Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s The Sun Essay

raisin in the sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, who was one of the very first African American ever to have her play performed on Broadway, during the civil rights movement. The play takes place in an uncomfortable small two bedroom apartment which the Younger family stays in. Throughout the play the family faces money, as well as family problems, but when they receive a large check the oldest son lets it get the best of him. According to Frank Ardolino journal article of Hansberry’s a Raisin in the Sun the main theme of this play is personal growth, and economic opposition to the family. While I agree with Ardolino, although when reading the play something that caught my attention was one of the main character Walter who was focused mainly on money, but also the pride of being a man, and having pride for his family. The term being a man is something said and to be expected of young boys, and men on a regular basis especially in today’s society. In the play the youngest son Travis understands that he will soon become the man of the house when his father Walter is gone, in addition to becoming a man Mama the head of the house hold lets Travis listen in on what his father says and does in order to prepare him. Being for Nigeria the family has many different traditions and values from white families here in the United States. Being from a different country it is possible that the way they are choosing to raise Travis to become a man could be different form the wayShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s The Sun Essay2042 Words   |  9 PagesRaisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry was one of the most poetic voices in American theatre. She was a playwright and an activist who wrote the incredibly successful play, A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her short life she was deeply involved in civil rights. She was the first African American playwright and the youngest American to win the New York Critics’ Circle award. Raisin in the Sun was the first of many that she envisioned challengingRead MoreAn Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 914 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is an autobiographical play written in 1950 by Lorraine Hansberry, an African American writer. The main characters are the Younger family, Mama, his son Walter and her daughter Beneatha. The play dramatizes a conflict between the main characters’ dreams and their actual lives’ struggles in poverty and racism. The main characters’ lives as African-Americans contribute to their feeling of entrapment by poverty and racism. The play predicts the black society struggles in the yearsRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1343 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is play written by Lorraine Hansberry about a struggling African American family. Set in the nineteen-fifties, the play explores the dynamics of how the family operates in a time era Chicago that challenges the family with poor economic status and racial prejudice. Hansberry uses dreams as one of her main themes in this play. Three of the characters, Walter, Beneatha, and Mama, all have a similar goal in their respective dreams, to improve the life of the whole family, butRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin And The Sun Essay2363 Words   |  10 Pagesis always a great place to start a story, yet is there a lesson to be learned if the characters ends up right where they started? That is one of the several predicaments in th e story â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Afro American writer Lorraine Hansberry. The story takes place in Chicago during the late 1950’s the civil rights era, and the most prevalent question is what makes an African American different to any other person. The story dives deep into what that is through the use of money, as the familyRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1876 Words   |  8 PagesA Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. This is a story about an African American family striving to reach the American Dream despite significant financial difficulties and a racially oppressive environment in the postwar era. The passage I chose was from Act 2, scene 3 of the play. This is when the chairmen of the neighborhood committee in Clybourne Park, Mr. Lindner comes to speak with the Younger family about their future presence in the neighborhood. This passageRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Su n 1854 Words   |  8 Pagesdrink from the same water fountain. Schools being desegregated has helped young American people grow together in an educational environment, where they can build friendships with students of other races. Throughout the play, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, Lorraine Hansberry vividly portrays the racism and discrimination of white people towards African-Americans in the fifties, as well as similarities to her own childhood. Walter Lee Younger, husband of Ruth Younger, works as a chauffeur for a rich white familyRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1797 Words   |  8 Pages Worthless money itself All money brings is nothing but dreams and evil. Where there is money there is also dishonesty or corruption.. In a play called â€Å"A Raisin In The Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, she focuses on the struggle that was faced by one African American family from late 1950s. As the play opens, the family are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the death of Mr.Younger’s insurance policy. Everyone was very excited and were waiting for the money to beRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Beneatha In A Raisin In The Sun1487 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis â€Å" A Raisin in the Sun† is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry about the life of an African American family during the era of segregation. The play starts off with the Younger family receiving a 10,000 dollar check from Mr. Younger’s insurance policy. The family argues over what they are going to do with it. Mama wants to buy a house with it, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to use the money to go to medical school. The contrast of the characters’ personalitiesRead MoreThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1570 Words   |  7 Pagesabout it their whole lives? Many families struggle to even get close to the American Dream. In Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, the Younger family struggled for money, despite having numerous jobs, and a descendant living space. Being African American in the 1950’s made it difficult for the family to move up in class to achieve the American Dream. In â€Å"A Rai sin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger’s cannot fully achieve the American Dream due to societal obstacles they experienceRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Archetypal Analysis1452 Words   |  6 Pagesarchetypal analysis that enables one to gain insight into the conventional and universal experiences within the society of which that form of literature is based upon. These repeating and shared experiences are especially prevalent in the literature of the 1950s, as it is a period of time characterized by social injustice and prejudice targeting not just individuals but entire groups such as blacks, women and other disenfranchised communities within American society. Accordingly, Lorraine Hansberry’s

