, the Chinese government effort in fighting software piracy has been hindered by the fact that it over relies on administrative measures rather than criminal measures (Zhang Xie 3). Additionally, the government’s effort has also been hindered by increased levels of corruption and protection of the perpetrators at the provincial level. The government’s effort has also hindered by lack of resources necessary to enforce the laws implemented. The prevalence of software piracy is also increased by lack of sufficient knowledge amongst the citizens regarding the effect of software piracy on the country’s economy and social stability. Ethical perspective Most Chinese do not perceive software piracy as being morally or ethically wrong. Additionally, the ethical perspective regarding fighting software piracy in China revolves around two main issues. These relate to protecting the investments by companies, protecting their employees and the poor citizens. Therefore, implementing stringent IPR laws by the government to curb software piracy would result in social instability.Advertising Looking for research paper on intellectual property? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This arises from the fact that numerous individuals would be arrested and shops and companies closed culminating into an increment in the level of social instability. However, another dilemma arises from the fact that allowing software piracy to thrive would negatively affect the rate of innovation by hi-tech companies. This arises from the fact that they would cease to produce new software culminating into a decline in the rate of development in the global economy. Conclusion and recommendations From the above analysis, it is evident that there is a high market potential in the Chinese software industry. However, for this to be achieved all the stakeholders have to deal with the challenge of software piracy. Some of these stakeholders include the government, parents and learning institutions. Additionally, it is critical for the Chinese government to implement deterrent measures, educational campaign and other measures in order to enforce the laws. It is also important for the gove rnment and the software producing companies to implement preventative measures. Some of these measures include incorporating hardware and software schemes which will curb reproduction of software. For example, companies such as Microsoft Incorporation have implemented a key that requires to be sent through their database before particular software can operate. Another measure that can be implemented to counter software piracy entails implementing regional price adjustments. The price point set should be legal and affordable to individuals within a particular region. This strategy will encourage individuals to purchase legitimate software. Works Cited Business Software Alliance. China. 5 March 2011. Web. Deloitte. Monetizing consumer software in high-piracy market including China and  India. New York: Deloitte Development, 2010. Print. Gartner Incorporation. Gartner says worldwide enterprise software market grew  8.5% in 2010 to reach $ 245 billion. 5 May 2011. Web. Hille, Kathri n. China not doing enough on software piracy. 24 Oct. 2011. Web. Jones, Brian. Software piracy and the global economy. 23 Nov. 1998. Web. MacQueen, Hector, Waelde, Charlotte and Laurie, Gen. Contemporary intellectual  property: Law and policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Zhang, Fan and Xie, Dennis. Chinese copyright protection has storied history,  strong future. 6 June 2008. Web. This research paper on Software Patents and Piracy in China was written and submitted by user Sloane T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The eNotes Blog Top Ten Summer ReadingSuggestions

Top Ten Summer ReadingSuggestions Since I was a very small child, the absolute best thing about summer was the extra time to read. My mother, fed up with me being in the house, would throw me outside to get some sunshine. So I took my book outside, sat on the porch, and waited to be let in. Like a cat. Summer is still the best time to get some reading done and the time that a lot of my professorial/literary snot friends (stop protesting you  know  its true) unbutton that top button and go for some non-standard fare. But the choices can be overwhelming: Here are suggestions for some good pleasure reading for fun and even knowledge to help you get the most out of those precious extra hours: 1.   Mr. g  by Alan Lightman   How about a little blasphemy to go with that  daiquiri? One friend heartily suggests this novel. Publishers Weekly calls  Mr. G  a touching, imaginative rendition of God’s creation of the universe†¦the immortal characters are changed by their brush with the enterprising, however doomed, mortals, bringing this elucidating treatment of quantum physics to an affecting, hopeful conclusion.† 2.   