Gatsby Embodies West Egg Essay Example for Free

Gatsby Embodies West Egg Essay In the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, Scott Fitzgerald uses various literary devices such as theme, irony, and characterization to embody Gatsby with West Egg characteristics. The Great Gatsby is set in New York and on Long Island, in two areas known as West Egg and East Egg. The narrator, Nick, describes West Egg as the home to the â€Å"new rich,† those who, having made their fortunes recently, have neither the social connections nor the refinement to move among the East Egg set. West Egg is characterized by lavish displays of wealth and garish poor taste. Both locations can be seen generally as: established aristocracy for East Egg and the self-made rich in West Egg. Therefore, there’s definitely a discrepancy between the two places. Gatsby, one of the protagonists of the novel, lives in a huge mansion in West Egg and is an urbane man. He hosts parties every night which are full of fun and action, he seems like a man that exhilarates people to have fun. Gatsby embodies the characteristics of West Egg as he, at least until chapter 5, has made himself rich. In chapter 5 Gatsby clarifies that he did inherit his money from his family who bequeathed it to him, however he â€Å"lost most of it in the big panic- the panic of the war† (Fitzgerald 87). Therefore he got involved in the drug business and oil business to make money again, which he is no longer involved in. This is one way Gatsby embodies West Egg as he made himself rich by working in these 2 businesses. It is clear that Gatsby is wealthy as he owns an enormous house with â€Å"a swim pool, beach, vast garden, fancy parties and marble everywhere† (Fitzgerald 11). This portrays one of the themes in the novel, the clash between â€Å"old money† and â€Å"new money†, that manifests itself in the novel’s symbolic geography: East Egg and West Egg. Gatsby would be considered the â€Å"new money†, while people such as Tom, which come from a wealthy family, is the â€Å"old money†. This is a pivotal theme throughout the novel as it affects various aspects of characters and setting. This also relates to how the discrepancy between West Egg and East Egg affects the characterization of certain characters. Gatsby is characterized as a man that is wealthy and loves to share his â€Å"happiness† with others by hosting numerous parties which are full of expensive drinks such as â€Å"Chartreuse† (Fitzgerald 88) held in his luxurious mansion. Irony is also present in the first chapters of the novel, as before Nick Carraway met Gatsby, no one truly knew who he was or where he came from. There where a few rumors, such as him killing someone or being the son of a German king, however no one knew the truth and people wanted to ascertain more about Gatsby. Many scrutinized his background as many wondered where he came from, and who he truly was. Throughout the novel the reader know learns more about Gatsby. One might expect Gatsby, the organizer of the huge parties, to be an active, energetic, and creative person; however its ironic how the reader finds out Gatsby is the complete opposite. He is describes as a man of class, elegant, who doesn’t drink, isn’t an alcoholic, and isn’t a great partier himself, as he isn’t often present during his parties where everyone else is. This is another reason why he embodies the characteristics of West Egg, because in West Egg, those who made themselves rich, don’t, or at least until now, haven’t mentioned the way they earned their wealth. Gatsby doesn’t tell everyone immediately the way he became rich, he rarely talks about it. Also Nick, the narrator, he lives in West Egg, therefore he must have some sort of wealth, however he doesn’t mention it or clarifies exactly where he got it from. Instead East Egg seems to work in a different way, since it’s the place of â€Å"old money† and established aristocracy, that means people are established rich and have most likely inherited wealth from their family, such as Tom. Therefore, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby in such ways that fulfill the characteristics of a man living in West Egg.

