Why the price of computers keep falling despite increasing demand

Why the price of computers keep falling despite increasing demand Introduction Now a day, computers are the main source of connectivity among people. The major share of work i.e., college assignments, teaching lessons, work presentations are mostly dependent on the computers. And also doing a long distant chat for almost free, computer or information technology has enabled human being in coming out with the speedy solutions of almost everything. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer) A personal computer (PC) be can any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator. Personal computers Software applications include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources. In the free market condition the price of a product will be determined by the demand and the market supply of computers. In a market, Supply and demand is an economic model of price determination. It concludes that in a competitive market, price will function to equalize the quantity demanded by consumers, and the quantity supplied by producers, resulting in an economic equilibrium of price and quantity. If we look at computer market, the demand is keep on increasing and also at the same time the market supply also increasing. According to the law of demand and supply, when the demand is increased, the price goes up the free market. But in this particular computer market, demand is growing but, the price comes down gradually. That is the question of this assignment and, in this piece of work I am going to discuss the best possible reasons to that behavior. http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn/news/2258012/uk-business-pc-market-decline In this assignment it will be discussed and analyzed the following topics. Explanation for why the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasing demand. Conclusion Background Computer Market The UK personal computer market in 2008 was worth 12.81bn at end-user prices, an increase of 4.2% over 2007 and its highest level of output since 2000. However, it led to a fall of 8.2% in sales to 11.77bn during the recession in 2009. During the period from 2005 to 2008 personal computers (PCs) reported a higher annual growth, whereas peripherals and add-ons declined in total value sales. Therefore it was led to a negative growth of 3.3% over the period. In the consumer market, the better performance of PCs over the period, particularly, is attributed to sales of portables and particularly net books in the past year. Mobile computing is continuing to drive net book sales. Desktop computers have become less attractive and are in decline with more portables now being sold than desktops. Manufactures are expecting a rebound in sales in 2010 and full recovery by 2011 with positive. The principal analyst Ranjit Atwal at Gartner says The UK market for computers showed growth in Q4 for the first time this year. According to him, 70 per cent of the total PC market in the UK has also become heavily dependent on mobile PCs. The percentage of the UK market share Acer held on to the top spot in the UK with 19.1 per cent market share, HP held the second with 18.9 per cent. Dell was the third with 16.5 per cent, followed by Toshiba and Samsung with 10.4 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively. He added that the total UK market [in terms of shipments] in Q4 was 3.8 million units. Even in the Western Europe Acer held 23.1 per cent of the market. HP was second again with 21.3 per cent, Dell was third with 9.9 per cent and Asus and Toshiba took fourth and fifth place with eight per cent and 6.2 per cent market share respectively. There is a significant growth in vendors such as Apple, Samsung, Lenovo and Sony also putting significant pressure on the top five vendors in Western Europe. Research has found that the UK computer market continued to struggle in 2009s closing quarter as western European counterparts return to growth. Market watcher IDC preliminary figures reveal that UK personal computer shipments in Q4 fell 1.7 per cent annually to 3.8 million. Notebook shipments were up 2.3 percent year on year to 2.9 million, while the desktop market slumped 12.8 per cent, with 878,000 units shipped. The emerging markets were collapsed when the crisis came, but now they are back to double digit growth. Likewise we observed that the market for the computers is expanding day by day in millions, but the cost of the computers are coming down gradually which is contrarily to the theory of the Demand and Supply. Therefore we are required to examine in deapth that, what are the triggers for such situation in real terms. http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/view/pressrelease/research-and-markets-computer- Explanation for why the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasing demand. In this particular computer market, we understand that the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasingly high demand, which is contrary to the law of demand and supply. That happens mainly because of the competition and increasing efficiency few more other reasons. In this case, Price remains constant or reducing and change in any other determinants causes demand or supply to rise. That results shifts in the demand of supply curves to the right or to left depending on the circumstances. Any other factors can be, Demand side The price of the