Essay on Love Conquers All in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path

Love Conquers All in A Worn Path Love is a strong force. Love can make a person do strange and sometimes heroic things. Eudora Welty introduces us to Phoenix Jackson in A Worn Path, a story about the love that a woman feels for her grandson. Through the actions of Phoenix Jackson, the reader learns that love can conquer anything. This theme is demonstrated through Phoenixs determination, her ability to overcome obstacles, and her reaction to the employees at the clinic. Phoenix Jackson is an old woman. The politically correct term elderly does not accurately describe just how old she is. She does not see well anymore, she walks with a cane to assist her unsteady gait, and she occasionally imagines objects that†¦show more content†¦She is determined to get to town in order to get medicine for her grandson, who will surely die without it. The trip is a long one, even for a young person, and treacherous for one so old as Phoenix. Even when the hunter she meets on the way tells her she should go home, she does not give up, responding to him that she is bound to go on [her] way (366). Phoenix overcomes many obstacles on her way to town. She quickly gets her dress caught on a thorny bush, but manages to work it free from the thorns without tearing it. She crosses a creek by walking across a log with her eyes shut, feeling her way with her cane. When she comes to a barbed-wire fence, she must climb through it, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps (364). At one point during her excursion Phoenix meets up with a dog, which startles her and causes her to lose her balance and fall. Luckily, a hunter finds her and helps her back onto her feet. The hunter, however, being young and cocky, tries to scare her with a gun. Phoenix does not so much as flinch, telling the hunter that she has seen plenty go off closer by (366). Despite all the obstacles, Phoenix continues on her way, resolving to make it to town for her grandson. When Phoenix finally gets to town and enters the clinic, she is not received well by the attendant, who refers to Phoenix as a charity case (367). The attendant is short-tempered withShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of A Worn Path1221 Words   |  5 PagesOvercoming Obstacles: A Literary Analysis of â€Å"A Worn Path† Thesis: â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty is one of the best short stories to incorporate different symbolic representations of determination and the will to live. I. Introduction II. Phoenix A. Definition B. Characteristics III. Natural symbolism A. Steep hill B. Thorns of bush IV. Perceived Racism A. Imagined cake B. White hunter V. Arrival in Natchez A. Nurses’ comments BRead MoreCan Love Conquer All? A Worn Path by Eudora Welty Essay914 Words   |  4 PagesCan Love Conquer All? A Worn Path by Eudora Welty There are many authors in this world. Every author has a unique way of expressing their writing. Eudora Welty is the author of â€Å"A Worn Path.† She has written many short stories and novels. She was born April 13, 1909 and died July 23, 2001. Eudora Welty wrote â€Å"A Worn Path† in 1941.Eudora Welty passed away, but left us with some of the most admired pieces of writing. One of the most popular short stories was â€Å"A Worn Path.† â€Å"A Worn Path† is a shortRead More Overcoming the Odds in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path Essay1913 Words   |  8 Pages In the short story, A Worn Path Eudora Weltys plot is not all that clear in the beginning, but progresses as her character carries on against the overwhelming forces against her. In this short story a black elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson, must overcome the odds against her as she valiantly travels through many obstacles in order to contribute to the wellness of her grandson, for whom she is making this trip down a worn path. It is at this point that all of Weltys readers hearts open up toRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesA Worn Path (1940) On an everyday basis people are encountering challenges that stand in their way of them achieving their set goals. However, with determination the vast majority will accomplish the mission they have set out to conquer. In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† written by Eudora Welty in 1940, Phoenix Jackson, the main character has a mission in which she is trying to complete when she is faced with many challenges. This short story is centered on the challenges that are faced by an elderlyRead MoreAnalysis of A Worn Path Essay648 Words   |  3 Pageslived a lifetime of hardship. Her role in society is an old black woman in a white world, though she is not ashamed of her inferior position. She has walked a path periodically to get medicine for her chronically ill grandson who drank lye. On a cold December day, she shares one of her journeys to the hospital in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path. This specific journey is examined closely of an old woman full of dedication, dignity and high morale. Before the journey even begins, we come to an understanding

Ethical Disaster of the Hyatt Regency Collapse Free Essays

