Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Bram Stoker's Dracula Compared to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Essay

Bram Stoker's Dracula Compared to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - Essay Example aim being awarded to Shelley, who pioneered in brining a literary concept to light, which was initially an unchartered territory for most authors as she combined elements of Goth and Horror with that of science fiction. Although, Dracula and Frankenstein are essentially from the same genre with some overlapping themes, but the concept and the depiction of themes contain some stark dissimilarity as well. The substance of this prose will delve into each of the aspects one by one: Dracula and Frankenstein both entailed a similar theme about life, death and resurrection. Both creatures possess a strong fascination for the human world, which drives Frankenstein to read books by eminent authors, whereas Dracula reads English magazines to gain a deeper understanding of the human world. This is the prime reason as to why both Dracula and Frankenstein are known to have sophisticated intellect and are capable of making conversation on any subject, which adds to Dracula’s charisma in the society, but doesn’t help Frankenstein’s case because of his horrifying appearance. In fact the monster created by Frankenstein had grown miserable of his life and expressed it in the following words: â€Å"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge† (Shelley, 2004, p. 137) Moreover, the stories are centered on the same theme that involves a group of men trying to eliminate a monster that is nothing but scourge for the society. Besides the character, the literary technique used to project the story is also quite similar as both authors wrote their novels in an epistolary form; in simpler word, the story is told through the correspondences of the main characters with each other. However, it is a clear indication that the entire story is told from a one-sided perspective of the protagonist

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Sodor Oil Terminal

The Sodor Oil Terminal Introduction The Sodor Oil Terminal project was undertaken by a team of students as a case study in project management. The purpose of the exercise was to organize and plan the project as part of a project team, and deal with events arising during the project life, utilizing techniques and tools learned during the study of project management. Management of the Project Team Team Selection The team selection for the project was left to individuals, who had to form themselves into teams based on personal choice and internal acceptance. In an educational setting random group selection is very common but not realistic as it does not consider the diversity of skills among the students (Blowers 2003). In terms of skill sets the team forming in this project was random in that there was no comparison before a team was selected, merely a choice of friends or acquaintances. This would seem to be negative and, as Blowers (2003) pointed out, totally unrealistic in the business world, where teams of high skill-set individuals would be chosen to give a project the highest possible chance of success. However, the team selection was not as random as it first seemed, as four members of the team had worked together before, and although it was not acknowledged formally, were aware of each individuals skills and working methods. This proved to be a positive feature in the project development. There were an additional two members of the group who were known only to one of the core four, and this also proved to be significant during the course of the project. Team Development Tabaka (2006) paraphrasing Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stated that in the forming stage the team members must acquaint themselves with each other and judge their own and others role in the team. This stage was already accomplished in the team which formed for the Sodor project. Four out of six members had already worked with each other in previous projects and knew each others capabilities. The two extra members were unknown, did not turn up initially, and showed no enthusiasm for participating in the project tasks. They were therefore largely ignored in terms of expectations of the other team members. The second stage according to Tuckman and Jensen is storming where team members try to exert power over one another, and jockey for position within the group. This stage was also already completed within the core team at the start of the project, and the team had already surpassed Tuckman and Jensens norming stage, with the trust having been built up in previous team encounters, and the ability to work together successfully having already been achieved. The team was therefore ready for Tuckman and Jensenss performing stage. Unfortunately the two outsiders to the team never achieved a real measure of trust within the team, so they remained outsiders for the rest of the project, but were allowed to contribute in a small way whenever they expressed a desire. Team Project Management In the initial stages of the Sodor project tasks, most of the project team was missing for the meetings. This would seem to be a very unfortunate and negative feature for the progression of the project. Ericksen and Dyer (2004) maintained that most of the successful project teams they had studied had had a very decisive launch, with solid project management, direction and clarification right at the beginning, as opposed to the teams who had procrastinated and lacked direction. As there was no-one else to take the position, the one team member present in the initial stages of the Sodor project took on the responsibility of project manager, at least for that stage of the project. The team member had to act alone at the start of the project and was able to be decisive and act with direction precisely because there was no-one else