other product. ie. Substitutes and complements. Income Population Preferences Future price expectations Supply side The price of other product, ie. Price of substitutes and complements The price of factors of production used to produce the computer. (land, labor, capital) Advancements of technologies. No of producers or size of the market. Future expectations. Now we will look at the demand side of the computer market. In the computer market there is a huge growth in demand day by day mostly due to the following reasons.. Price of the other product Substitutes: In todays world, there are no closer substitutes to the computer. People are using high tech mobile phones to do most of their computer related work for example sending and receiving e mails. Still it is not a closer substitute. Therefore the demand is increase and the demand curve is shifted to the right, increasing the price. Please see the diagram below. Complements: price of the complements also becoming lower when compared to the past few decades. In general, a companys strategic interest is going to be to get the price of their complements as low as possible. The lowest sustainable  price would be the commodity price the price that arises when you have a bunch of competitors offering indistinguishable goods. So: The smart companies try to reduce its complements price in order to capture the market. Ex. When IBM designed the PC architecture, they used off-the-shelf parts instead of custom parts, and they carefully documented the interfaces between the parts in the IBM-PC Technical Reference Manual. As long as you match the interface, you can be used in PCs. Within a short time large number of companies started up offering memory cards, hard drives, graphics cards, printers, etc. Cheap add-ins meant more demand for PCs. Please refer the diagram below. Increment in real income The Income of the consumers has been increased. The effect that income has on the amount of a product that consumers are willing and able to buy depends on the type of good were talking about. For most goods, there is a positive (direct) relationship between a consumers income and the amount of the good that one is willing and able to buy. Being considering the computer is a normal good, when income rises the demand for the computers will increase. The higher the level of aggregate and/or personal income, the higher the demand for a typical commodity as a general. Where the income is higher more of a good or service will be chosen at a given price. Thus determinants of demand normally utilize some form of income measure, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If you look at the following statistics the real income of the consumers have heen increased. Real household disposable income per head1 and gross domestic product per head2 United Kingdom Index numbers (1971=100) Gross domestic product Household Income 1971 100.0 100.0 1972 103.7 108.3 1973 111.1 115.1 1974 109.7 114.1 1975 109.0 115.0 1976 111.8 114.3 1977 114.5 111.7 1978 118.2 119.8 1979 121.4 126.7 1980 118.8 128.8 1981 117.3 128.4 1982 119.7 128.3 1983 124.1 131.0 1984 127.4 135.9 1985 132.0 140.7 1986 137.3 146.7 1987 143.5 149.2 1988 150.7 157.5 1989 154.2 165.1 1990 155.4 172.6 1991 153.2 176.0 1992 153.4 180.8 1993 156.8 186.2 1994 163.6 188.8 1995 168.5 193.7 1996 173.4 199.7 1997 179.1 208.1 1998 185.6 212.4 1999 192.0 218.5 2000 199.5 227.7 2001 204.5 237.8 2002 208.7 242.6 2003 214.6 249.9 2004 220.5 251.9 2005 225.1 258.9 2006 231.5 262.7 2007 238.5 262.9 1 Adjusted to real terms using the expenditure deflator for the household sector. See Appendix, Part 5: Household income data sources. 2 Adjusted to real terms using the GDP deflator. Source: Office for National Statistics; Government Actuarys Department; General Register Office for Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency Therefore, the demand curve for computers has definitely shifted to the right from D1 to D2 reduce to increment in real incomes. Therefore, there has been a rise in their preferences. Please refer the diagram below. http://www.econport.org/content/handbook/Demand/Factors.htmleal 3.3 Consumer Taste, Fashion, Trend and Preferences It is a real fact that all markets are shaped by collective and individual tastes fashion trend, and preferences. These patterns are partly implanted by information and knowledge of products and services and partly shaped by culture, including the influence of advertising. Because of these differences in taste and preferences, different societies use forest products differently. As the mini-notebooks provide better functionality at the lower price points now a days they are becoming more appealing. Mini notebooks are highly demanded and it has become fashion and trend due to consumer preference. If you refer the diagram below, when the demand is increased, the demand curve is shifted to the right increasing the price. Population According to the following table, the population of UK has been increased and as a result the aggregate demand for computers have been increased. Table 1.1 Population1of the United Kingdom Millions 1971 1981 1991 2001 2007 2011 2021 2031 United Kingdom 55.9 56.4 57.4 59.1 61.0 62.8 67.2 71.1 England 46.4 46.8 47.9 49.5 51.1 52.7 56.8 60.4 Wales 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.3 Scotland 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Northern Ireland 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.0 