Eric Sandler Ethical Disaster of the Hyatt Regency Collapse Construction on the 40-story Hyat Regency Crown Center began in 1978, and the hotel opened on July 1, 1980, after construction delays including an incident on October 14, 1979, when 2,700 square feet of the atrium roof collapsed because one of the roof connections on the north end of the atrium failed. The collapse was the second major structural failure in Kansas City in a little more than two years. On June 4, 1979, the roof of the then-empty Kempar Arena in Kansas City had collapsed without loss of life. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Disaster of the Hyatt Regency Collapse or any similar topic only for you Order Now The architects and engineering firms at the two collapses were different. One of the defining features of the hotel was its lobby, which featured a multistory atrium crossed by suspended concrete walkways on the second, third and fourth levels, with the fourth level walkway directly above the second level walkway. On July 17, 1981, approximately 2,000 people had gathered in the atrium to participate in and watch a dance contest. Dozens stood on the walkways. At 7:05 PM, the walkways on the second, third and fourth floor were packed with visitors as they watched over the active lobby, which was also full of people. The fourth floor bridge was suspended directly over the second floor bridge, with the third floor walkway set off to the side several meters away from the other two. Construction difficulties led to a flawed design change that doubled the load on the connection between the fourth floor walkway support beams and the tie rods carrying the weight of both walkways. This new design could barely handle the dead load weight of the structure itself, much less the weight of the spectators standing on it. The connection failed and both walkways crashed one on top of the other and then into the lobby below, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200 others. The rescue operation lasted well into the next morning and was carried out by an army of emergency personnel, including 34 fire trucks, and paramedics and doctors from five area hospitals. Dr. Joseph Waeckerle directed the rescue effort setting up a makeshift morgue in the ruined lobby and turning the hotel’s taxi ring into a triage center, helping to organize the wounded by highest need for medical care. Those who could walk were instructed to leave the hotel to simplify the rescue effort, the fatally injured were told they were going to die and given morphine. Workmen from a local construction company were also hired by the city fire department, bringing with them cranes, bulldozers, jackhammers and concrete-cutting power saws. The biggest challenge to the rescue operation came when falling debris severed the hotel’s water pipes, flooding the lobby and putting trapped survivors at great risk of drowning. As the pipes were connected to water tanks, as opposed to a public source, the flow could not be shut off. Eventually, Kansas City’s fire chief realized that the hotel’s front doors were trapping the water in the lobby. On his orders, a bulldozer was sent in to rip out the doors, which allowed the water to pour out of the lobby and thus eliminated the danger to survivors. In all twelve lives were rescued from the rubble. The two walkways were suspended from a set of steel tie rods, with the second floor walkway hanging directly underneath the fourth floor walkway. The walkway platform was supported on 3 cross-beams suspended by steel rods retained by nuts. The cross-beams were box beams made from C-channels welded toe-to-toe. The original design by Jack D. Gillum and Associates called for three pairs of rods running from the second floor all the way to the ceiling. Investigators eventually determined that the new design supported only 60 percent of the minimum load required by Kansas City building codes. Havens Steel Company, the contractor responsible for manufacturing the rods, objected to the original plan of Jack D. Gillum and Associates, since it required the whole of the rod below the fourth floor to be threaded in order to screw on the nuts to hold the fourth floor walkway in place. These threads would probably have been damaged beyond use as the structure for the fourth floor was hoisted into position. Havens therefore proposed an alternate plan in which two separate sets of tie rods would be used. One connecting the fourth floor walkway to the ceiling, and the other connecting the second floor walkway to the fourth floor walkway. This design change would prove fatal. In the original design, the beams of the fourth floor walkway had to support only the weight of the fourth floor walkway itself, with the weight of the second floor walkway supported completely by the rods. In the revised design, however, the fourth floor beams were required to support both the fourth floor walkway and the second floor walkway hanging from it. With the load on the fourth-floor beams doubled, Havens’ proposed design could bear only 30 percent of the mandated minimum load (60 percent in the original design). The serious flaws of the revised design were further compounded by the fact that both designs placed the bolts directly in a welded joint between two facing C-channels, the weakest structural point in the box beams. Photographs of the wreckage show excessive deformations of the cross-section. In the failure the box beams split at the weld and the nut supporting them slipped through. Since the construction process includes the work and ideas of many different people, the process can become unclear, especially when meeting deadlines and budget requirements. Such a fast-paced environment stems from the concept that â€Å"time is money. † This concept constantly drives the construction industry to seek quicker methods to transfer ideas from paper to structures of concrete and steel. It has become common practice in the construction industry to begin the actual construction of a building prior to the design work being completed. The Hyatt Regency Hotel was built on this fast-track type of schedule. The main reason for the walkway collapse was not a failure of materials. It was a communication failure. In the case of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the structural engineer sent a sketch of the proposed walkway connections to the steel fabricator. The structural engineer had assumed that the fabricator understood that he was to design the connections himself. Since the structural drawings did not state that the walkway connections were only a preliminary sketch, the steel fabricator assumed that the sketch was a finalized drawing. The fabricator simply copied the engineer’s preliminary sketch of the walkway connection to serve as the shop drawings. The development of the design was then completed. The materials selected for the fabrication were standard strength, size, and grade of material, rather than what should have been used to compensate for the added stress of the altered