The Prague Cemetery  by Umberto Eco   Several friends asked for this novel by the Italian mystery/detective master (who penned  The Name of the Rose  and  Foucaults Pendulum)  to be included. I find this book fascinating, perhaps the best Eco has written in years. Eco takes on conspiracy theories in the feverish political activism of nineteenth-century Europefreemasonry, the Italian Risorgimento, the Paris Commune, and above all the forgery of the slanderous The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. What if there were a single mastermind behind all these conspiracies? Its already a bestseller in Italy, and I cant get enough of it! ~  Huffington Post 3.   Lets Pretend This Never Happened  by Jenny Lawson Those of us who have been LONGTIME fans of The Bloggess are beside ourselves with glee at the arrival of Lawsons first traditional book. Just take a look at these chapter titles, will ya? â€Å"Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel†; â€Å"A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband†; â€Å"My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking†; â€Å"And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.† She is hysterical and you should buy this book. Now. 4.   Sacre Bleu: A Comedy DArt  by Christopher Moore   This selection was heralded by several people. Heres the scoop: In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield and shot himself.  Or did he?  Why would an artist at the height of his creative powers attempt to take his own life . . . and then walk a mile to a doctors house for help? Who was the crooked little color man Vincent had claimed was stalking him across France? And why had the painter recently become deathly afraid of a certain shade of blue? These are just a few of the questions confronting Vincents friends- baker-turned-painter Lucien Lessard and bon vivant Henri Toulouse-Lautrec- who vow to discover the truth about van Goghs untimely death. Their quest will lead them on a surreal odyssey and brothel-crawl deep into the art world of late nineteenth-century Paris. 5.   Kitty Cornered  by Bob Tarte   Tarte has a remarkable ability to depict animal behavior and see the humor (and toils) of   pets without anthropomorphizing his beloved menagerie. Fans of his previous work (Enslaved by Ducks, Fowl Weather)  will once again delight in the various antics of all his animals, but will appreciate the focus on his six quirky felines. I dare you not to fall in love with Frannie and all the others. 6.   11/22/63  by Stephen King   King, of course, has been a popular favorite for over thirty years but he has not always enjoyed critical acclaim; this novel, however, has garnered both. Most people will instantly recognize 11/22/63 as the infamous date when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. King imagines what would happen if a time traveler was able to go back to that fateful day and change the course of history. 7.   Little Bee  by Chris Cleave Also being tucked into beach bags this summer is Chris Cleaves  Little Bee.   If you enjoy riveting, character-based novels, this might be a good choice for you too.   Here is what the  Washington Post  had to say: Little Bee  will blow you away. In restrained, diamond-hard prose, Cleave alternates between these two characters points of view as he pulls the threads of their dark but often funny story tight. What unfolds between them is both surprising and inevitable, thoroughly satisfying if also heart-rending. 8.   Sandman (Series)  by Neil Gaiman Sometimes summer demands becoming totally obsessed with a series.   You couldnt ask for a better way to spend dozens of hours than to be immersed in Gaimans series of graphic novels. The  Sandman  novels are a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend. The works are   widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. 9.   Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain  by David Eagleman   Looking for a good non-fiction read that also serves as a dandy excuse that no one will bother you about playing volleyball or frisbee or anything remotely athletic? This is the book for you. You get to learn all sorts of cool stuff here, like why you keep dreaming that dream about the elephant in your mothers underpantsor is that just me?   Seriously, though, Eaglemans study is a fascinating look into what goes on inside the brain, both consciously and unconsciously. Listen to a great interview with Eagleman on NPRs  Fresh Air  here. 10.   Undead and Undermined  by Mary Janice Davidson Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor thought she couldnt die. So whats she doing in the morgue? It could have something to do with a time- traveling trip she made, and a foe with a wicked agenda that could finally be the real death of Betsy-if shes not careful. Cmon. You  know  you  want to.   Ã‚  Tuck it into your snooty copy of Tolstoy if you must (be prepared to explain the funny parts though) or flaunt it and ask the person next to you if they would also enjoy some box wine and some Cheetos. Cmoooooon. its  summer.