1 Mid-year estimates for 1971 to 2007; 2006-based projections for 2011 to 2031. See Appendix, Part 1: Population estimates and projections. Source: Office for National Statistics; Government Actuarys Department; General Register Office for Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency When the population is increased the demand is increased, the demand is increasing and demand curve shifts to right increasing the price of the computer from P1 to P2. Please refer the diagram. Now we will look at the Supply side of the computers. Reduction of prices of factors in production Production cost is a main criterion in deciding the product price. If input costs decline, firms respond by increasing output. As a result marginal costs are dramatically reduced and consequently supply is increased. Therefore there has been a huge fall in price and quantities traded have been risen dramatically. In the long run, when an industry expands the cost of industry also decreases. As the industry produces more output, the minimum average cost of production for each firm decreases with the decrease in costs. (Economies of scale) The decrease in costs may reflect lower input costs which reduce the minimum point of the average total cost curve as the industry grows. As the industry expands and if there are economies of scale in the production of an important input costs may decline. A decrease in input costs shifts the supply curve to the right from S1 toS2 increasing the Equilibrium quantity from Q1 to Q2. The price will be decreased from P1 to P2. Please refer the above diagram. http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/introduction-economic-analysis/29486 Advancement in Technology Because of the technological advancement, the computers can be produced at a lower cost when compared to the decades ago. As technology has improved, he price of the computers have declined radically lowering their cost of production. Specially advances in communications technology. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B63/021MB63.html Let us look at another indicator of the phenomenal change in computers. According to Bureau of Labour Statistics, central processing unit (CPU) speed rose 1,263%, system memory increased 1,500%, hard drive capacity soared by 3,700%, and monitor size went up 13%Between 1993 and 1998. Therefore the supply curve shift to right from S1 to S2 by reducing the price from P1 to P2. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B63/021MB63.html The competitive advantage of high-tech laptops and Notebooks Notebook PC /Laptops Various types of notebooks and laptops with different configuration and specifications are manufactured by different companies. The most recognized companies in dealing with laptops are Sony, Vaio, Toshiba, Dell, Fujitsu, Lenovo ect. Priced are depended on configurations. Laptops with general features and lesser configuration are available at cheaper rates and notebooks with higher configuration and extra specifications are bit expensive. The processor may be Intel Dual Core and it may be enabled with widows or vista premium operating system. From one notebook PC to the other the data speed and the RAM capacity varies depending on the configuration. The memory may range from 1GB to 4GB or higher memory. Some laptops are enabled with TV tuner and built-in cameras for extra usage. The capacity of the hard drive varies, starting from 64GB to 500GB. When compared to the desktops, the hard disk and RAM have smaller sizes. There is a better advantage as the laptops Central Processing Unit is produced less heat and also save power. They may be of Intel Core, Core 2 Duo, Premium M, VIA Technologies etc. http://www.articlesbase.com/laptops Following are the most attractive features in the Note books and laptops. LCD display Key board and a touchpad, equivalent of mouse Display primarily ranges from 13 inches to 17 inches Weighs between 1.4 to 5.4 kilograms Thickness ranges between 18-38 mm Comes in folding design Rechargeable batter Removable memory facility which ensures large storage of data Availability of many ports for USB connectivitys Expandable memory cards such as Mini PCI for a large storage of data. Portable, cheap priced, stylish, folding design Both a laptop and notebook have more advantages as they are ultra-portable, durable and they can be used while travelling easily. We can have immediate access and can have our work done instantly and these are always up-to-date, as all files can be saved in a single location. With the help of wireless networks like Wi-Fi and cellular modems, we can access Internet even while on the go. The above mentioned advancements in technology, the computers gets technically better and better as the months ago for the same price, and this will shift the supply curve to the right. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/laptops-articles/laptop-notebooks-are-best-substitutes-for-our-traditional-computers-745511.html This can be seen in the diagram above. The quantity supplied has raised hugely, from Q1 to Q2.The equilibrium price has fallen from P1 to P2, a fairly large relative drop. 3.7 Expansion of the computer market. Recently more and more computer product chains have been entered to the market and it has led size of the industry grown. When more firms enter a given industry in short, output increases even as the price remains steady. The supply curve is shifted to the right decreasing the price of the product, when industry grows. Following are the main competitors in the UK market. United Kingdom PC Vendors) Company 3Q09 Market Share (%) 3Q08 Market Share (%) Acer 24.2 17.4 Dell Inc. 18.3 20.9 Hewlett-Packard 17.5 19.1 Toshiba 6.5 8.6 Apple Computer 5.0 3.8 Others 28.6 30.2 100.0Total 100.0Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs Source: Gartner (November 2009) . Please refer the diagram. The rapid increase in the number of firms, together with dramatic technological improvements, led to an increase in supply, shifting the supply curve in diagram to the right from S1 to S2. Price is reduced to P1 to P2. CONCLUSION Let us consider the factors those affected to fall in computer price in real terms which resulted both the demand curves and the supply curves led to right shift. Increased preferences due to advanced technology increase in population and the increment in real income, there is a huge increase in demand. And the demand curve shifted to the right from D1 to D2 in the diagram. The price was increased from P1 to P2. Suppliers strive for a greater share of the market by having strategies to gain consumers demand on their product. This is done so by increasing the value of their product. But there has also been a huge shift to the right in the supply curve for computers than the shift in the demand curve. Please refer the diagram above in relation to supply curve. In computer market particularly there are simultaneous shifts of both demand and supply curves. Combining both shifts generates an obvious change in quantity, but a questionable change in price. If an increase in demand increases equilibrium quantity and an increase in supply increases equilibrium quantity, then an increase in both MUST increase equilibrium quantity. In relation to the price, the demand increase (right shifts) results in a higher price, and the supply increase (right shift) leads to a lower price. The price is in determinant and it depends on the relative change of both curves. In the computer market, supply shifts relatively more than demand, therefore the supply induced lower price outweighs the demand-induced higher price, and the price is lower The price change is in determinant and we have to consider the relative change in the supply and the demand curves. Therefore, the exact reason for the question in this assignment is, even though the demand is increasing, the supply is also increasing but, at a rate higher than the demand increasing rate. You can notice in the diagram above, that the supply curve is shifted to the right at a higher rate than the rate at which the demand curve is shifted to the right. Therefore the price reduces from P1 to P2. Therefore, I conclude that the rapid increase in the number of firms, together with dramatic technological improvements, led to an increase in supply. The reason for the fall in equilibrium price that is the answer to the assignment question is market supply is relatively more than the demand and it results a lower price. Reference list Web sights http://www.microsoft.com/uk/business/news, 26, March 2010, 8.15 a.m. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer, 26, March 2010, 8.25 a.m. http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn/news, 26, March 2010, 9.00 a.m. http://www.econport.org, 26, March 2010, 9.10 a.m. http://www.econport.org, 26, March 2010, 9.40 a.m. http://www.amosweb.com, 26, March 2010, 9.55 a.m. http://www.slideshare.net, 26, March 2010, 1.10 p.m. http://www.flatworldknowledge.com, 26, March 2010, 1.25 p.m. http://www.web-books.com, 27, March 2010, 9.20 a.m. http://www.articlesbase.com, 27, March 2010, 9.30 a.m. http://en.wikipedia.org26, 27March 2010, 11. a.m. htpp://www.microsoft.com/uk/business/news/driving-revenue/UK-PC-sales, 27March 2010, 11. a.m. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4704927.stm Books Parkin, M. 2008 (8th edition) Solman, J. 2007 (2nd edition),Economics, Pages 48-65

Yemen Strikes May Target Top AL Qaeda Leaders Essay

              Al Qaeda is a global militant Islamist organization founded by the late Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam among other Islamic. It dates back to around August 1988-1989 in Peshwar in Pakistan. Its origins were traced to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It operated as a network that comprised of both multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim revolution. This movement called for global jihad and implemented a strict interpretation of the Sharia laws. It was branded a terrorist organization by major organizations and countries in the world such as the United Nation Security Council, the European Union, NATO, the United States, and the United Kingdom among many other countries.               