design. Such neglections can have grave results. The most glaring mistake in this entire chain of events was that the structural engineer did not review the final design. This is an example of deontological ethics because the engineer failed to perform his job to his full potential. As can be seen from the evidence, the real failure that caused the collapse of the Hyatt Regency walkways was actually a failure of communication in the design phase of the project. As a result of the disaster, the two engineers from G. C. E. International lost their professional engineering licenses in the state of Missouri. These engineers were Jack D. Gillum, the engineer of record, and Daniel M. Duncan, the project engineer. The engineer is ultimately responsible for checking the safety of final designs as depicted in shop drawings. When we take the implicit social contract between engineers and society, the issue of public risk and informed consent, and codes of ethics of professional societies into account, it seems clear that the engineer must assume this responsibility when any change in design involving public safety carries a licensed engineer’s seal. Yet, if it is assumed that the engineer in the Hyatt case received the fabricator’s telephone call requesting a verbal approval of the design change for simplifying assembly, some possible reasons that would make him approve such change are saving money and time, following his immediate supervisor’s orders, looking good professionally by simplifying the design, misunderstanding the consequences of his actions, or any combination of the reasons. These reasons do not, however, fall within acceptable standards of engineering professional conduct. Instead, they pave the way for legitimate charges of negligence, incompetence, misconduct and unprofessional conduct in the practice of engineering. When the engineer’s actions are compared to professional responsibilities cited in the engineering codes of ethics, an abrogation of professional responsibilities by the engineer in charge is clearly demonstrated. The Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, and Land Surveyors convicted the engineers employed by Jack D. Gillum and Associates who had signed off on the final drawings of gross negligence, misconduct and unprofessional conduct in the practice of engineering. They all lost their engineering licenses in the states of Missouri and Texas and their membership to ASCE. While Jack D. Gillum and Associates itself was cleared of criminal negligence, it was stripped of its license to be an engineering firm. At least $140 million was awarded to victims and their families in both judgments and settlements in civil lawsuits. A large amount of this money came from Crown Center Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards which was the owner of the actual hotel franchise. Life and health insurance companies probably absorbed even larger uncompensated losses in policy payouts. A lot was learned from this disaster. As a result of the fatal miscommunication, the American Society of Civil Engineers has now set the precedent that responsibility lies with the engineer’s seal. That is, that whoever places their seal of approval upon a set of plans carries the responsibility for the building and the outcome. It is now also required that all load bearing calculations must be checked by a city appointed engineer and that checks be formal. As an industry, it is important for all responsible parties such as the architects, engineers, fabricators, and whoever else is involved, to understand the challenge learned as a result of this fatality. Design presents the industry with a challenge to anticipate any failed detail and to correct it within the design process. How to cite Ethical Disaster of the Hyatt Regency Collapse, Essay examples

Question 1 What are the elements of a good Essay Example For Students

Question 1: What are the elements of a good Essay abc online retailing (e-tailing) website? Give examples, including the web address of a firms website that you feel uses these elements successfully The online stores are nothing but an extension of retailing. In net terminology it is known as E-tailing. If you go by definition, it is E-tailing refers to retailing over the internet. Thus an e-tailor is a B2C business that executes a transaction with the final consumer. E-tailors can be pure play businesses like Amazon.com or businesses that have evolved from a legacy business, Tesco.com. E-tailing is a subset of e-commerce It is crucial in any e-tailing business to keep the shopping process simple, fast, and consistent. The average time to shop keeps getting faster at just over four minutes with less than five clicks in the process from product selection through checkout. I personally look for the sites, which are fast to load, got a lot of information about the displayed products, good prices of course should be there and which give s the price comparison with other big players. Apart from this, I look for the customer related services. This includes no value added service Also if the site has got any;#61514; section which is updated quite often for latest articles, latest trends on the online shopping and about the product details / description. The normal practice which I follow is to rely on the search engines for the desired product. Thanks to Google that it gives impartial results and very precise ones. Though it does not work on semantics, but most of the time it gives desired results. Many comparison websites are there to find out competitive rates, I like bizrate.com as you can get many vendors for the same products. The normal process which I follow is to look for at least 5 websites, evaluating them on different parameters like pricing, ease of shopping, security of transaction, guarantee of the product, return policy, after sales service, general services to customers etc. Pricing: Pricing plays a ve ry important role. A Lot of distribution costs are gone if you purchase online directly from the supplier or any distributor. You can get amazing prices if you invest some time for looking out different websites for the same products. Lot of price comparison websites are available to assist you out in this. I rely on bizrate.com Ease of shopping: Ease of shopping is also important for any customer. The website should be very much user friendly. A customer should not feel lost while surfing and searching for the products. Amazon.com is quite a good website. The process of shopping is more or less same at every website. But few people provide very good interfaces and very good support at