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic In the article, Coding New Instances of Objects, I wrote about the various ways that New instances of objects can be created. The opposite problem, disposing an object, is something that you wont have to worry about in VB.NET very often. .NET includes a technology called Garbage Collector (GC) that usually takes care of everything behind the scenes silently and efficiently. But occasionally, usually when using file streams, sql objects or graphics (GDI) objects (that is, unmanaged resources), you may need to take control of disposing objects in your own code. First, Some Background Just as a constructor (the New keyword) creates a new object, a destructor is a method that is called when an object is destroyed. But theres a catch. The people who created .NET realized that it was a formula for bugs if two different pieces of code could actually destroy an object. So the .NET GC is actually in control and its usually the only code that can destroy the instance of the object. The GC destroys an object when it decides to and not before. Normally, after an object leaves scope, it is released by the common language runtime (CLR). The GC destroys objects when the CLR needs more free memory. So the bottom line is that you cant predict when GC will actually destroy the object. (Welllll ... Thats true nearly all of the time. You can call GC.Collect and force a garbage collection cycle, but authorities universally say its a bad idea and totally unnecessary.) For example, if your code has created a Customer object, it may seem that this code will destroy it again. Customer = Nothing But it doesnt. (Setting a an object to Nothing is commonly called, dereferencing the object.) Actually, it just means that the variable isnt associated with an object anymore. At some time later, the GC will notice that the object is available for destruction. By the way, for managed objects, none of this is really necessary. Although an object like a Button will offer a Dispose method, its not necessary to use it and few people do. Windows Forms components, for example, are added to a container object named components. When you close a form, its Dispose method is called automatically. Usually, you only have to worry about any of this when using unmanaged objects, and even then just to optomize your program. The recommended way to release any resources that might be held by an object is to call the Dispose method for the object (if one is available) and then dereference the object. Customer.Dispose() Customer Nothing Because GC will destroy an orphaned object, whether or not you set the object variable to Nothing, its not really necessary. Another recommended way to make sure that objects are destroyed when theyre not needed anymore is to put the code that uses an object into a Using block. A Using block guarantees the disposal of one or more such resources when your code is finished with them. In the GDI series, the Using block is put to use quite frequently to manage those pesky graphics objects. For example ... Using myBrush As LinearGradientBrush _ New LinearGradientBrush( _ Me.ClientRectangle, _ Color.Blue, Color.Red, _ LinearGradientMode.Horizontal) ... more code ... End Using myBrush is disposed of automagically when the end of the block is executed. The GC approach to managing memory is a big change from the way VB6 did it. COM objects (used by VB6) were destroyed when an internal counter of references reached zero. But it was too easy to make a mistake so the internal counter was off. (Because memory was tied up and not available to other objects when this happened, this was called a memory leak.) Instead, GC actually checks to see whether anything is referencing an object and destroys it when there are no more references. The GC approach has a good history in languages like Java and is one of the big improvements in .NET. On the next page, we look into the IDisposable interface... the interface to use when you need to Dispose unmanaged objects in your own code. If you code your own object that uses unmanaged resources, you should use the IDisposable interface for the object. Microsoft makes this easy by including a code snippet that creates the right pattern for you. Click Here to display the illustrationClick the Back button on your browser to return The code that is added looks like this (VB.NET 2008): Class ResourceClass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Implements IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚   To detect redundant calls   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private disposed As Boolean False   Ã‚  Ã‚   IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overridable Sub Dispose( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free your own state (unmanaged objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set large fields to null.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Me.disposed True   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #Region IDisposable Support   Ã‚  Ã‚   This code added by Visual Basic to   Ã‚  Ã‚   correctly implement the disposable pattern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(True)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(False)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #End Region End Class Dispose is almost an enforced developer design pattern in .NET. Theres really only one correct way to do it and this is it. You might think this code does something magic. It doesnt. First note that the internal flag disposed simply short-circuits the whole thing so you can call Dispose(disposing) as often as you like. The code ... GC.SuppressFinalize(Me) ... makes your code more efficient by telling the GC that the object has already been disposed (an expensive operation in terms of execution cycles). Finalize is Protected because GC calls it automatically when an object is destroyed. You should never call Finalize. The Boolean disposing tells the code whether your code initiated the objects disposal (True) or whether the GC did it (as part of the Finalize sub. Note that the only code that uses the Boolean disposing is: If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects). End If When you dispose of an object, all of its resources must be disposed of. When the CLR garbage collector disposes of an object only the unmanaged resources must be disposed of because the garbage collector automatically takes care of the managed resources. The idea behind this code snippet is that you add code to take care of managed and unmanaged objects in the indicated locations. When you derive a class from a base class that implements IDisposable, you dont have to override any of the base methods unless you use other resources that also need to be disposed. If that happens, the derived class should override the base classs Dispose(disposing) method to dispose of the derived classs resources. But remember to call the base classs Dispose(disposing) method. Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free managed resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free unmanaged resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Dispose(disposing) End Sub The subject can be slightly overwhelming. The purpose of the explanation here is to demystify whats actually happening because most of the information you can find doesnt tell you!