Al Qaeda functioned both on its own and through some minor terrorist organizations. The organizations that operated under the al Qaeda included Ayman al-Wawahiri’s Egyptian Islamic Jihad which was also known as el Gamaa Islamia. There were also other Jihad groups in countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Pakistan, Croatia, Tunisia Lebanon, Albania, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Tajistan and the Hashmiri Region in India and Chechnyan in Russia. AL Qaeda kept cells and personnel in numerous countries to facilitate its operations including Kenya, Tanzania, the United States, Germany, United Kingdome, Malaysia and Canada. â€Å"Al Qaeda has no home base, but maintains cells in different countries in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia† (Zalman) Objectives                  One of the ultimate goals of Al Qaeda was to fight off the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabian peninsula and Somalia. They issued rulings on Islamic laws indicating that such action was proper and essential. Bin Laden led the AL Qaeda to oppose the United States for various reasons. First, they perceived the United States to have no faith because its governance was not as per their interpretation of the Islamic laws. The second reason was that they regarded the United States as a provider of vital support to â€Å"other infidel† nations and institutions. They particularly branded the Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and finally the United Nations, as enemies of the Islamists organization. Third, Osama Bin Laden greatly contended the participation of the United States armed force in the Gulf war and operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively. Above all, the presence of the American forces in the Saudi Arabian penins ula was with no doubt resented by the al Qaeda. Last but not least, the United States Government’s incredible resentment was owed to the arrest and conviction of the al Qaeda personnel or any member of their affiliate terrorists organizations. For these reasons, Osama Bin Laden led the al Qaeda to declare jihad, holy war, against the United States. He pursued this goal through all means possible. The al Qaeda made attacks on any nations or organizations allied to the United States.                Since 1988, when Al Qaeda was formed, â€Å"the organization has been credited with scores of terror attacks around the globe, which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people† (National Geographic). Attacks in East Africa                   On 7th August 1998, well planned attacks were made on two American embassies in the East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. In Tanzania, it is perceived by the authorities that a bomb was planted in a refrigeration truck which was later parked outside the United States embassy. It was unfortunate that these two embassies did not meet the recent strict measures that have been implemented. The attack on the Tanzanian embassy saw 11 people die and 86 more get injured. On the other hand the Kenyan bombing resulted in the deaths of 12 Americans, 213 Kenyan Citizens and had over 5000 casualties. One of AL Qaeda’s leaders, Al Libi, â€Å"was wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 1998 bombings of the two embassies in Africa† (CNN).               The aftermath of this attack was devastating and the United States in conjunction with the Tanzanian government sought to set up a new embassy. The United States impeached Osama Bin Laden as the core perpetrator of the bombing of these embassies. The united stated went ahead to offer a reward for five million dollars for his arrest and conviction.                   The United States government as devastated as it was plotted attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan. On 20th August 1998, the United States attacked Sudan and Afghanistan. It was alleged that the US targeted a chemical weapons producing plant, located in Sudan, with 13 cruise missiles. This only resulted to the deaths of the night guards. There has not been any substantial evidence that supports the attack and therefore it has come under extreme criticism. The attack on Afghanistan consisted of about 75 cruise missiles which targeted three separate terrorists’ camps and strongholds. This attack brought the deaths of 24 people but unfortunately failed in getting Osama Bin Laden. â€Å"The strikes were a response to an imminent threat to the U.S. posed by a terrorist network backed by Osama bin Laden† (CNN). Attacks in Yemen                   This is AL Qaeda’s first ever attack in its course. It is known as the Yemen Hotel Bombing of 1992. On the evening of the 29th of December 1992, a bomb went off at the Gold Mahur Hotel. This happened to be where the United States’ armed forces had been staying on their route to Somalia. Fortunately the troops had already evacuated the hotel at the time of the attack. Undeterred by any circumstances, the AL Qaeda went ahead to plot another attack. They targeted another hotel. They perceived that the American troops were staying in the Aden Movenpick. However, the bomb detonated in the hotel car park, ahead of time for their attack. The explosion led to the death of two Australian tourists. Osama Bin Laden and Mohamed Khan claimed responsibility for these attacks. Attacks in Jordan                In December 1999-2000, there was a plotted attack by the AL Qaeda to attack United States and Israelis tourists who had visited Jordan to celebrate the millennium. Conversely, authorities in Jordan disillusioned the plotted attacks and apprehended and convicted 28 suspects. This plot involved the bombing of the LAX but this was a complete failure for the AL Qaeda since the bomber, known as Ahmed Ressam was apprehended at the US- Canadian border with explosives in his car. The AL Qaeda did not stop at that. They planned an attack on the USS Sullivans on January the third in 2000. This failed because they put too much weight on a small boat that was to bomb the ship. Attack on MV Limburg                   