every stage so that the customer feels very good about it. Bluenile.com is a very good website selling diamonds. Though the diamonds are expensive as compared to other websites, but the way of presentation and the support services put them apart from others. Security of transaction: Security of transa ction plays a very important role. A customer should be taken in confidence that whatever information he is going to disclose for the shopping, will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed. Any leak in this information may result in huge financial loss to the customer. I look for various security certificates, their validity, certifying authority, pad lock etc before committing any transaction. Verisign security certificate comforts me. Guarantee of the product: Guarantee of the product and quality of product are other important issues. You should know the product which you are going to purchase should be worth of the price you are paying, should meet the prevailing quality standards and should carry a valid guarantee or warranty. It is advisable to check and ask for the guarantee and warranty of the product before placing the order from the vendor who is selling it online. Return policy: Return policy is very important if the product is costly, say jewelry or some computer a ccessory of electronic good. I like the websites with precisely defined return policies. This makes customer feel that they will not be at loss if the product does not meet their expectation. Customer Care services: Customer services are back bone to any e commerce business. They are the mouth piece of any online web store. This is the front which can decide which website is better in todays scenario. Almost all the website have security, all have good quality of products , but the point where one scores over other is the class of customer service. I like the website with chat support and very less turn around time for the query posted. http://www.ite.poly.edu/people/brao/EMe-Tailing.pdfE-retailing is defined as the sale of products and services to the consumer market over the Internet. The objective of e-retailers is to complete product purchase transactions; however, the unique benefits that e-retail transactions provide to consumers are in the performance of the service end of the e-retailing experience rather than in the qualities of the purchased good itself, which can be obtained through alternative commercial channels. E-service is currently offered in a wide range of service industries. Despite benefits proposed by the web-based commercial environment, few e-retailers have succeeded in encouraging consumers to modify their current shopping habits, in favor of Internet shopping. Convincing surfers to advance from monitor shopping to actual purchasing and especially creating repeat-consumers has proven to be a challenge (Helander Khalid, 2000; Jarvenpaa Tractinsky, 1999; Kolesar Galbrait, 2000). Selected Re ferencesHelander, M. G. Khalid, H. M. (2000). Modeling the customer in electronic commerce. Applied Ergonomics, 31, 609-619. Hommel, B. Pratt, J., Colzato, L. Godijn, R. (2001). Symbolic control of visual attention. Psychological Science, 12, 360-365. Jarvenpaa, S. L. Tractinsky, N. (1999). Consumer trust in an Internet store: A cross-cultural validation. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 5(2). Kiesler, S. Siegel, J. McGuire, T. (1984). Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication. American Psychologist, 39, 1123-1134. Kolesar, M. B. Galbrait, R. W. (2000). A service marketing perspective on e-retailing: implications for e-retailers and directions for further research. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 10, 424-438. Larocho, M., Bergeron, J. Goutaland, C. (2001). A three dimension scale of intangibility. Journal of Service Research, 4, 26-38. Nass, C. Kim, E. Lee, E. (1998). When my face is the interface: An experimental comparison of interacting with ones own face or someone elses face. Human Computer Interaction, 18, 148-153. Papadopoulou, P., Andrew, A., Kanellis, P. Martakos, D. (2001). Trust and relationship building in electronic commerce. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 11, 322-332. Price, L. L. Arnould, E. J. (1999). Commercial friendship: Service provider-client relationships in context. Journal of Marketing, 63, 38-56. Rafaeli, A. Vilnai-Yavetz, I. (2002). Instrumentality, aesthetics and symbolism of physical artifacts as triggers of emotion. In Press, Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science (TIES). Riegelsberger, J. Sasse, M. A. (2000). Trust me, Im a .Com: The problem of reassuring shoppers in electronic retail environments. Intermedia, 28. Roland, T. R. Kannan, P. K. (2002). E-service: New directions in theory and practice. New-York: M. E. Sharpe. Sirdeshmukh, D. Singh, J. Sabol, B. (2002). Consumer trust, value and loyalty in relational exchange. Journal of Marketing, 66, 15-37. Wang, F. Head, M. M. (2001). A model for web-based information systems in e-retailing. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 11, 310-321. Essay Question 2: What, in your opinion, is the future of e-commerce? Be sure to support your answer with references. The Emerging Digital Economy In order to understand the future of electronic commerce it is necessary to understand its emergence in a historical perspective. The rapid expansion of electronic commerce is just one component of a historical transition from an industrial economy to a digital economy. Whereas traditional industrial economies are based on the production of industrial goods (steel, oil, and automobiles) and physical transformation (railroads, highways), the digital economy is based on the rapid processing of information and telecommunications. In 1998 the Department of Commerces issued a report on the Emerging Digital Economy. This was followed in 1999 by the Emerging Digital Economy II. The readings at the beginning of this module are from those reports and provide a context to the material we will cover latter in the course. A major finding of the original 1998 report was the speed at which the internet was adopted by the general population. It took fifty years from the time the first commercial power plant was built in the 1890s until 80% of the homes in America were wired for electricity. It was another 41 years (1973) before the last community (Campwood TX) in the United States was added to the nations electric grid. Radio was in existence 38 years before 50 million homes had radio receivers. TV took 13 years to reach that milestone. The Internet took only 4 years. The