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Compare - Essay Example In addition to managing to produce their own currency, the two companies also aimed at enhancing electronic transactions. This is evidenced by Levitan’s desire; he wanted to establish a currency that was different from other internet merchants. Just like Levitan, Nakamoto also worked industriously with an aim of making Bitcoin an open source exchange medium (â€Å"Bitcoin Foundation† 1). Additionally, the two dot-com ventures experienced serious transaction challenges at the start of their formation. In late 2010, the users of Bitcoin.com managed to overcome its economic restrictions leading to creation of indistinct number of bitcoins. 184 billion was raised and directed to two online addresses. Flooze.com also faced similar problem in 2001; a Russian crime syndicate used Flooz along with stolen credit card numbers in their money-laundering scheme (CNET News.com Staff 1). Unfortunately, Flooze.com did not manage to overcome this challenge; the fraudulent activity led t o its indefinite closure in late

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan - Essay Example Gillette is such one brand of this corporation. It is a brand of safety razors and other personal hygiene range of products. The razors of this company protect the skin from all parts of the razor except the edge alone. The skin is in contact with the edge of the razor alone. This is as opposed to cut-throat razors also called straight razors. Here, the skin is contact with the whole of the razor. A safety razor reduces the risk of injury to the skin. That is the reason why they are preferred by men for shaving. Gillette used to be a company on its own. It was started in 1895 (Bonoma 56). The founder was King C. Gillette. He named the company after himself. It used to deal with a range of consumer goods, the safety razors included. However, in the year 2005, more than a century after been founded, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble (Bonoma 57). That is how it ended up been a brand of this multinational corporation. It is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It no longer exists as a company now, but as a brand. Not only does Gillette produce safety razors for shaving, it also has a range of other products. It produces antiperspirants, hair care and body products. Its products are aimed for grooming, especially in males. It has Gillette shave gel and after shave (Cundiff 98). These products are designed to make the shaving experience for the man as comfortable as possible. Gillette's anti-deodorant is said to be of clinical status. The hair products are also designed for the man (Bonoma 25). They include stylers, shampoos and hair conditioners. It also has a wide range of shower gels for men (Ferrell 56). They include those aimed for dry skin, oily and normal skin. They also include face wash gels for men. The gels were hitherto thought to be the preserve of women. Target Market for Gillette Products The target market for Gillette Company products is the young men aged between sixteen and thirty-four years (Cundiff 36). The grooming products especially are targeted at this age bracket. Gillette has aggressive promotional campaigns aimed at this group. The challenge is to convince these men that grooming is not the preserve of women. It used to sponsor a soccer game every Saturday in the 1990's. This was called Soccer Saturday. It was aired by Sky Sports Channel (Ferrell 98). An average of one million young males watched this program in the year 2005-2006. This was an average of one million every month. This made up around a quarter of the target population for the Gillette products (Bonoma 98). Gillette has used Soccer Saturday to not only market the existing brands, but also as a launching pad for new products (Ferrell 78). This is what happened when the company introduced Mach3, Turbo and M3Power range of products. In terms of market growth, the company's products continue to enjoy popularity amongst the target population. They are the most famous. Gillette is likely to remain the leader in this market. A SWOT Analysis of Gillette Company Strengths Gillette Company has obvious strengths that work to its advantage. These are internal factors that help it to remain the most popular company in this area. First, the company is managed by qualified professionals (Cundiff 45). The staffs are also highly qualified professionals in their field. For a company to be productive, every sector must be headed by a qualified person. Every department in this company is headed by a quali

American Needs a Medical School Application Loan Program Essay