The Limburg was loaded with 397,000 barrels, equated to 63,100 m3, of crude oil from Iran en route to Malaysia. It was attacked in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen where it was to collect another load of crude oil. The Limburg was registered under a French-flag. PETRONAS, a Malaysian petrol firm, had chartered the Limburg. At some distance offshore, a small boat loaded with explosives rammed the tanker on the starboard and detonated. The craft caught fire and estimated 90,000 barrels, equated to 140,000 m3 of crude oil spilled into the ocean. Yemeni authorities apparently claimed that the explosion was caused by an accident. However investigations showed traces of TNT on the wrecked vessel. In the incident one crew member was killed and 12 others were injured. According to BBC, Ahmed al-Darbi confessed to being responsible for this incident.                      The Battle of WanatOn July 13, 2008, AL Qaeda and Taliban guerilla fighters raged war on NATO troops. This occurred near Wanat, a village in Waygal district, in Afghanistan’ province of Nuristan. This battle has been branded â€Å"Black Hawk Down†. It was one of the bloodiest attacks in the war and one of the numerous attacks on remote outposts. In comparison to the preceding ambushes that were executed in a haphazard manner, this was well coordinated and executed. â€Å"American casualties included nine killed and 27 wounded, while four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were wounded† (Terrorists groups). Attacks on the United States                  On Tuesday September 11, 2001 a coordinated series of 4 attacks were launched on the US in the metropolitan area of Washington DC and in New York by the Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group of Islamic religion.                19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners. The purpose of hijacking the planes was so that they could be used for suicide attacks.                  Two of the planes, the United Airline flight 175 and also the American Airliners flight II were crashed into the south and north towers of the world trade center complex in New York City respectively. In two hours the two towers collapsed. The debris from the buildings and the fires partly of completely caused the collapse of the buildings in the world trade center complex and also caused damage to another ten large surrounding structures. The Rise                  The affliction of AL Qaeda on global is seemingly a long standing affair. Its beginning goes back decades to the modern-day establishment and conversion of a non-state armed group that has made it its purpose to create exceptional regional and international changes based on unnecessary use of brutal force for political motives. Apart from prompting domestic and foreign crises, the AL Qaeda focused specifically in adapting and prospering open-endedly as it sought new approaches. All along, it is in this perspective that the growth of AL Qaeda was planned for. This was a preordained way for the group to ensure it growth regardless of any setbacks from the very beginning. This isolated it from preceding and successive Islamists groups. On the other hand, traditional Islamist factions started to institute themselves through religious preaching, political sermons and particularly through networks of domestic social amenities.                   The first incarnation of AL Qaeda was to act as a welfare provider originating in the reinter state, Arabian Gulf. On the other hand its purpose was to apparently fight the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Jihad. The superiority of this underlying principle did not translate to a sudden halt of an unsatisfied local aim but somewhat the domestic contention to spill out to the external parties. From the perspective of a failed Arab and Islamic nation building, this faction sprang forth as a project with the combination of religion and politics. I was built upon: Relocation of authority; Outwitting the state; And the belligerent empowerment of a non-state actor.                  If in the beginning the swift propagation of the five regional depictions of the Al Qaeda were questionable, an added suggestion of the organization’s inspiring global reach and its ability to function in multiple nations long after War on Terror had been declared against it, it progressively occurred that the regional affiliates were significantly at variance and their link to the mother Al Qaeda was in some way unsubstantiated.                   Although in its first fifteen years it had been able to develop globally against vital odds; for each tactical loss, the Al Qaeda earned a strategic gain. This was demonstrated by: Retreating in Afghanistan but advancing in Iraq; Restricted leadership but had proliferating contacts; Abridged physical mobility but had global impact; Additional enemies but expanding recruits. The fall                  In the period between 2006 and 2011, AL Qaeda’s leadership had changed into a self-commandment, in due course offering only political, religious and military commentary, and not operational orders. Taking everything into account, what can be interpreted as a regionalization strategy of the Al Qaeda mixed up the global representation of the organization. The required elasticity the group embraced, partially voluntarily, partially as a way to adjust to the impending international anti-terrorism campaign, brought about an ever-growing distance with the already liberated divisions.                  