Standard Form Of Contract With Quantities Construction Essay

Standard Form Of Contract With Quantities Construction Essay This report will outline the full range of roles and responsibilities within the JCT 2005 Standard Form of Contract with Quantities (SBC/Q) for the project of Oasis Leisure Complex. This project is at the request of the employer the Gallagher Brothers, Duck Construction (UK) Ltd have been successful in winning the contract to complete the building works. For this project the contract to be used is the JCT 2005 Standard Form of Contract with Quantities (SBC/Q). With this type of contract being selected there are certain roles and responsibilities that each party involved in the contract must observe. The key personnel involved in a contract of this type are as follows:- Roles Within Project (Standard Building Contract: Ed 2 Construction Contracts: Ed 4) Employer Client The client is the employer for the project; this can be a single person, a partnership or a large scale company. The client is the role which issues the project requirements and provides the funding for the building works to go ahead. The client must select a principle contractor or a representative who is skilled in this type of contract to ensure the contract and project are carried out correctly. Professionals Principle Contractor/Project Manager/Representative The principle contractor will work on behalf of the employer to carry out all the major elements of the building project and the contractual procedures. The principle contractor will be in contact with all of the key personnel within the project liaising and instructing all of the external companies brought in to carry all of the building and design related work. As can be seen on the diagram below (Standard Building Contract: Ed 2 ) the principle contractor will have to liaise with multiple parties throughout the whole of the projects duration ensuring all the employers requirements are carried out. Architect An Architect must also be employed in most projects, this can be done by the employer prior to appointing a principle contractor or they can be selected by the principle contractor when the project is underway. The architects role is to work with the client and the principle contractor to come up with an overall design from the requirements laid down by the employer. They will ensure that the building is functional and achievable and will provide all the drawings for the complete project with exact measurements and details for construction. The architect will also work with designers and technologists to complete the drawings for the project to take shape. They are responsible for any changes that need to be made from the existing drawings. The roles of these specialists are:- Technologist The technologist will ensure the structure and design ideas from the architect are feasible. They will specify materials and structural design for the contracted builders to follow Designer The designer will specialise in fit out and interior area design and functionality. They will specify finishes and qualities of areas throughout the building project. Quantity Surveyor The role of the quantity surveyor is to provide measurement and costing from the architects drawings. The QS will carry out this task to get an accurate cost model for the project from the drawings they are supplied with to give to the employer as a projected quote for completion of the building. The QS will work throughout the project adjusting the costing and final accounts as the job progresses if any changes or variations occur. Management Main Contractor Person in Charge (PIC)/Site Manager The role of the PIC/Site Manager is to be permanently on site to supervise the building works. They are usually specified by the principle contractor to act upon the role of the principle contractor via an onsite basis. The PIC/Site Manager is responsible for all building works taking place onsite; they are also responsible for all direction and specification given by any inspectors or Clerk of Works. Clerk of Works The Clerk of Works is employed by the client to work with the Architect in an onsite inspector role. The Clerk of Works responsibility is to ensure that all the design elements of the architects plans are being carried out and are being done to the correct specifications from the employer. Contractor The role of the contractor is to work on behalf of the principle contractor to appoint each of the specialist trades needed to build the project; these specialists are known as sub-contractors. The contractor will source builders, glazers, plumbers etc to carry out each of the individual tasks that will need to be carried out to complete the final structure. The contractor will also liaise with suppliers to ensure that correct materials are ordered, the best prices are paid and that all materials are delivered to site at the right times. They ensure that the Sub-contractors are aware of the work that is required of them and coordinating all the elements taking place on the site at specific times of the construction process. Works Contractors Sub contractors This role consists of the builders, plumbers, glazers etc employed by the contractor. They are specialists in each of their individual trades and will be responsible for the actual construction and works that take place on site. Suppliers This role consists of taking orders and supplying materials on site that are required by the sub-contractors. Specific suppliers are normally stipulated in the contract and they will provide all of the required materials for the project for an agreed amount. Materials that they will supply can consist of sand for brickwork, block work, hardcore etc. Problems Conflicts (Construction Contracts: Ed 4) Many of the individual roles that have been outlined above will have never worked in collaboration with each other on a personal basis as well as the client potentially being inexperienced in the contract and construction process. With so many different roles having to come together and work efficiently over a large scale project inevitably problems will occur as the plans take shape. These issues are common with most projects and if managed correctly can be easily overcome, the use of a JCT contract will aid in solving the problems that occur and build a strong and reliable team. Some of the common problems and conflicts are as follows: Large-scale Project Team The size and scale of man power and people involved even within the smallest of construction projects is very difficult to manage without problems. With so many different trades and specialisations coming together on one project communication and understanding is key. Many different professionals will no doubt be spread out across the country and will have to work together efficiently to ensure the project takes place, is to the correct specifications and on time. The timing of each trade or skill taking place must be streamlined in order to minimise the problems that may occur. Communication must be focused on at all times as this is the easiest solution to the problems that occur with large scale teams. Professional Pride Due to most people and trades involved with the project never working with each other on a single construction project pride and ignorance can play a huge role in conflicts occurring. Each individual is responsible for their part of the project and will face charges or sanctions if they do not carry out their role properly. Because of this some trades or individuals will feel that they are at a higher worth than other members of the project and that other roles are inferior. This attitude should be avoided at all costs, the principle contractor should ensure that all roles are working well together and take relative steps to counter any problems occurring or remedy any existing problems by liaising with the personnel involved. Task/Timescale Overlaps Almost all projects will have a timescale associated with them. Most projects will be meticulously planned so that all building and consultation works take place as efficiently and smoothly as possible. Each stage will be in line with all of the other tasks to ensure that no conflict occurs. Unfortunately task/timescale overlaps are also inevitable, damage limitations or contingencies should be thought through to ensure projects do not fall too far behind. The best way to counter this problem is to have someone meticulously monitor and adjust a semi-flexible timescale plan which is developed as the project takes place, this will ensure that the problem planned components can be changed quickly without too much disruption. As shown above all the roles and responsibilities are outlined in the JCT contract, this helps to minimize the problems that can occur on a construction project. The JCT does this by clearly outlining each persons role and responsibility with in the whole of the construction project, it ensures that each person is fully aware of what is expected of them and if problems do occur the contract outlines can be used to source and remedy the problem immediately and efficiently.