American Needs a Medical School Application Loan Program For more than a year, a large part of my time has been spent applying to medical schools. I have dedicated much energy to prepare for and take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), obtain multiple letters of recommendation from my professors, interview for a health professions committee letter of recommendation from my university, complete and submit the applications, and interview at various medical schools. Although this process proved to be a positive experience, the extraordinary cost of applying to medical schools poses a danger of limiting individuals with limited financial resources. Moreover, the lack of scholarship or loan programs to assist students with the application process further contributes to this danger. One of the first hurdles of applying to medical school is the MCAT. Although many students prepare for this exam on their own, a large portion of students choose to take preparatory classes offered by various private test preparation companies. These courses, which often cost in excess of $1000, teach students not only the basic concepts covered on the MCAT, but also helpful test-taking techniques unique to the MCAT. Thus, these preparatory classes may provide students with helpful advice and knowledge unavailable to those who cannot afford the classes. I attribute much of my success on the MCAT to these helpful hints; furthermore, many of my fellow pre-medical colleagues, who were unable to take the preparatory classes because of financial constraints, scored poorly on the exam. Hence, I believe MCAT preparation courses significantly increase one's probability of performing well on the MCAT, and, since these courses are out of reach for many... ...expenses should not impede a student's desire to apply to medical school and achieve his or her goal of becoming a physician. Although AMCAS and some medical schools have attempted to alleviate this problem by providing fee waivers or reductions, these efforts fall short of solving the problem of financial impedance to medical applicants. Many students from moderate income families cannot receive these fee waivers; moreover, their families cannot provide the $2000 to $3000 necessary to apply to medical school. Thus, I believe that the Department of Education, in conjunction with private loan companies, should provide low interest, medical school application loan programs. Through these loan programs, qualified students who lack necessary application funds, may rightfully apply to medical schools without facing the exuberant and potentially limiting application fees.

Cisco Systems, Inc Essay

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American-based multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking and communications technology and services. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Cisco has more than 65,000 employees and annual revenue of US$40. 0 billion as of 2010. The stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009, and is also included in the S&P 500 Index the Russell 1000 Index, NASDAQ100 Index and the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index. [4] Cisco is one of the world’s biggest technology corporations. Corporate history One of the many buildings on the Cisco Systems campus in San Jose Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, a married couple who worked as computer operations staff members at Stanford University, later joined by Richard Troiano, founded Cisco Systems in 1984. Lerner moved on to direct computer services at Schlumberger, moving full time to Cisco in 1987. The name â€Å"Cisco† was derived from the city name, San Francisco, which is why the company’s engineers insisted on using the lower case â€Å"cisco† in the early days. For Cisco’s first product, Bosack adapted multiple-protocol router software originally written some years before by William Yeager, another Stanford employee who later joined Sun Microsystems. The company’s first CEO was Bill Graves, who held the position from 1987 to 1988. [5] In 1988, John Morgridge was appointed CEO, and succeeded in 1995 by John Chambers. While Cisco was not the first company to develop and sell a router,[6] it was one of the first to sell commercially successful routers supporting multiple network protocols. [7] As the Internet Protocol (IP) became widely adopted, the importance of multi-protocol routing declined. Today, Cisco’s largest routers are primarily used to deliver IP packets. In 1990, the company was listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Lerner was fired; as a result Bosack quit after receiving $200 million. Most of those profits were given to charities and the two later divorced. Cisco acquired a variety of companies to bring in products and talent into the company. Several acquisitions, such as Stratacom, were the biggest deals in the industry when they occurred. During the Internet boom in 1999, the company acquired Cerent Corporation, a start-up company located in Petaluma, California, for about US$7 billion. It was the most expensive acquisition made by Cisco to date, and only the acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta has been larger. Several acquired companies have grown into $1Bn+ business units for Cisco, including LAN switching, Enterprise Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and home networking. Cisco acquired Linksys in 2003. In late March 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, Cisco was the most valuable company in the world, with a market capitalization of more than US$500 billion. [8][9] In July 2009, with a market cap of about US$108. 3 billion,[10] it is still one of the most valuable companies. [11] The company was a 2002-03 recipient of the Ron Brown Award,[citation needed] a U. S. presidential honor to recognize companies â€Å"for the exemplary quality of their relationships with employees and communities†. In 2010, Cisco bought Starent Networks, a mobile technology company and Moto Development Group, a product design consulting firm that helped develop Cisco’s Flip video camera. [12] The Company has built its Globalization Centre East in Bangalore for $1 billion and 20% of Cisco’s leaders will be based there.