What have you learned about Asian culture (you may wish to distinguish Essay

What have you learned about Asian culture (you may wish to distinguish between various countries and cultures) in this course - Essay Example The discussion will be based on the analysis of a number of films being produced in the region. The films chosen for the analysis are: Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, Hanabi by Takeshi Kitano, Apur Sansar by Satyajit Ray, Salaam Bombay! by Mira Nair, Red Sorghum by Zhang Yimou, and Chungking Express by Wong Kar-Wai. The paper will examine how the variations of Asian culture are presented in these films. Before going into any further discussion on the nuances of Asian culture, it is important to understand what culture means. A general definition of culture argues that the concept of culture can be best described as â€Å"a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behaviour. It is an abstract ‘mental blueprint’ or ‘mental code’.† Concepts and ideas of culture can be studied by means of exploring behaviour, customs, material culture (artefacts, tools, and technology), language, etc. of a particular community or region. So to say, culture is a learning process through which a community or society can be studied both at individual and collective levels. This process of learning one’s culture can be labelled as enculturation. One of the characteristic features of culture studies is that there is nothing like a ‘culture of one’, it is a collective possession shared by a ll the members of a society. Commonness in behaviour, customs and other traditional practices can be achieved by mutual construction of a culture by means of a constant process of social interaction. Besides, culture, language and thought are based on symbols and symbolic meanings. Apart from this symbolic nature, the definition of culture features arbitrariness and habitualness as culture is internalized and created by humans. Coming to the more specific discussion of the Asian culture, it is characterized by the concept of cultural variation. Some of the most important ingredients of Asian culture are: Asian art,

Risk management in Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk management in Toyota - Essay Example The quality of the Toyota cars, introduction of premium brands like Lexus in tune with the tastes and fashions prevailing in the American markets, its collaboration with the leading player General Motors subsequently, entrenched the brand ‘Toyota’ firmly into the USA. The success story of Toyota could be summed up from one of its slogans in the 1980s â€Å"Who could ask for anything more†. The product profile of the company has undergone changes to include larger and luxurious vehicles. The corruption charges leveled against the UJF Bank, one of the largest shareholders of Toyota with Toyota’s Chairman as a director was a setback to the company’s diversification strategy into financial services. Also, the over concentration in the already developed American and European markets over the period of time could strategically affect its leadership position in the global market in future. The financial risk is related predominantly to the issue of capital structure and leverage, but the business risk largely dependent upon the economic conditions, and the study of risk management in relation to a company like Toyota needs to focus on the macro economic factors. This paper seeks to analyze risk management perspective of the company in relation to the prevailing global economic conditions, its strategic outlook to changes in the environmental factors globally and other internal factors related to risk management. Currents status and evaluation of risk management The international economy has undergone drastic changes in the recent years consequent upon the stupendous growth of emerging economies, especially the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, China and India) countries and the credit squeeze in the aftermath of subprime crises in the developed nations. However, it is pertinent to note that the emerging economies have not been affected by the subprime crisis, as these countries have been insulated from the world economy by virtue of the continuin g regulations in these countries, especially in the financial services sectors, and their exposure to international banking system has been very limited. A cursory glance of US Vehicle Sales from 1984 to 2010 from Penton Media (2011), as given in Appendix I and II, which more or less coincides with Toyota’s establishment in the USA reveals the growth (or lack of growth) over the period of time. Competition The market for Toyota is very competitive. For example, Toyota’s competitors Suzuki of Japan and Hyundai of South Korea have well established facilities for manufacturing, marketing and servicing in India. The local manufacturer Tata Motors has aggressively priced its small car Nano around INR 100,000 which works out to just US$ 2400 approximately. Volume is going to be the name of the game in the emerging economies like India, China and Brazil. Jie, R. (2010) reports: â€Å"China has overtaken the United States and Japan to become the world's largest car manufactur ing country in 2009.† While Toyota was concentrating more and more on developed markets, its competitors have made inroads into the emerging markets, where Toyota is lagging behind the local as well as the international players. Realizing the potential in the small car segment in India, Chevrolet has introduced the model ‘Spark’ at INR 279,000 which works out to US$ 6200 approximately since ‘value for money’ or pricing is a crucial factor in influencing the consumers’