The Personification Of Food In Literature

The Personification Of Food In Literature Since food is created from recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next, the art of cooking was taught by mothers to daughters, they reawaken the past by reminiscence. It is not a surprise that we find frequent references to the epitome of human characteristics in novels of magic realism, such as Kitchen and Like Water for Chocolate. Food in literature can be used as symbolism for many aspects of things, but its most likely that it represents the ideal voice of a character or the personality of themselves. This is because certain aspects of a character reveal themselves in the personal choices of consuming food and the effects afterwards on the characters. Since eating consists of numeral pre-activities to be performed; the preservation, preparation, presentation, and performance of food as well as the food product itself is what leads characters to behave ambiguously. More abstractly, in addition to giving insights within a character, both Yoshimoto and Esquive l use food to symbolize significant relationships amongst the characters and the association in fact or thought. Therefore, by analyzing the human attributes given to food, we can gain insights into numerous ideas that the writers are exemplifying. This paper will compare the ways in which food is used for the above purposes in both novels. Early in Kitchen we are shown a brief introduction to the main character Mikage and her adoration for the kitchen. Mikage is portrayed as a caring and generous character through her food preparation activities and presentation. While preparing food for others, she upholds a feeling of contentment and happiness because the warmth of food and the company of her loved ones. We see that through the death of Mikages grandmother whose death has left a heavy impact on her. She describes to have slept in the kitchen after her grandmothers death, which indicates her association with warmth and food was what she needed to comfort her worried soul: Steeped in a sadness so great I could barely cry, shuffling softly in gentle drowsiness, I pulled my futon into the deathly silent gleaming kitchen. Wrapped in a blanket, like Linus, I slept. The hum of the refrigerator kept me from thinking of my loneliness. There, the long night came on in perfect peace, and morning came. Furthermore, being a culinary teachers assistant, Mikage has a particularly refined taste for food and always seems able to make eating an event that upholds optimism and hope under any circumstances. She makes it a social experience for Yuichi, an acquaintance of her grandmothers funeral whos family Mikage goes to live with after her grandmothers death. He had been mournful after his own mothers death and Mikage had prepared a magnificent feast in order to cheer him up. And its true that for the whole summer I went about it with a crazed enthusiasm: cooking, cooking, and cooking. I poured all my earnings from my part-time job into it, and if something came out wrong Id do it over till I got it right. Angry, fretful or cheery, I cooked through it all. (56) Mikage is also shown to reveal her inner emotions through the use of preservation and presentation of food to express her sincerity and concern. As a young woman who had been taught by her grandmother to cook, she does not limit herself to only traditional recipes. She prepares food with vast quantities of materials and tries to expand on her options of cooking a good meal. She questions her love for the kitchen, Perhaps to me a kitchen represents some distant longing engraved on my soul. As I stood there, I seemed to be making a new start; something was coming back (56). The intensity of culinary had given her opportunities to express her inner feelings and to maintain a steady relationship with the people in her life. Mikage prefers finely detailed meals which consist of dishes with lots of color and shapes, reflecting her personality within the final product. Her preservation of food reflects her thoughts and concerns for the people in her life, such as her friendship with Yuichi. She identifies his loneliness and sets out to be a better friend by Finding myself standing alone in the standing alone in the street, close to midnight, belly pleasantly full, a hot takeout container of katsudon in my hands, completely bewildered as to how to proceed. (93) From this we can perceive the importance of friendship from Mikages generosity of supplying food for a friend. On contrary, Yuichi is grateful of having Mikage in his life and