to interfere, and no negotiations to be performed, and the project was able to progress. As the team was already normed it was able to move into the performing stage. The reaction of the other team members was approval that the team member had shown the responsibility to take on the task. There was also an underlying understanding that the other team members would accept future responsibilities. This understanding was formulated into an informal contract of work within the team, more out of conformance to the project guidelines than from the need within the team. Throughout the course of the rest of the project the other team members fulfilled their roles as had been agreed in the contract of works. It was decided that the areas of relevance within the project would each have an individual largely responsible for that particular area. The areas of relevance chosen were planning, costing, procurements, and configuration or change management. The four core members of the group accepted responsibility for an area each with little consultation between members, with the two outside members agreeing to assist whenever needed. This seemingly discrete allocation of tasks would have been a negative feature in some teams but was suitable for the character of the team members, all being highly motivated and goal oriented individuals, but also having a high level of trust in their other team members to deliver. There was an element of informal skills measurement in the allocation of the tasks, done on a purely experiential basis rather than empirical evi dence. Tenenberg (2008) questioned whether people who are highly individual can be encouraged into more collaborative behaviour in order to make teamwork more effective. He quoted Cain et al. (1996) and stated that software development should be regarded as essentially social and that the social side of the activity needs to be addressed the same principle could be applied to any projects which are team-based. Tenenberg (2008) stated that teams have in common a set of collective action problems which require teamwork to be solved. One of those problems mentioned is that of dealing with people who do not contribute to the teams efforts. The Sodor project team did not address this problem at all, largely because the team worked as co-operative individuals rather than a team, and those who did not co-operate were simply ignored and their potential workload absorbed by the co-operating members. Akgun et al. (2007) also postulated team processes as a way to improve the chances of a projects success, and put forward the idea of group potency a belief held by team members that they can be effective. Although the Sodor team worked largely as individuals there was a genuine trust among the main members and a genuine belief in the potency factor which may have been mistaken. Summary The team did not behave as a traditional team with a high level of interaction and decision making but rather as a set of co-operating individuals. It did, however, go through the traditional Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stages of development, albeit before the Sodor project began, and also displayed some of the characteristics of a team as defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993) complementary team members with common goals and approaches who were willing to be held accountable to the other team members. Evaluation of the Project General frameworks of project management can be found from many sources. Gannon (1994) suggested that project management should consist of six functions planning, organizing, executing, monitoring, reporting and controlling. Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) proposed four main activities planning, monitoring, co-ordinating, and reviewing. The Sodor project will be evaluated using the categories of planning, and monitoring and control. The Gantt charts and cost schedules from this section can be found in the Appendix attached. Planning the Project Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) cited Jordan and Machesky (1990) and proposed that the planning stage was the foundation for the other project activities. Dvir et al. (2003) reported that a belief amongst project management professionals (supported by the Project Management Institutes Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge hereinafter referred to as the PMBOK) is that planning is an essential activity which cannot guarantee success, but without which a project will most certainly fail. This belief was reflected in the Sodor case study where half of the activities were on planning the project. Activity Planning Initially, the Sodor project was presented as a textual case study, providing information to construct a work breakdown structure. Andersen (1996) argued that in a real situation activity planning cannot be completed when it is most useful, i.e. at the start of the project, because all of the activities cannot be known then. The Sodor projects activities were identified and provided, so a work breakdown structure could be constructed by the project leader. Other categorizations of the work and different breakdowns were possible but the project team was happy with the project managers decisions. Project Planning Hughes (1995) suggested a Step Wise guide for software projects with details of the stages a project planning team must complete to achieve an effective project plan. PRINCE2 a methodology advocated and required by the UK government also prescribes stages of project development including planning, which reflects the PMBOK areas of Scope, Time and Cost Management. (Siegelaub 2004). Scope management was outside the brief of the Sodor project team as it was provided in the project information. Clear objectives and methods were also provided and no feasibility study was necessary. Therefore the first main planning activity of the Sodor team was in time and cost management to produce a Gantt