Population Health in South Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Population Health in South Africa - Essay Example Any crucial health promotion effort, would therefore need a thorough knowledge of the epidemiologic factors and their distributions (Ugen, Bendinelli, and Friedman, 2002, 1-24). HIV transmission is known to occur by both homosexual and heterosexual contacts; by blood and blood products; and by infected mothers to infants either intrapartum, perinatally, or via breast milk. It has been intensely investigated since its discovery, but till date there is no evidence that HIV is transmitted by casual contact or that the virus can be spread by insects, which are commonly people's perceptions. HIV infection/AIDS is a global pandemic; every country has its share of this burden. It has been currently estimated that the number of cases of HIV infection among adults is 37 million worldwide. Unfortunately, two-thirds of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa, and about 50% of these cases are women. In addition, an estimated 2.5 million younger than age 15 children are living with HIV/AIDS. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) undertook study in 2003, and they declared there were an estimated 5 million new cases of infection worldwide. Calculating on a daily basi s, more than 14,000 new infections occur each day which ultimately lead to 3 million deaths. In this way, AIDS becomes the fourth leading cause of mortality throughout the world. The cumulative number of deaths out of AIDS and from conditions related to AIDS exceeded 20 million in the year 2003. The epidemiologic patterns of HIV occurrence in the world is in the forms of "waves", with each wave demonstrating little difference in characteristics which are determined by the demographics of a specific country or a region. It is also determined by the time when the HIV was introduced into the population. This indicates, in different regions of the world, different types of virus may be prevalent (UNAIDS/WHO, 2006, Chapter 4). Demographically and statistically, HIV/AIDS in different regions of the world provide evidence that although the epidemic was first recognized in the United States and thereafter in Western Europe, it most likely indexed in sub-Saharan Africa. The major mode of transmission of HIV worldwide is heterosexual sex unquestionably; since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in developing countries, where the numbers of infected men and women are approximately equal, the same pattern had been particularly prevalent. Knight has computed the South African data in relation to population and HIV/AIDS in 2006. This comprehensive document highlights many interesting facts in relation to the disease burden of South Africa. These data are important since it is a fact that AIDS epidemic has had a devastating impact on Africa, particularly in South Africa. A mid 2007 data indicate the population in South Africa of 47.9 million with 51% women. Approximately 32% of this population is children of age 0 to 14 years, 5% are older, and 63% belong to age group 15-64, who are working. The burden of the disease becomes more conspicuous