the food would taste so good because he feels loved and happy amongst his isolation. It is exactly the notion that distinguishes Mikage from other characters in Kitchen. Though Mikage also has a humble taste for food that shes accustomed to, The food was so delicious, and I realized how very, very hungry I was. It occurred to me I always enjoyed what I ate when I was with him. How wonderful it is, I thought (142). In contrast to other characters in the book, Mikage does not care for her social environment. This is evident in which she describes her eating experiences with Yuichi, her very close friend. This shows that Yuichi has bonded with a person who cares very much about him through her expressive eating behavior. The affectionate attitude to food is related to their genuine friendship, and more specifically, conveying their emotions. In a cafà ©, sensible Mikage drank tea with Yuichi, confessing that it was their first time sitting down in such a setting, Yuichi bluntly blurts out Mikages feelings about her grandmothers death versus his feelings towards his mothers death. The literal description of Mikages profoundly response was Yuichi, the fact that youre relaxed enough with me now to tell me how youre really feeling is a source of comfort to me. It makes me very happy. So happy I feel like shouting it from the rooftops (76). It can be interpreted metaphorically with tea being a symbol for relaxation but conveys acknowledgement between people. Contrariwise, Mikages goal in a genuine friendship is shown in her attitude towards her association with food. When she began to sob audibly, everyone in the place turned to stare at her. Chikas shoulders jerked spasmodically, racked with grief. Tear s fell into her soup (86). Again, the fundamental presentation of food is associated with emotions and memoirs. Mikage, who witnesses his touching scenario can identify that the human heart is unquestionably precious and genuine. The human nature of Mikage shows itself in the reply: the experiences of the last months had changed me. In the mirror I could see only a trace of the spoiled princess I had been, the one who took Eriko for granted. I was so far from that now (87). The death of a friend led her to realization that it was too late to say goodbye. Experiencing a similar fate to Mikage, Tita shows her affections through her preparation and presentation of food. However, she is denied of love from her mother and she is used as a tool to compensate the happiness of the rest of family members while not being able to experience her own. While all the food she prepares does not center on her, most of it was having to do with her entity. So it seemed that Tita was destined from the very beginning to learn the traits of cooking since birth, allowing her emotional connection to the food she cooked later in her life as a form of realism. The establishment of traditional recipes being handed down from one generation to the next is relevant to Tita and her emotions. Since her mother has denied her marriage to Pedro, her lover; he has brought her roses which she used for their family dinner. A sense of alchemical process, this is ominously displayed at the dinner: with that meal it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication , in which Tita was the transmitter, Pedro the receiver and poor Gertrudis the medium, the conducting body through which the singular sexual message was passed (52). Her resilient behavior concerning her preparation of food and drinks shows her frustration and insatiable character; on her knees, was bent over the grinding stone, moving in slow regular rhythm, grinding the almonds and sesame seeds (67). Tita finds her sexual satisfaction in passionately committing adultery with Pedro and this is symbolized by the eating of rose petal quail. Without any mention of romantic love, the presentation of food reflects the intensifying emotions during the preparation. This example adds to Titas profile to have affectionate characteristics. The way that food can be used as a literary effect is evidence in both novels Kitchen and Like Water for Chocolate, Yoshimoto and Esquivel seem to share a similar view on the literary use of food symbolism. The reason that something as generalized as food comes to represent the characters and their need to transform the food with their own emotions. Instead of describing directly what kind of character one is or stating how the plot will develop, both authors use the personification of food to convey the ideas. It is this sort of literary technique that makes a novel enduring.