chart and estimated costs schedule based on the work breakdown structure and provided task precedences to calculate an estimated project end date and project cost. The next stage in planning was to choose vendors.The vendor selection process was carried out by one member of the team acting as project manager. This was where the rest of the team should have had more input, as two important issues in project management would arise which had implications later risk management and quality management. Risk Management The PMBOK devotes a whole knowledge area to risk management and PRINCE2 identifies risk as one of its components. The PMBOK suggests four phases of risk management identification, quantification, response and ultimately control. The Sodor project was totally dependent on third party vendors for both the supply of materials and construction. The biggest identifiable risk for the project would be the failure of a supplier or contractor to deliver on time. This would be particularly relevant to the tasks within the project which were on the critical path in the original estimated plan. Therefore the vendor selection for these tasks should have been carefully considered. Risk is usually quantified as a function of the risks occurrence probability and occurrence impact. (Williams 1996). The probability is a difficult judgement to make but the team was supplied with ratings which were based on how reliable the vendor was. The impact was the penalty cost for late project delivery. The contractors for the two critical tasks of jetty design and construction, and the installation of piping equipment were only rated 2. This proved to cause problems later. Methods of risk management include trying to reduce the risk (Gannon 1994). Of course, reducing the risk by choosing higher rated vendors would have had a cost and would have to have been judged to be cost effective. This was partly taken into account in the vendor selection policy, but should have warranted more attention from the project team. Another way of dealing with the risk in a real situation would have been to deflect it (Gannon 1994) by transferring it to the vendors. Penalty clauses could have been inserted into their contracts for overrunning the quoted task durations. The Sodor project team were not able to do this, so reduction of the risk was the only option available. Quality Management The PMBOK also devotes a whole knowledge area to quality management, so it is obviously an important area for project managers to consider. In the Sodor project the quality of the vendors was the greatest area for consideration. The only indicator of this was the rating provided, which was used in the vendor selection. In a real world situation vendors could have been required to conform to International Organization for Standardization quality standards such as ISO 9001:2008 dealing with Quality Management Systems Requirements, but this was not an option for the project team. After the completion of the planning phase with vendor selection, a final baseline plan and costings were produced. In order to adjust the project end date to conform to the required schedule it was decided to pay overtime to the painting contractor. At this point cash flow should also have been considered by delaying the times for the purchase of materials until necessary but it was not, a potentially huge mistake in the commercial world. Monitoring and Control Gannon (1994) stated that project performance can be measured by the comparison of actual progress to the original planned progress at any stage in the project. The slippages in the Sodor project at 25 weeks were entered into the project Gantt chart and it was found that as a result of slippage in critical path activities the project would overrun by 4 weeks compared to the baseline, and penalties would apply. The project team had 3 choices accept the penalties, reduce the length of an activity on the critical path by paying overtime (known as the time-cost tradeoff problem, (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006)), or reconsider the precedence requirements (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006). It was found that paying overtime to the painting contractor to reduce the project duration by 4 weeks was less than the potential penalties and less complicated than reconsidering the precedence requirements. Further problems at the 25 April 2001 stage were caused by the vendor selection for the jetty erection. For the same reasons as above it was decided to pay for overtime on the jetty erection thereby reducing the critical path back in line with the required completion date. By the project closeout it was found that as a result of a reduction in a critical path activity the project completed 2 weeks early and earned bonuses. Summary The project was a success if the criteria was to complete the project in time. But more careful selection of vendors could have also cut the costs of the project the choice of the pipe installation vendor in particular could have produced substantial bonuses. The complete exclusion of any consideration for cash flow was also a major mistake. In the real commercial world, projects can fail because of cash flow problems, so this should have been recognized. Conclusion The Sodor Oil Terminal project was a success in terms of completion of the project within the required time. Pinto and Slevin (1988) measure success simply by achieving the projects time and costs schedule, accompanied by an adequate performance. This approach, however, ignores the factors of commercial success in the marketplace, and how the future of the organization as a whole has been affected by the project, factors recognized by Shenhar et al. (1997). The Sodor project could have been completed within a smaller budget, with greater commercial success and larger profits for future investment in the organization if greater attention had been paid in the areas of vendor selection in terms of risk management. The financial pressure of the large project on the organization could have been offset by greater attention to costings in terms of cash flow optimization. These negative conclusions can be directly attributed to the project teams lack of real teamwork in not questioning each others actions enough or discussing relevant issues.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Religion Essay -- Character Analysis, Daja, Nathan