Character, theme and narrative in the soap opera Essay Example for Free

Character, theme and narrative in the soap opera Essay From watching one particular episode of the famous soap Eastenders I was able to attain plenty of information and reference to certain areas of a soap. There are specific codes and conventions to particular narratives that are easy to identify. Obviously in each soap, the same sort of things occur and the audience can recognise this, thus such an appeal for soaps. In this single episode of Eastenders, the themes included are easily identifiable as being part of a soap. It includes all the drama in everyday life within one session of 30minutes. We are able to see potential fights, arguing, loving and a typical goodie and baddie scenario. Also there is mention of wedding and divorce, evidently showing mixed emotions. Furthermore, a noticeable feature of Eastenders is that there is a comic relief as there is a build up of suspense and tension, then a scene change to Patrick who supplies the audience with moments of laughter, along with a small selection of other characters. Location is an immense feature to Eastenders. There are a number of places you anticipate to be featured in each episode the Queen Vic pub being the most notorious. Also within one street (square) there is 6 places of work all featured in this one episode. The jobs all being inter-gender and featuring different types of characters who play different roles with a wide range of age gaps. Ie. Garage, launderette, cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, E20 nightclub and a B B. In this 30 minute slot, which in Eastenders time is one full day from early morning to late night, we are able to see the pub closed, quiet and busy. Also when the pub is featured, the concentration is only on a conversation involving just two people, although you can hear other characters in the atmos, they are not seen. This is where camera angles become important. Over the shoulder shot is most commonly featured throughout when showing a clip of two characters talking. Also whilst in the middle of a conversation there is a sharp camera swap to a close -up view of the person speaking, which only last for a few seconds. These are things that the audience take for granted but need plenty of thought and trials. There is only one point in the episode where one person is shown alone this being Peggy Mitchell who is talking to herself and allowing the viewers to empathise with her and share her emotions. She is a dominant family-heading female who is stressing her unhappiness to the viewers. This is when we see a wider range of camera angles used as the photographers want us to see her differently and also let us see the setting and background which is a clever tactic so we can recognise where she is and what her method of thinking is. Also the cameras seem a similar distance away from each character, and this means they never raise their voice and throughout the same volume of speech is enforced. A synopsis of what is actually happening in the episode is a number of storylines revolving around each other most of them having some sort of link or connection. The storylines are as follows : * Phil Mitchell after his disturbed ex-wife Lisa and his baby * A triangle love situation between Little Mo, comical Billy and Mr. Nasty Trevor. * Sonias relationship with both Gus and Jamie * Janines flirting and misleading this linking into events occurring in the bed and breakfast. * Toms mental state of mind * Jim Brannan losing his job and Ricky in desperate need of one There is also other small ones developing but these are the main pinpointed ones. The storylines are age specific, therefore aimed at a wide range of viewers. In addition to this as storylines build up and characters become uneased in the episode, there seems to be no atmos/background music to dramatise the situation, which is a convention often employed by soap-makers. No music at all is used throughout the episode, excluding the catchy and easily remembered theme tune at the beginning of the soap. Also the mini-cliffhangers at the conclusion of the soap is followed by the distinctive tune. This soap, like most others has no graphics used or clear use of modern hi-tech technology. There is just a simple, straightforward map of the East end of London at the beginning with the River Thames flowing through. This being very eye-catching and appealing. On the whole it is obvious to see that one 30minute episode of a soap can include so much detail, information and thought.

Love in twelfth night Essay -- essays research papers

Love in twelfth night In the play twelfth night, Shakespeare covered three types of love : Lust, true love and brotherly love. Love is one of the most confusing and most misunderstood emotions that we as humans posses. Love is an extremely diverse emotion which is why it was used as the main topic in twelfth night. Lust, which is probably one of the most confusing types of love was an apparent subject in twelfth night.There are many reasons why one would lust, one could be because you are attracted to a specific quality of a person or could maybe only like there looks or even just thing like there charisma. Shakespeare showed lust between Orsino and Olivia. Even though Orsino had not met or even seen Olivia, he was still madly in love with her. Lust is defined as an intense but temporary wanting of a persons attention or love. Orsino tried to capture the heart of Olivia through out the play, and lusted for her because he was attracted by her grieving for her family. It was thought by Orsino that She would have an intense love for him if she loved her family so much. As the play moves forward, Orsino actually meets Olivia but he loses his lust for her, and instead loves Viola ( formerly Cesario). Shakespeare also used lust between Malvolio and Olivia. Malvolio thought that Olivia had fallen in l ove with him (as the reader knows this was a joke being played on Malvolio). This grew a larger ego bubble on Malvolio. He thought that she truly wanted his love, and thusly his ego ...

Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration

Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration The Internet has become as one of the most important form of communication media in and among public administration. Communication is an essential part of every field. The effects of web technology on how we communicate in the field of Public Administration on wider biases. Public Administrators communicate easily and fast way with the use of internet. Such as, they delivered a matter or message in a minute by an email.Business meeting are done by video conferences such as, if someone is not present in the meeting, we can communicate with, we can see and listen his comments with the use of internet in just a minute. Public administrators can access everywhere all over the world through internet. They can reach both rural and global areas. They can get the every type of information from internet. They can watch, listen, and read the news from internet. They can access the international markets and international affairs. The construction and management of the World Wide Web sites are becoming essential elements of modern public administration.Administrators are now facing a great challenge. They are required to achieve new goals in an increasingly shorter time. But that is not mean to enhanced transparency, greater efficiency and higher levels of citizen services; they also want to reduce costs. Only web technology fulfills these requirements. Administrators should build modern systems for offices is their extensive use in the Internet architecture and the use of such elements, which ensure gathering of all information, security, and ease of data circulation and the possibility of their versatile use by authorized persons.Administrators should attend the conferences, where latest technologies are presented. Using these new technologies, the Authority may significantly reduce the cost of all transactions, improve efficiency, ensure transparency and accountability, as well as meet all expectations. R ole based access control (RBAC) is a technology that reduced the complexity and cost of security administration in large networked applications. The concept and design of RBAC is perfectly suited for use on both intranets and internets. It provides a secure and effective way to manage access to administration web information.Web technology allows administration to share with the public a variety of information in unlimited quantities on demand. Technology is also available to allow citizens to bring issues of concern to the attention of local, regional and national administration. However, exploiting these capabilities within administration systems is a challenge that surrounds environmental, policy, legal, and cultural issues. Establishing effective administration requires openness, transparency, collaboration and skill in taking advantage of the capabilities of the World Wide Web.The World Wide Web has an opportunity to provide guidance in support of administration objectives by p romoting existing open web standards and noting the challenges external to the web and technology. The World Wide Web also facilitates the development of new open web standards needed by administration in context. Public managers are looking for ways to fully exploit the advantages of Web services technology for improving service delivery. Now a day it is impossible to work without web technology in public administration. Impact of cyber Crime on Pakistan Economics Cyber crimes are increasing day by day in Pakistan from last some years.According to cyber crime unit, only few cases have been seen 4 to 5 years ago, but the ratio of these cases increased tremendously now. In Pakistan, the ratio of cyber crime is low as compared to developed countries. There are a number of cyber crimes in Pakistan including cyber pornography, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, intellectual property crimes, email spoofing, cyber stalking, forgery, unauthorized access to computer systems or netwo rks, theft of information contained in electronic form, virus attacks, Trojan attacks, Internet time theft, password cracking and financial cyber crimes.According to cyber crime unit, the hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts are tremendously rising in Pakistan. There are no effective systems to reduce these crimes. And number of crimes increases day by day in Pakistan. For this reason, no one wants to invest money in Pakistan. Foreign investors does not take interest to invest money, even they move their business from Pakistan to some other countries. Not only foreign investor, Pakistani investors also does not invest their money in Pakistan due to defective security system. Due to this, Pakistan lost hundreds of thousands jobs.The ratio of unemployment increased that affect the Pakistani economy badly. The ratio of inflation also increased due to this the value of Pakistani currency decreased. Tax and revenue system of government also affected due to this. Because governme nt lost the revenue in the shape of tax that they collected the companies removed. In short, Pakistan economy badly affected due to increased in cyber crimes. Government should want to make an effective system to removed cyber crimes. Federal Investigation Association (FIA), a cyber crime unit working in Pakistan to remove these crimes. _____________________________