Latvian Jews and the Holocaust :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Holocaust seemed as if it was one mans (Adolf Hitler) determination to exterminate all Jews in Europe, but in fact this is not completely true. The Holocaust was the determination of many men and woman of different backgrounds and languages. One of which is the people of Latvia. During WWI, the was was no less disruptive to the Jews than to anyone else. They were and used for both Capitalist exploitation and Communist conspiracy. During WWII they were beaten, killed, and/or imprisoned mercilessly in camps throughout Europe, not excluding the two camps in Riga, Latvia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Latvian Jews had a long history. In 1897 the census for Latvia, just before WWI, reported a combined number of about 200,000 Jews. At this point, Riga held about 33,000 Jews. Since Kurland became a duchy of Poland in the sixteenth century, Jews of Luthuanian Poland moved north. There, even though, routinely reguarded as outsiders, having to pay taxes and fees and fines, Jews prospered and expanded themselves in number. They engaged in commerce of every variety including leasing, brokering, and peddling. Jew were goldsmiths, brandy distillers, artisans, tradesmen, and even sometimes hired as tax collectors. Jews were the ceter of economic life. They controlled exports of cereal, flax, eggs, and timber. Tanneries, sawmills, and banks were often owned by Jews, even clothing factories and stores were owned and operated by mostly Jews. Most well known doctors and lawyers and entertainers were Jewish, but of the 5,921 civil servants, only 21 were Jews. Around fifty percent were involved in commerce and trade, as opposed to the one percent of Latvians. This was because most Latvians were engaged in agricultural production. Jew also lived mostly in the city and town areas and created strong Jewish communities. After WWI, when the census was done again in 1925, Latvia had only counted for 95,675 Jews, less than half of pre-WWI. Now the aggrivated nationalist mind was getting very dissoriented by what had happened after Soviet annexation, the people were seeing the Jew and Bolshevism as one and the same, and as before, estermination was the only answer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The massacres of Jews began immediately after the Soviet counterattcks on June 29, 1941, before German police and officials even arrived. In Daugavpils, all Jews between the ages of sixteen to sixty were called to the down town square where they were assembled and incarcerated. At one of the main streets in Riga, Bear Slayer Street (the bear stands for the Russians) were the two Riga ghettos.

The Outsiders Essay -- Essays Papers

The Outsiders The title of the story is The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton wrote it. Dell Publishing published the book. The main characters include Ponyboy, Darry, Soadapop, Dally Winston, Johnny, Cherry, Two-Bit, and Marcia. This story is about a guy names Ponyboy who is a â€Å"greaser†, a member of a group of lower-class youths who wear their hair long and greasy, wear jeans and ripped-up T-shirt, and are at odds with the rich-kid bullies known as the â€Å"Socs†, shorter name for socials. One day, as Ponyboy is walking home from a movie, he is jumper and beaten by a gang of Socs. At the last minute, his gang of greasers (including his brothers Darry and Sodapop, who raised Ponyboy now that their parents are dead,) the hardened hood Dally Winston, innocent Johnny, and wise-cracking Two-Bit see what’s going on and save him. The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally. There they sit behind some attractive Socs girls and dally hits on the obnoxiously. After Johnny tells him to stop, Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, Cherry and Marcia, and Ponyboy and cherry discover to their mutual surprise that they have a great deal in common. Two-bit appears, and the three gr easers walk the Socs girls back to Two-Bit’s house so that he can drive them home. On the way, the run into Bob and randy, the girls’ drunken boyfriends, and the girls agree to leave with them in order to prevent a fight between the Socs and the greasers. Ponyboy is very late getting him, and his bro...

Matching Dell

The Matching Dell Business case by (Rivkin. J & Porter, M) defines the personal computer industry and outlines its history and development, with focus on Dell Computers. This paper will analyze the case study by means of the Strategic Situation Analysis and Planning Method (SSAP), by portraying and comparing Dell with its main competitors, namely: IBM, Compaq, Hewllet-Packard and Gateway. Approaching the strategic situation from SSAP method’s step number one, Financial Analysis, step number two, External Business Environment Analysis and step number three, Business and Corporate Strategy Analysis, an external analyst perspective will be drawn based on past , present and future trends that will be used to give recommendations of investments to potential investors. The Personal Computer Industry From its inception the computer industry was mainly composed of large corporations such as IBM and DEC and unaffordable, heavy hardware such as mainframe computers. Having a personal computer at home was a mere aspiration those days. Between 1975 and 1981 many discoveries occurred that gained popularity with electronic hobbyists, when pre-assembled personal computers entered the market. These computers were pioneered by firms such as Apple Computers, MITS and smaller ones such as Tandy/RadioShack and Commodore. Almost immediately, other major electronic firms