William Hazlitt, a British writer during the early 1800’s once said, â€Å"Prejudice is the child of ignorance.† During the eighteenth-century, the time period in which Gotthold Ephraim Lessing wrote his play, Nathan the Wise, there was much religious prejudice displayed throughout Europe, specifically against the Jewish and Muslim populations. For instance, Ronald Schechter notes, â€Å"eighteenth-century writers typically portrayed Jews as greedy moneylenders, [and] depicted Muslims as violent despots and servants of the despots† (4). Many people perceived Christianity as the only true religion; however, Lessing challenges these notions of Christian superiority throughout his play. One way he does this is by not portraying the Christian characters as any better or worse than the characters of different religions; in fact, the Patriarch is characterized as a despot, similar to how eighteenth-century writers portrayed Muslims. Furthermore, he tries to illustrate that not one religion be it Christianity, Islam, or Judaism is greater than the others, but rather all religions are ultimately equal in the eyes of God. From factors such as characters’ portrayal, the play’s audience is able to grasp Lessing’s overall view of Christianity, which is also his main message throughout—â€Å"Christians do not have a monopoly on religious truths† (Schechter 10). In Lessing’s play there are four Christian characters and two of the four, Daja and the Patriarch, are portrayed negatively. Daja, a Christian servant of Nathan and his stepdaughter Recha, is characterized as â€Å"one of those fanatics who imagine they know the universal and only true path to God† (111). Although she tries to be a devout Christian, she betrays Nathan by revealing his secret regarding ... ...sides† (118). Although this is only a stage direction and not an actual line from the play, it nonetheless has a major impact on the play. The fact that all characters, representing each of the three religions, come together in the end exemplifies what the author is trying to portray throughout. As Ronald Schechter notes in the introduction, â€Å"The play does not end with the various characters tolerating each other. It ends with them embracing each other [†¦]† (20). Having the play conclude this way conveys Lessing’s thoughts on religion. Lessing does not think of Christianity as any better or worse than Judaism or Islam, rather â€Å"practitioners of different religions can please God equally† (Schechter 16). And until that higher, experienced judge comes down to rule which religion is better than the others, all religions should be thought as equal in the eyes of God.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Employee Involvement Case Essay

For the case 1 â€Å"the sugar substitute research decision†, I will choose high involvement, which is let the subordinates to discuss the problems and identify a solution. So the entire decision-making process is handed over to employees, identify the problems, choose the best alternative and implement their choice. For the second case â€Å"coast guard cutter decision problem†, I will choose the low involvement, which is ask one or more subordinates foe information relating to the problem, but you don’t ask for their recommendations and might not mention the problem to them. So they don’t make recommendations and only participation involves is asking employees for information. Discussion Question 2 The first factor led me to choose high involvement is the decision structure; this problem is not programmed decision but a little bit complexity and more opportunity. This product need to take some source away from other projects in order to required some time and resources before it would be commercially stage. Second, source of decision knowledge could show that the leader lack sufficient knowledge and subordinates have addition information to improve decision quality. I don’t know much about demand is expected and the sugar substitute project beyond my technical expertise. However, the R&D lab researchers are familiar with that field of chemistry. Third, the decision commitment is trended to improve if high level of involvement to her decision. If the employees are unlikely to accept a decision made without their involvement, some level of involvement should be used. For this case, the company R&D budget is limited and other scientist in my group has recently complained th at they require more resources and financial support to get their projects completed. So the employees’ complaints make me chose high involvement. Also, the employees ‘committed make me believe that they have promise to ensure the company’s interest are achieved so that I should give them more involvement to ensure the project could be finished without conflict. For the second case, the first factor led me to choose low involvement is that this is likely programmd decisions which are follow  standard operating procedures and they have been resolved in past. So there is little needs for high involvement that may waste of time under this necessary and risk situation. Second, the leader has much knowledge to solve this problem which may occur in the past, and as the captain, I totally understand the mission and the goal for the mission. So that may need less recommendation from other employees who lack of experiences and abilities. However, the low involvement not no involvement, so I received an update weather advisory concerning the severity and duration of the