internet is clearly spreading faster than any other major innovation. And the pace hasnt slowed down. Currently traffic on the Internet is doubling every 100 days. In the four years from 1993 to 1997 the number of Internet hosts has increased from 1.8 million to 19.5 million. The revolution in communication created by the Internet and other global computer networks is going to change the basic structure of the economy, but not in the way many of the dot.com pioneers believed. Since the Internet allows fast exchange of information between consumers and producers, it allows supply to quickly adjust to changes in demand. Information technology is therefore becoming a major share of the nations economy. According to the report it grew from 4.9 percent of the economy in 1985 to 8.2% in 1997, and its continuing to grow at a rate of 15% per year. This is even more remarkable in that IT prices have been falling as capacity increases. It is estimated that the inflation rate was reduced by as much as 1% because of the fall in IT prices. The improved communication between consumers and producers resulting from the Internet allows markets operate more efficiently resulting in increases in productivity. But this doesnt replace the traditional marketing function as many Internet gurus, including Bill Gates believe, but instead requires it to be more integral to the valuation creation process by allowing the constant flow of information it provides producers also allows them to develop products that better match the needs of consumers. The Internet also serves to rapidly communicate news and information on new technical innovations. All these factors result in a faster rate of technical progress and innovation. Both issues will be discussed in this course. Although E-commerce may be a new field, the study of marketing is nearly a hundred years old and a large component of that knowledge bases is transferable to e-commerce marketing. The key in transferring this knowledge is not to be so awed by e-commerce that you forget the basics of good marketing. The way you apply the basic marketing techniques to e-commerce marketing may vary, but the basics of good marketing still remain the same for e-commerce marketing as it does for traditional marketing. There are varying opinions regarding the future of e-commerce. Despite the fact that online sales are growing exponentially, some analysts believe that e-commerce is heading for a fall. Laurie Windham justifies her belief that as time goes on, sales will decrease instead of increasing. Windham believes tha t net consumers are very different than mall shoppers and catalog shoppers. Furthermore, she says that dot-coms are responsible for ruining their own chances to sell because they have spoiled customers to the point that consumers expect cheap prices and freebies and if they dont get them, they just move on to another site. E-commerce, Windham says, is a fickle world with little, if any, customer loyalty (Fortune, 2000). Windham found some interesting differences between online shoppers and traditional shoppers. For instance, 34 percent of online shoppers describe themselves as comparison shoppers but only 8 percent of traditional shoppers describe themselves as comparison shoppers. Another comparison is that only 1 percent of Web shoppers say they hate stores but 10 percent of traditional shoppers say they hate stores (Fortune, 2000). Web shoppers are by and large comparison, price-sensitive consumers. Future 3 Windham, who spent two years studying the consumers who purchase online, said that as nonusers begin to use the Web for purchasing, they will be less adventuresome than people already making purchases online. They will also be slightly older than the norm and they will be more fearful and cautious about privacy and security. In other words, as nonusers begin using the Web to shop, they will be a more conservative group than current users. It is probable they will also be less fickle and more loyal to brands/stores (Fortune, 2000). Windham pointed out that there were numerous problems with people receiving exactly what they ordered online during last holiday season. Based on that, she suggested sales may be lower this year (Fortune, 2000). Surveys conducted after the last holiday season suggested online shoppers would continue shopping online. One survey, for instance, indicated that more than 90 percent of consumers reported that shopping online met or exceeded their expectations. Eighty percent said they would increase their online shopping in 2000 (Ru tledge, 2000). Studies found that consumer confidence in using the Internet for shopping reached very high levels, which were due to a number of factors. Positive comments from family and friends were one of the factors that swayed more people to utilize this option. Better selections from online stores also made the experience more satisfying. Finally, Future 4 secure credit card transactions played a major role in increasing sales (Rutledge, 2000). Consumers were enticed to try shopping on the Internet by the massive marketing campaign last year for both dot-com stores and retail stores online. More than 70 percent of Net shoppers said they bought from e-commerce sites that offered free shipping. Another 54 percent said they were enticed by the discounts offered for their first online purchase. Forty percent used online coupons and 25 percent responded to the offer of free gifts for their online purchase (Rutledge, 2000). The Direct Marketing Association projected that sales gener ated from catalogs and the Internet would double in the next four years, reaching $3.33 billion (Entrepreneur, 2000). A study by Jupiter Communications agreed saying that sales would increase this holiday season. This study reported that holiday shoppers would spend almost $12 billion in online purchases between November 1 and December 31 this year, which represents a 66 percent increase over the same time period last year. The increase between the 1998 and 1999 holiday seasons was 126 percent. There is a slowdown in the degree of growth but it is still a substantial increase (Kontzner, 2000) The Gartner Group predicted a much larger growth this year. They projected sales of $19.5 billion. This group also believed that dot-com stores and retail stores online Future 5 would not spend as much money on advertising this year. Instead, they will spend resources on retaining customers (Kontzner, 2000). As a number of dot-coms collapsed during this past year, many retailers felt a wave of relief but it was short-lived. The Webs bite into retail store sales is about to