entered the market of personal computers. These companies focused their business on other electronic industries before this. The pioneer of the first personal computer was IBM in 1981 and its success translated to a market share of 42% of the market two years later. Although, IBM produced most of the components for its mainframes computers, for PCs it purchased from others the required parts and then assembled the machines. The operating software for IBM’s first PC was custom-made by Microsoft, which was then just a start-up software firm. The microprocessor for the operating system (OS) was designed by Intel, another corporation that benefited from the partnership with IBM. Microsoft’s first operating system to IBM is the backbone structure for all the current versions of operating systems (OS) implemented by Microsoft. A proprietary system developed by Apple, held 20% of the market by 1983. In 1982, another firm named Compaq entered the market with a low-priced portable clone and had $100 million in revenues during its first year, which turned out to be the fastest growing company in American history. By 1984, Dell Computer Corporation entered the market and transformed the way PCs were assembled and distributed. Historically, what has really revolutionized the PC industry was the establishment by IBM of an open architecture for their first PC, making its operating system and other proprietary information available to encourage software developers to write programs for the IBM PC and to motivate other firms to make compatible peripherals. Moreover, the unforeseen business strategy at IBM caused the company to become vulnerable to other market entrants and lost their sustainable competitive advantage, since many other IBM clones were manufactured. This cased the company to lose market share to competitors. Step One – Financial Analysis Financial Position Dell's financial history, like most company's, changes over different periods. These changes can be attributed to changes in the demand of the product, technological advancements, manufacturing costs, competition, and economic conditions. In 1999, the approximate cost of manufacturing a basic personal computer was between $800 and $900 (Kwak & Yoffie 1999). Dell sold computers directly, and through retail distributors. In 1994, Dell actually lost money on retail sales. When comparing Dell's direct sales to the retail channel it shows that there was a 5. % operating income through the direct sales, and a -3. 0% operating income in retail sales. Dell's market share increases from 1. 0 in 1990 to 13. 2 in 1998. Direct sales of Dell' personal computers through telephone, mail, and internet helped increase their market share. The total market size for the personal computer industry is $74. 6 million. Exhibit 4: Portion of Sales Through Each Channel by Region from the Matching Dell Case shows the highest channels in which personal computers are distributed in different geographic areas. In the Americas, the most popular channel is distributor/reseller which accounts for 41. 2% of sales, second is the direct channel which accounts for 29. 7% of sales, and third is the retail channel which accounts for 21. 7% of the sales. These three channels are the top channels world wide, and distributor/reseller is the channel with the highest percentage of sales across the board. Income Statements Dell and its competitors Compaq, Gateway, and HP all have had their revenues increase over the period between 1991 and 1998. The companies differ when the net income is compared from the same time period. In the Appendix, Table 4: Profit as a Percentage of Sales shows a comparison between 1991 and 1998. Profit as a percentage of sales is a note worthy calculation because it shows a ratio of profits to sales. If a company has high sales it does not necessarily mean that it will have high profits. In Table 4, you see that in 1998 Dell has the highest profit as a percentage of sales. Since Compaq has a negative net income in this year, its data is skewed. Dell percentage of sale has grown by 2. % in this seven year period. Using the calculation (This Year)/Base Year x 100 and data from 1991, to 1998 Dell sales increased 20. 5% and net income increased 28. 63%. This shows that profits increased more than sales in the same time period. This means that Dell became more efficient in production which yielded greater profits. Net income increasing more than sales shows Dell's efficiency in production and distribution. It cut costs of making and selling its computers to have a greater profit. In the appendix, Table 1 shows the year on year percent changes for Dell's sales. This table shows that Dell's sales continue to grow each year. Price Comparison Exhibit 9 in the Matching Dell Case shows Ratings of High-end Desktop PCs by Consumer Reports(1998). It is shown on the table that Dell's product sells for $2400, HP's product sells for $2200, Gateway's product sells for $2647, and Compaq's product sells for $2950. Data on the same table rates these computers on price, speed, quality, and other things customers value in computers with a scale of 1 being excellent and 5 being poor. When the customer ratings are averaged Gateway has a rating of 1. , Dell and HP have a rating of 2. 4, and Compaq has a rating of 2. 7. Dell is the lowest in price and second highest in rating. This shows that customers are satisfied with the dell computer, more so than some of the more expensive brands. Company Profitability Exhibit 11 from the case compares Major PC Manufactures and their financial data. Return on Equity(ROE) is calculated in this table and the major players can be compared. The ROE shows the profitability of a corporation because it shows how much profit is generated from the money the shareholders have invested. Dell has a ROE of 62. %, Gateway has a ROE of 25. 