Osama Bin Laden’s vanishing from Al Qaeda and also the War on Terror scene, for that reason, signified the end of the reign of the original faction established in Afghanistan. This opened a new chapter in which the regional authorizations will further sanction their existing independence. In so doing they will bestow the conflict with a new arrangement by diminishing terrorism among nations. War on Terror                  Previous efforts to put an end to this menace were somehow unsuccessful until May 2, 2011. O this day, a team of U.S Navy Seals with the help of the United States intelligence located the AL Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. He was found in Abbottabad in Pakistan, 31 Miles from Islamabad where he met his demise. On June 16 the same year, Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama Bin Laden but the fight against terror continues.                The war against terror is a global war. There have been numerous efforts to curb the AL Qaeda menace. The United States has shown great dedication in trying to bring justice to the crimes committed by this faction, the Al Qaeda. These efforts have included several military actions by the United States armed forces and other allied nations and institutions like the UK and the United Nations. Presently, there are ongoing various military operations against this terrorist faction. This operation either targets the faction directly or the affiliates of this faction such as the Al Shabaab in Somalia. Many countries have joined the war against terrorism. For example, according to Fox News, the Iraqi Government has announced that it is offensive on AL Qaeda. Yemen is also said to be targeting top AL Qaeda leaders, as Stated by CNN reporters, Jamjoom and Smith, write.                   The United States government has greatly contributed the gradual fall that AL Qaeda is undergoing. Military action is seemingly the way to go since these terrorists seem not to the get the hang of diplomacy. Presently, â€Å"prompted in part by a recent video that showed Al Qaeda leaders in Yemen openly taunting the United States, the CIA launched lethal drone strikes†(Dilanian). According to ABC News, even after two years when the United States withdrew its troops from Iraq, the US is still aid the Iraqi government to fight off the AL Qaeda faction. References Al Qaeda. Answers, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. AL Qaeda Attacks: A Chronology. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Battle of Wanat 2008. Terrorist Groups, 8 Apr. 2008. Web. 26 Apr. 2014 Fast facts: The embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. CNN, 6 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Guantanamo prisoner al-Darbi admits MV Limburg Attack. BBC, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Jamjoom, Mohammed and Smith, Matt. Yemen Strikes May Target Top AL Qaeda Leaders. CNN, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. US Assisting Iraq in Fight Against Al Qaeda 2 Years After Troops Withdraw. ABC NEWS, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.Zalman, Amy. Al Qaeda: Profile of Al Qaeda. About, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Source document

Pandora Internet Radio Essay

One of my favorite radio medians is Pandora Internet Radio. I enjoy Pandora for the simple fact of variety there over a 700,000 songs in the database. There are many great radio stations out there. However, after awhile they continue to cycle through the same songs over and over. With Pandora the listeners can suggest specific artists, or genres of music, or a comedian and Pandora not only plays that artist, but artist that are similar to them through that station. Through the Music Genome Project, a team of musician-analysts listens to songs. They study the details of the song to compile a list of artist with similar sounds to create the different playlists. As a member of Pandora you are allowed to create up to a 100 unique â€Å"stations.† (Pandora, 2013) Pandora’s mission statement: â€Å"We believe in the value of music and have a profound respect for those who create it. We like all kinds of music, from the most obtuse bebop, to the most tripped-out drum n bass, to the simplest catchy pop tune. Our mission is to help you connect with the music YOU love† (Pandora, 2013). Pandora has a single mission and that is to play music the listeners will love. They have added comedy to target listeners who enjoy standup comedy and lighten their day with a laugh (Pandora, 2013). I have an app on my phone and can listen to Pandora wherever I am. I plug my phone into speakers and listen to Pandora everyday. I did further research on the about Pandora page on Thursday March 28th. When entering the Pandora site, the first thing you will notice is the blue screen with Pandora written across it in white. That screen then brings you to their home page. The logo is the name Pandora that can be found in the upper left hand corner of the screen. According to the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, blue is the color of leadership and is used to communicate stability (Ries, 2002). Under the law of shapes the rectangle is the most preferred shape is more of an eye catcher than the other shapes. The logo in the app store is a white square with a blue uppercase P and