storm, which is important to making decision. Moreover, the decision must be made shortly by facing a lot of risks. So if take long time to make high involvement may lead to unnecessary dangers. Third, the factor of risk of conflict is depend on the situation between the employee goals and norms conflict with the organization’s goals, and this would be take low involvement. Also, if there is low conflict that the employees will reach agreement on the preferred solution, then take low involvement. For this case, my crew members are extremely conscientious about their responsibility, so I don’t need to take additional time to take high involvement under this low conflict with the preferred solutions. Discussion Question 3 To the first case, if take low involvement may take longer time to solve this problem due to the fact that the leader has less knowledge about this technology of projects. Less involvement will not help to improve the number and quality of solutions generated. This case is complex so that need to prepare several alternatives with more available information which the employees who has more knowledge are good to support. Also, with the diverse perspectives and boarder representation of value may help to improve the likelihood of choosing the best alter nativities. Besides, these projects are group work in this organization, providing more involvement is good to make staff fell personally responsible for its success. However, the low involvement may lead to lower turnover, motivation and satisfaction. Moreover, if the leader uses low involvement, there is many more compliant and most likely to resist changes resulting from the decision by leader alone. To the second case, the higher involvement was taken, the higher risk could occur during the decision making. The reason is that the research has  been doing for 20 hours and the weather are more likely to affect the lives in the vessel. So taking time longer to do involvement are defiantly dangers. Also, the captain must be the one who has valuable experiences and ability to make the most perfect decision. So taking long time to doing high involvement could make the whole team lost of control. After all, everybody has different attitude and value that may have conflicts with the mission and the whole organization when they face the risk situation. Furthermore, too low involvement or no involvement may also make wrong decision, so the necessary information from weather advisory concerning are useful for helping the captain decrease the mistake when making the decision in the short time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Go Lovely Rose: An Explication Essay

Topic Sentence 1: The lover has emphasized sweetness and loveliness of his lady by comparing her to rose. Proof 1: He seems to be disappointed by the fact that his warm love has not been requited by the lady he loves. His impassioned address to the rose – â€Å"Go, lovely Rose† – is an instance of apostrophe, a figure of speech effectively used. This comparison not only highlights the lady’s beauty, it also underscores its fragility. Proof. 2. It is the philosophy of hedonism that preached here. The pleasures of human life are indeed short-lived; so lovers should not waste valuable time in prolonged courtship. They should confess their love and accept the bliss of love. He is full of regret that her shyness does nothing but â€Å"wastes her time and me,† (l. 2) Proof 3. The poet reminds his beloved that death is the inevitable end of everybody’s life, therefore they should live fully and happily before death can seize them. His contemplative mood reminds him of the fact that each day brings all creatures closer to the grave. The rose which symbolizes beauty and sweetness may remind her of the common fate of all living creatures: â€Å"Then die — that she †¦May read in thee;†(ll. 16-18) A realization of this kind may change her mind and requite his love. Topic Sentence 2 : He urges the lady to enjoy the warmth of attention she is receiving from her lover rather than feel embarrassed by it. It is a pity that she â€Å"shuns to have her graces spied†(l. 7) He argues that her beauty would have been wasted if she lived in a desert. Then there would be no one to appreciate her beauty. The existence of beauty is only justified if there are viewers to admire it. Proof. 1. The Puritanical coyness of the ladylove seems to be an impediment to the fulfillment of his love and it only deepens his gloom. Living in isolation may make her more covetable and attractive, but it is unwise â€Å"not blush so to be admired. † (l. 15) The etymological meaning of the word â€Å"blush† is to â€Å"redden† which is derived from the Middle English blusshen, from Old English blyscan to redden, according Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The red color is associated with a lady in love and also with rose which is often chosen by lovers as a gift to express their love. Proof. 2. In this poem we find the recurrent theme of carpe diem reinforced as in John Donne’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† and other poems. Even the things â€Å"wondorous sweet and fair† (l. 20 ) are not beyond the jurisdiction of ageing and death. Proof 3. The lover asserts that beauty is useless unless there is some one to admire it. Her beauty would have gone unnoticed if she were born and brought up in a desert. The beauty of human form is revealed by light and therefore it would be unwise to conceal it by blushing as he says, â€Å"not blush so to be admired. † (l. 15) Topic Sentence 3: He reminds his coy mistress that it is a privilege to be the object of male attention, and it is wise not to spurn it. Proof 1: In the final stanza he reiterates the central theme of carpe diem – human life is short, therefore enjoy it. He makes an appeal to her to â€Å"Suffer herself to be desired† (l. 14) and not to withdraw from public gaze out of false modesty. The metaphor of light and darkness