become noticeable and hurtful. Business Week (2000) reported that there is a rule of thumb that says a 10 to 15 percent loss in sales vaporizes a stores profits. In 2000, online sales of books alone will top 11 percent of all books sold. That is up from 8.5 percent in 1999. CDs and videos will more than double their sales from 1999 and that will bring them to 10 percent of the entire market. Computer hardware and software already totals more than 18 percent of the market (Business Week, 2000). In order to combat this trend, some retailers are trying to lure consumers to their own online sites. They are also trying to use their Web sites to bring people into their stores. Since 94 percent of online buying is nothing but a shift from stores to a more convenient way of shopping, some of these strategies could work. Still, physical site retailers have begun to feel the effect of Net shopping. And, the fact is that sales on the Web are at least doubling every year (Business Week, 2000). The overhead is far less for dot-coms. They sell from a central warehouse and do not have to support thousands of stores Future 6 around the country. This fact is so clear that AMB Property Corp., a real estate investment trust in San Francisco, sold $560 million worth of local shopping centers and invested the proceeds in warehouses close to urban centers. The expectation is that the demand will be greater for warehouse property than for mall property (Business Week, 2000). Zona Research Corporations forecast is that Internet sales will soar in the next two years. The survey of Internet product buyers showed that the number of companies that use Internet-based selling will likely quadruple in the next two years, going from 44 percent from its current 10 percent. The reason for the dramatic increase is related to universal standards that will unite millions of businesses with billions of consumers (Mene fee, 1998). Zona looks that the electronic economy in terms of a series of three technology waves. The first wave was able to save companies money by publishing on the Internet and the second wave opened up online sales profit centers. It was the second wave that made e-commerce a component in commerce as a whole (Menefee, 1998). The third wave will re-intermediate buyers and sellers through the creation of places on the Internet where buyers and sellers meet to exchange goods and services and complete transactions completely on the Internet and to complete them securely. The third wave has a significant influence on how business Future 7 is normally conducted. At some point, the third wave will be similar to a fax machine, or at least, the importance of a fax machine was a number of years ago. If you dont have one, you wont be able to conduct business (Menefee, 1998). As the technological advances affect the way business is run it can be assumed that some unforseen circumstances wi ll have a substantial impact on the way electronic commerce develops. As it has been in the past business to business commerce will grow the quickest with business to consumer also growing but at a slower rate. The distinctions between voice and data communication will break down and they will be combined more often to make a more efficient form of communication. In the post-modern era the emergence of the internet in other mediums apart from computers is growing and shall continue growing in the future, this will allow e-commerce to be conducted from any location even if there is no computer present, for example, through mobile phones and televisions. Companies will utilize the expansion of e-commerce and will most likely charge vendors wanting to access their users and most likely charge extra for exclusive access. Since it is inevitable that the web will only increase in its complexity the opportunities for companies to make money from intermediary services will increase. As elec tronic commerce becomes more widely used the government should maximise the efficiency and become a model user. As several countries engage in a race to become the most efficient in electronic commerce, they must keep in mind that over regulating the growth of the industry will inhibit the growth and depreciate the trust levels between both businesses and consumers. Electronic commerce is changing the way to do business. Nowadays a lot of transactions are made through the Internet. Another important issue that will be discussed is the way mobile Internet can change the way we communicate and do business. Each countrys law control the transactions made through the Internet, besides there are international treaties policies that not allow some products to be commercialize. For instance, in Mexico, politicians are making a new Electronic Commerce law, because there was not regulations about it. The article also says that the culture will be diversified depending on nationality, ethnici ty and religion. There are heaps of WebPages in Mexico that diversify the market. Some examples are: Travel Agencies Auctions Talking about PCs and internet access US is the most advance country, therefore B-C has become popular because more peoples has computers and they have access to different sites, besides there are more internet education because it was the first country to have a rapid expansion. There are many obstacles in order to materialize e-Commerce. Confucianism Essay(2004) Future of E commerce Online: http://www.backe.com/toyota/future.html Accessed 28 October 2004 Driver, M (2003) Assess the future of E commerce Online: http://www.ftponline.com/wss/2003%5F03/magazine/columns/trends/ Accessed 28 October 2004 Writer, S (2003) Ecommerce News: Global: FTC Comissioner on the future of E commerce Online: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/31732.html Accessed 28 October 2004 Bibliography Works Cited. Cringely, Robert X. A History of the Computer: Network. At: http://www.pbs.org/nerds/timeline/network.html Kalakota, Ravi., and Andrew B. Whinston. Electronic Commerce, A Managers Guide. Addison-Wesley, 1997 Kling, Arnold. The Economic Consequences of WWW At: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Proceedings/ComEc/kling/compare.html ZDNet E-Commerce At: http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise/e-business/ReferencesBaxton,J. Electronic Commerce online. Available: http://www.people.virginia.edu/jwb7w/icomm/home.html. (April 15, 1999)Buskin,J. Tales from the Front V Firsthand look at buying online, Wall Street Journal online. Available: http://interactive.wsj.com/public/current/articles/SB912721174926656000.htm#top (December 7, 1998)CommerceNet. Questions and Answers about Electronic Commerce Basics online. Available: http://www.commerce.net/resources/efaq.html. (1999)Dataquest Technologies. E-commerce An Overview online. Available:http://www.dqindia.com/nov3099/ (1999)DeCourey, G. The ABCs of E-Commerce online. Available: http://www.virtualpromote.com/guest5.html. (April 5, 1999)Edwards,P. Making Money in Cyberspace. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc. (1998)France, M. A New Voice for the Webs Worldwide Business Community online. Available: http://www.businessweek.com/ebiz/perspect/index.htm. (December 19, 1999)Hof,R. The Click Here Economy online Available: http://www.businessweek.com/1998/25/itspec98.htm. (January 22, 1998)NUA Internet Surveys. Index of Graphs Charts Comparisons/Predictions online. Available: http://www.nua.ie/i ndex.html. (April 15, 1999)Unknown Author. E-Commerce online. Available: http://members.tripod.com/Satta_Krit/engr923/ecommerc.htm (1999)Veverka, M. Plugged In: Wal-Mart gets serious about the Web, Amazon shrugs, but maybe it should watch its back, Barrons, Volume 80, issue 2, pg. 37 (January 10, 2000)Wareham, E. E-commerce makes the grade, Computing Canada, Volume 26, issue 1, pg. 35 (January 7, 2000)Weiss, J. 10 Questions About E-commerce online. Available: http://builder.cnet.com/Business/Ecommerce20/. (August 31, 1999)Bibliography References Baxton,J. Electronic Commerce online. Available: http://www.people.virginia.edu/jwb7w/icomm/home.html. (April 15, 1999) Buskin, J. Tales from the Front V Firsthand look at Buying online, Wall Street Journal online. Available: http://interactive.wsj.com/public/current/articles/SB912721174926656000.htm#top (December 7, 1998) CommerceNet. Questions and Answers about Electronic Commerce Basics online. Available: http://www.commerce.net/resources /efaq.html. (1999) Dataquest Technologies. E-commerce An Overview online. Available: http://www.dqindia.com/nov3099/ (1999) DeCourey, G. The ABCs of E-Commerce online. Available: http://www.virtualpromote.com/guest5.html. (April 5, 1999) Edwards,P. Making Money in Cyberspace. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc. (1998) France, M. A New Voice for the Webs Worldwide Business Community online. Available: http://www.businessweek.com/ebiz/perspect/index.htm. (December 19, 1999) Hof, R. The Click Here Economy online Available: http://www.businessweek.com/1998/25/itspec98.htm. (January 22, 1998) NUA Internet Surveys. Index of Graphs Charts Comparisons/Predictions online. Available: http://www.nua.ie/index.html. (April 15, 1999) Unknown Author. E-Commerce online. Available: http://members.tripod.com/Satta_Krit/engr923/ecommerc.htm (1999) Veverka, M. Plugged In: Wal-Mart gets serious about the Web, Amazon shrugs, but maybe it should watch its back, Barrons, Volume 80, issue 2, pg. 37 (January10, 2000) Wareham, E. E-commerce makes the grade, Computing Canada, Volume 26, issue 1, Pg. 35 (January 7, 2000) Weiss, J. 10 Questions About E-commerce online. Available: http://builder.cnet.com/Business/Ecommerce20/. (August 31, 1999)http://essay.studyarea.com/cgi-bin/newsearch.cgi?q=%22future+of+e-commerce%22cs=gr=offhttp://search.yahoo.com/search?p=future+of+e-commerceei=UTF-8fl=0pstart=1fr=FP-tab-web-t-249b=71http://www.google.com/search?q=%22future+of+ecommerce%22hl=enlr=rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-08,GGLD:enstart=110sa=NSome of the largest corporations in the United States first began using theInternet in late 1998. Many of the chief executive officers (CEOs) were slowto understand how the Internet would benefit their bottom line. Some companiesmay have moved parts of their business online later than others, but this wasstill one of the smartest moves they could have made. The shift to B2B on theInternet is expected to lead to lower prices, higher worker productivity, andreduced labor cos ts. Some estimates state that up to 91 percent of all U.S. companieswill make purchases over the Internet in 2001. This figure was zero fiveyears ago. Companies are using the Internet to redesign the way they do business. In addition to becoming involved in e-commerce, smart businesses will stayon top of trends. As customers go online through wireless access and beginusing faster connection speeds, video will become increasingly important. Simple photographs of a product on a web page will become ineffectivebecause they will seem boring. Additionally, businesses will not be able toassume that customers are using their web services while sitting at a computer. Customers will be doing business anywhere and at anytime. STANDARDIZATION_Suppliers will have to examine all aspects of their businesses closely to makesure they are meeting quality standards at the lowest possible costs. Supplierswill be pressured by online auctions to produce more for less money. Businesses will be looking globally for growth potential and will be competingonline with companies worldwide. SERVICE TO GO_Small and large businesses will need to be aware of changes taking place in ecommerce. Worldwide, more people can afford cellular phone service than canbuy a personal computer. In 2000, the average cell phone user upgraded to anew cell phone about every nine months. In early 2000, a Hong Kong-basedcellular phone company introduced a hands-free headset with a large screen. By2010, cell phones may be lightweight and worn on your ear. Cell phones of thefuture may have small screens connected to the Internet through wireless access. The screens will be rolled up and stored in a tube when the phone is not in use. These screens will be used for reading or processing data. You will not need akeyboard to connect to the Internet because your phone will recognize yourvoice and connect you automatically. You can also forget about keys, locks, and passwords. Personal digital assistants(PDAs) will identify you through your thumbprint, allowing you to do businesson the Internet and to access doors, cars, and offices. Your thumbprint will allowyou to access your computer and will guarantee the privacy of your personalrecords. The office of the future may be a completely open space that is alive withinformation technology. Your desk may become somewhat like a movie screen,programmed to complete tasks such as writing letters. Video conferencing willallow you to interact with customers from around the world without leaving yourspace. Technology does not stand still. It will continue to change for many yearsto come and will become more efficient as more uses are found. http://www.btinternet.com/ian.pearson/future/ecommerce.htmhttp://home.utm.utoronto.ca/arlene_a/e-commerce/future.html858-722-4583