7%, HP has a ROE of 17. 4%, and Compaq has a ROE of -24. 2%. HP and Compaq have substantially more revenue than Dell. Compaq does not have a higher net income, but HP does. At first glance you would think that HP is a better company in regards to personal computers but when you look at the ROE you notice a difference. Out of all the major competitors in the personal computer industry Dell has the highest ROE. Therefore it is the most successful company in this market. It would be recommended that investors invest in Dell to achieve the most out of their investment. Revenues Dell's company became more successful when it withdrew from retail in 1994. It was losing money by distributing its computers in this channel and learned from its mistakes. In 1996 it started its website which provided another opportunity for customers to order from them directly. Exhibit 11 also shows that Dell keeps its cost structure lower than its competitors. When something is not benefiting the company, Dell does not wait, it acts on it and tries to continue to make Dell a successful corporation. Compaq has very, very high revenues but there are obviously major problems with the company. Its net income and ROE are negative numbers, which shows that the company is not profitable in 1998. Compaq only has 4. 4% of sales from direct sales, where Dell has 86. 6%. This is a major advantage to Dell because there is no middle man and Dell can obtain all profits. In ratings of PC Vendors by Corporate Managers with PC buying Responsibility (Exhibit 8), Dell Ranks high in user satisfaction, extremely high in raw technology, second highest in pricing, and moderately high in service and support. Compaq ranks high in pricing but low in user satisfaction, raw technology, and all customer relations. Having quality customer services gives Dell an advantage over Compaq. Financial Conclusion The financial performance of Dell, Compaq, HP, Gateway and other companies in the PC industry we see that high revenues do not always translate into a profitable company. Shareholders and investors are looking for high returns on the amount they invest in their respected companies. Dell is the most profitable company as of 1998 with the highest return on investment. The most valued aspect of Dell's company at this time is the use of the direct sales channel. Also, Dell sells its computers at a cheaper price than its competitors but still ranks high in customer satisfaction surveys. Dell can offer a lower price by keeping its manufacturing and selling costs down. This way it can still make a profit and keep and attract customers. Dell started out as a small operation in a college dorm room and it continues to grow significantly on a yearly basis. Step Two – External Business Environment Analysis The market for computer systems and services is subject to intense price competition. In addition to several large branded companies, there are other branded and generic competitors. Dell competes primarily based on its technology, direct customer relationships, value, performance, customer service, quality, and reliability. Its main competitors are Compaq, and Gateway, both business are 90% PC dependent. However, due to Compaq’s low financial performance, HP was Dell’s primary competitor followed by Gateway in 1998. The main stakeholders group are: customers, competitors, suppliers, shareholders, employees and the government. In Table 6 in the Appendix theTarget [Customer-or-Client] – [Product-or-Service Connections] is shown. The PC competitive environment can be distinguished between its geographic and its customer categories. The geographic market for the PC industry is segmented by worldwide and U. S basis market share, while the customer category is segmented into: Large business, small & midsize business, home and small office, government and educational institutions. Based on the information from Exhibit 11 in the Matching Dell case, Compaq leads the U.  S and the worldwide market with 16. 4% and 16. 6% of PC shares respectively. Dell comes in second place with 10. 4% in the worldwide market share and 15. 1% in the U. S. PC market share. Gateway follows in behind both companies with a 4. 2% worldwide share and 8. 1% in the U. S. By comparing the major players we can see that Compaq is a leader in the market, however these market leadership if compared with the company’s financial information is not translated into profits, since it has a negative profit marking and a negative return on equity (ROE). ROE is one of the best measures of a corporation’s profitability, since it shows investors and stakeholders how much profit the company generates with the money shareholders have invested and for Compaq a negative ROE could be an indication that even if it has the greater market share amongst the PC industry there are problems with the bottom line net income and management issues. The customer group of Large Business is dominated by Dell Computers with 33. 6% market share followed by Compaq with 27. 5%. In the case of Small & Midsize business, Dell has a 37% against a 32. % market share held by Compaq. Moreover, in the Home & Small office PC sales customer category, Gateway has the leadership by large from its closest competitor HP with a 58. 2% share against a 33. 3% held by HP and Compaq comes next with a 28. 5% stake of the market. In addition, Gateway also has a leadership in the Education segment of the market, with a 8. 2% market share trailed by Compaq with 5. 