Pandora written underneath it in blue as well. Pandora means â€Å"all gifted† in Greek, Pandora received many gifts from the God’s including the gift of music (Pandora, 2013). Tim Westergren, a long time musician started Savage Beast Technologies in 1999, later on launching Pandora in 2005. One of the main competitors is iHeart Radio; iHeart offers there listeners to not only find artists, but also allows them to look up radio stations from around the United States. The iHeart logo is a lower case I with a satellite around it shaped as a heart in white and the background color is red (iHeart, 2013). Slacker Radio is another competitor of Pandora. Slacker is an interactive radio that also allows the listener to chose an artists, or specific genre of music and creates a playlist according to music choice. The logo for Slacker is an orange circle with white wings with a white uppercase S that looks like a tilted music note in the middle of the circle (Slacker, 2013). Pandora uses a Wordmark logo; iHeart and Slacker both use a Pictorial Mark to display their different brands. As a customer of DirecTv I received a newsletter in the mail informing me that there was a Pandora app on DirecTv. Although I already have an account that I can listen to on my phone or computer, I was unaware that there was an app through DirecTv. This advertisement strategy was a great idea and I immediately followed the steps to get Pandora on my television. Pandora can be located on over 200 consumer electronic devices varying from smart-phones to TV’s to set-top boxes to Blu-ray players and is able to stream visual audio, and interactive advertising to computers. There interactive advertising extends from computers, smart-phones, iPads, in-home connected devices and even cars. While a song is playing there are artist biographies and discographies. They also offer lyrics to many of the songs. There is an email sign up to receive alerts whenever Pandora Media, Inc. post new information and updates. There is a thumb’s up and down button at the bottom of the page for listeners to like or dislike the songs they are listening to. Pandora offers a sense of community through users profile pages. Under the profile page listeners can follow other Pandora members similar to a Twitter page. The music feed allows listeners to see what others are creating or listening to for stations. This is a great place for listeners to broaden the music they listen to by seeing what others like. There are many underground bands and artists that have not reached the mainstream that have their music through Pandora. The target market of Pandora is everyone who enjoys music no matter age, gender, or preferred genre. The target customer listens to music at home, gym, or while in the car. With such a large variety of music, everyone can enjoy listening to Pandora. There is music for children all the way up to the elderly. Pandora wants to satisfy everyone. The iPhone 5 users have a few more features through Pandora there are more sharing options located on the screen, to allow users to share their music with Facebook and Twitter. The original Pandora is a free app they however do have options to upgrade for $3.99 to listen without commercials. Pandora recently partnered up with Chrysler’s Uconnect Access, this allows Pandora users to sync their favorite radio stations and listen through the radio in the car. This partnership brings Pandora up to 20 US automotive brands (Yeung, 2013). Pandora has Facebook and Twitter accounts to interact and keep listeners updated on new information and the latest apps they offer. There is also the updated email alerts. The Pandora app is available through all apps stores, and in 2008 Pandora became one of the most consistently downloaded apps in the Apple store (Pandora, 2013). Today Pandora offers many different apps many are free and others do need to paid for.

The Relationship Between Sleep And Social Rhythms Essay

Hypothesis, Methods, Results, and Validity In 2009, researchers, Colleen E. Carney Ph.D., Jack D. Edinger, Bjà ¶rn Meyer, Linda Lindman, and Tai Istre, published their study called, â€Å"Daily Activities and Sleep Quality in College Students†. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between sleep and social rhythms. The researchers acknowledged that, â€Å"It has long been recognized that consistent and qualitatively satisfying sleep is largely dependent on a robust and well entrained endogenous circadian rhythm† (Carney, Edinger, Meyer, Lindman, and Istre, 2009). The researchers further explained that in their study they were going to attempt to establish a relationship between one’s daily activities and social engagements to his or her sleep quality. The researchers hypothesized that, â€Å"self-reported good sleepers would report more daily activities, show earlier daily scheduling of their social rhythms, have social rhythms characterized by greater regularity, and be involved in more activities with active social engagement than would poor sleepers† (Carney et al., 2009). To test their hypothesis the researchers gather 243 willing participants between the ages of 18 and 39 years. The sample was mostly female and Caucasian, but other ethnicities and races were present to ensure a representative sample. To carry out the study the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM) was used to assess social rhythms. 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