is very apt. Beauty is hidden in darkness; similarly love is marred by its concealment. As light reveals beauty, so love is denied by withdrawal. Lovers should express their feelings spontaneously. Proof 2: If we think of eternity, the span of human youth and beauty is indeed very brief. The span of human life is indeed short. Even three scores and ten or more is a very brief period to fulfill one’s desires. Reflection on the fleeting nature of the life one should make one conscious of its limitations and lead to a meaningful life in which there is no time to waste. Proof 3: The rose is a beautiful flower with sweet fragrance, but it is also short-lived. It stands for the beauty as well as vulnerability of life. The use of the word â€Å"resemble† to mean â€Å"compare† is archaic according to Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary. Conclusion: The lover in the poem (not necessarily the poet) attempts to persuade his lady to share his positive outlook on life and enjoy life to the brim. He is very modern in outlook. What he says is better appreciated in the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. Closing statement: The message to the lady is a universal one: every lover feels that lovers should not suppress their feelings under the cover of social respectability. They must not delay their decision to choose their mate as human life may not grant him or her another opportunity. Restate thesis: The poem explores a lover’s complaint to his lady about the need for eschewing her coyness and reciprocate his love by responding quickly as human life is ephemeral. Human life should be lived happily and meaningfully in which there is no scope for wasting time in vain modesty. Work Cited Waller, Edmund. â€Å"Go, Lovely Rose†. http://classicpoetryaloud. podomatic. com/entry/2007-12-04T00_24_07-08_00 (The text of the poem. Accessed on 12/29/08) Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary. 2003. Version 3. 0 (CD-ROM) 29-Dec-08

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The shining houses essays

The shining houses essays The Shining Houses by Alice Munro is a classic story which portrays the simple yet innovative idea of conflict between old and the new and the human reaction to everyday change. Both sides of the story (tradition and diversity) have very strong feelings of what they expect to be done which leads to a fierce and controversial conflict between the two parties. The main character, Mary, is caught in the middle of the argument forcing her to make and take an opinion, a forced opinion that everyone will encounter at some point of their life. The role of the old in the story is portrayed by Mrs. Fullerton, the longest living residence of the community. Her attitude towards change closely relates to the oldest generation living today. These people grew up in the early 1900s during a time when life was described as simplistic and calm, but now with the extreme advances in technology many of these people are unable to cope of accept the new ways of life. Even though she is being ambushed by all things new, Mrs. Fullerton continues to fight the oppression she is being subjected to with her strong will and old time ways. Mrs. Fullertons house is described in the story as something unique, a one of a kind left in a world of conformity. Many people view change as just destroying the already perfect world to create an easier life for a minority group. Her only source of income is being seriously threatened as her own egg business cannot compete with the new environment of grocery stores and supermarkets. Change, symbolized in the new shining houses is described as an awful disgrace to the earth for the damages to the ground and the environment described as being placed in the wounds of the earth and resulted in leaving the earth raw. Alice Munro does a wonderful job of making The Shining Houses as true to life as possible. She is able to do this by the point of ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Competition or Bust essays

Competition or Bust essays The world in which we live is a extremely competitive environment. It is nothing less than a doggy-dog world, where only the strong survive. It was become a fast-paced ruthless business environment. Those who cannot cut it can pack up their bags and find a job shining shoes on the streets. However, we strive in our economy for this competition. Competition, although vicious at times, has many positive effects on our economy in a whole. The most important benefit of a competitive environment is the creation of incentive for change. Since firms are in competition to sell their products or services, they must continuously keep a competitive advantage over the market. In order to do this they must constantly react to meet the improvements made by other companies in their products and services. For instance, Nintendo when it first started was very profitable for a while selling its game player, but when Sony came out with a 32-bit player which intern took allot of the business away from Nintendo. So as a reaction of Sonys new player, Nintendo created a 64-bit version, that was even better in all aspects of Sonys play station. It is a continuous cycle to make companies products better than the other. Without competition what incentive would there be? Atari might still be the number one game player, because there is no one else to come up with a better idea in that product line. Competition forces people to learn more and be more creative with there knowledge. Most of the technology that we have created in the last century has been form companies trying to out do each others product line. Another very important aspect of a competitive market is the affect on price. Prices are lowered in this environment. A firm has to be competitive with the prices of other close substitutes. If a Coke was two dollars for one can while Pepsi sold theirs for fifty cents, then Coke would loose mo ...