3%. The government sectors is mostly equally divided amongst the PC industry competitors, with shares ranging from 5. 1% to 6. %, leveraging a very close competition. Growth rates and the percentage changes help to analyze and understand the companies being assessed. The overall performance of the PC industry has been assessed from 1989 to 1998 and the results are as follows: (Conclusions from Exhibit 2) Dell’s growth rate on average was 50. 5% for the period 1989 to 1998, while Compaq grew an average of 17. 9%. If this percentage change had not being analyzed in depth, one could think that Gateway had a greater growth than Dell Computers; from its inception it had an 87. % growth rate. However, if the first two years of operation were removed from the calculations, we can see that the actual growth rate for Gateway’s would only be 19. 5%, which would place it behind Dell. Compaq had and average growth of 17. 9% in the same period. Five forces competitive analysis and industry value chain (Diagram 1). Dell manufactures most of the products it sells and has manufacturing locations worldwide to service its global customer base. Dell believes that its manufacturing processes and supply-chain management techniques provide it a distinct competitive advantage. Its build-to-order manufacturing process is designed to allow Dell to significantly reduce cost while simultaneously providing customers the ability to customize their product purchases. In addition, Dell purchases some of its products from third-party original equipment manufacturers and resells them under the Dell name. Dell’s manufacturing process consists of assembly, software installation, functional testing, and quality control. Testing and quality control processes are also applied to components, parts, and subassemblies obtained from third-party suppliers. Quality control is maintained through the testing of components, subassemblies, and systems at various stages in the manufacturing process. Quality control also includes a burn-in period for completed units after assembly, on-going production reliability audits, failure tracking for early identification of production and component problems, and information from Dell’s customers obtained through services and support programs.

Computer Information Specialist Essay

Computer Information Specialist, Inc. (CIS) filed a protest of the award of a contract to Open Technology Group, Inc. (OTG). CIS responded to a request for proposals (RFP) No. NLM-030101/SAN by the Department of Health and Human Services for telecommunications support services at the agency’s Bethesda, Maryland facility. The solicitation specified a requirements contract with fixed hourly rates for a base year with four 1-year options. The agency intended to award the contract based on â€Å"best value† with several non-price criteria as the most heavily weighted factors. Proposals were to include fully-loaded, fixed hourly rates for labor categories. The agency received numerous proposals and established a competitive range of four firms after initial evaluation. The range included CIS as well as OTG the eventual awardee. Following the contract award to OTG; CIS underwent an agency debrief and subsequently filed a protest asserting that both its proposal and the propos al of OTG were misevaluated. Issues Agencies are required to evaluate proposals based solely on the evaluation factors identified in the solicitation. Furthermore, according to Federal Acquisition Regulations, they must adequately document the reasons for their evaluation conclusions (FAR § 15.308). GAO recommended to the agency was to, at a minimum reevaluate both proposals to ascertain if they were evaluated based on the evaluation factors and to determine if adequate rationale were articulated. Decisions (Holdings) Anthony H. Gamboa, General Counsel wrote the recommendation. The protest was sustained. Reasoning (Rationale)   GAO concluded that the Department of Health and Human Services misevaluated the proposals of both CIS and OTG, contract awardee. In addition, they found that the agency’s misevaluation was prejudicial to CIS, â€Å"since there is a reasonable possibility that, but for the agency’s errors, CIS might have been selected for award notwithstanding its higher price.† Separate Opinions No dissenting opinion was published with GAO’s decision. Analysis GAO analyzed the proposals from both CIS and OTG against the RFP’s stated evaluation criteria. The Department of Health and Human Services’ source selection team consisted of five evaluators. In the case of the proposal by CIS, the initial evaluation criticized the proposal for not offering personnel that met all of the solicitation minimum personnel experience requirements. CIS revised their proposal to cure this deficiency. In further evaluation, four of the five evaluators scored this area higher than the initial proposal. However, the fifth evaluator scored the proposal dramatically differently. In the first evaluation, only cursory notes were provided to support conclusions. In the second evaluation, most evaluators still provided limited support. However, the fifth evaluator provided comments. Many of the comments were either inaccurate or held not relation to evaluation criteria. With regard to the OTG proposal, GAO determined that the solicitation failed to meet two of the evaluation criteria and should not have been accepted in the competitive range. It was also recommended that the agency terminate the contract awarded to OTG for the convenience of the government and make award to the firm found to be in line for award. Furthermore CIS was to be reimbursed all costs associated with the protest to include legal fees.