Hewlett Packard Swot Analysis Essay

The Hewlett-Packard and Compaq merger decision case study provided many points necessary in the understanding of why these two companies would undergo a risky business venture. Compaq was a company that began successfully with record setting financial statements, but in an attempt to expand its market, threatened company stability. With the acquisition of Tandem Computer and Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq experienced decreased revenues resulting in their inability to fully recover. In a competitive information technology market, HP was one of the industry leaders. Due to a failure to be proactive to market changes, HP grew stagnant and looked to reinvent company strategies through newly appointed President/CEO Carly Fiorina. Competitive advantages for both HP and Compaq included imaging and printing segment and high performance PC technology respectively. Management’s reasons for the merger included their assumption that together, HP and Compaq would be able to replicate and overtake competitors. Oppositions to the merger included a decrease in shareholder interests, a reduction of focus for company core competencies, and an unprofitable future. Several financial advisors and industry analysts were in agreement that the proposed merger would not be in the best interests of either company. Despite the uncertainties, information gathered and forecasts projected were in favor of the merger, which resulted in shareholder approval and the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer. SWOT Analysis In researching Hewlett-Packard’s present-day company position, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted. Strengths found include HP’s strong market position internationally and on the domestic end, a successful growth throughout large acquisitions, and a considerable brand value. HP currently has a 28.6% market share in the United States of America while internationally they stand at 17.7%. As the current number one leader in PC sales, HP has a solid market position. Although the strengths are allowing HP to maintain market position, there are also weaknesses present in all companies. Compared to other companies in the same industry, Hewlett-Packard lacks significant software product and management consulting services. As a result, Hewlett-Packard’s weakness is its weak market segment integration. HP is able to answer consumer demand when it comes to PC technology and imaging and printing software, but they fall short in t he software product creation and consulting services to combine with their successful departments of PC technology and imaging and printing services. As Hewlett-Packard continues to grow and seek an increase in market position, opportunities surface. A spin-off of the PC technology business, entering the cloud computing market, and expanding imaging and printing solutions portfolio are opportunities HP has going forward. In placing more emphasis on the PC technology aspect of the company, HP may find that this venture will become as profitable as the imaging and printing department in the long-run. With the announcement of this spin-off, their share of US PC shipment increased from 25.4% to 28.9%. This positive reaction from consumers is an early indicator of possible success as a result of placing resources to build up the PC technology department. Cloud computing is a fairly new concept in which resources and software are delivered through a network, mainly over the Internet. As this is market quickly growing in demand, HP’s introduction of HP Cloud Assure is a great opportunity for future prosperity. With success comes o pportunities of threats, and Hewlett-Packard is no exception. With projected decrease in information technology (IT) in the near future, an increase in demand for non PC devices, and competitors with more diversified portfolios, HP’s threats are numerous. Industry analysts have projected a decrease of IT in upcoming quarters which will decrease HP’s profitability. HP has already witnessed a decrease in consumer spending during last quarter’s back-to-school spending. If analyst projections prove to be true, changes will quickly need to be made. As more and more consumers are entering the non PC device era, HP is losing a segment of the market with their inability to provide products for this demand. HP’s more diversified competitors such as Dell and Samsung are able to easily capture the demand for these tablets. Future of the Company Through the case study, present-day SWOT analysis, and outside research conducted on Hewlett-Packard, the group has concluded that the company will remain constant, but unless strategies are implemented to answer more consumer demands, they may lose market share. New CEO Meg Whitman has a technology visionary that will shift HP’s focus to answering consumer demands. Her leadership capabilities and projections for company future are a desirable mix for a company to achieve sustainable future relevance. With the implementation of HP Cloud Assure, a new venture capitalizing on the growing consumer interest of cloud computing, HP is already adapting to answering the demands of consumers. As long as the company continues to anticipate and provide the products and services desired, sustainability will be maintained. Questions 1. What are the strategic challenges that HP is facing? Strategic challenges: Cost- reduction initiatives that included â€Å"difficult but necessary voluntary- severance programs† and manufacturing consolidations. â€Å"Unacceptably high expense growth† contributed to a decline in earnings from operations and net earnings. HP had a weak macroeconomic environment and competitive price pressures that led to slumping sales. Management was unable to keep pace of the changing market conditions which were a key contributor. HP management failed to follow Dell’s lead in adopting a low- cost, Internet based direct sales channel to offset its reliance on the retail channel. * Accelerating growth in existing businesses * Streamlining the existing decentralized operating model to fuel growth opportunities * Implementing a â€Å"total customer experience† approach * Taking advantage of HP’s strong balance sheet and cash generation capability to fund new growth initiatives * Leveraging HP’s market position * Creating e- services ecosystems and placing HP at the center 2. Is the proposed merger likely to address these challenges? Benefits from the merger included personal systems, improved economics, and innovation. HP management believed that the combined company would have a lower cost structure due to economies of scale. HP would also be able to leverage Compaq’s progress in developing a direct sales channel, yielding a more flexible distribution model. Complementary leadership in key markets: Compaq’s strength in industry standard servers, coupled with HP’s Linus and UNIX offerings, would result in an industry- leading product line spanning the entire server category. By adding HP’s strength in high- end storage, the combined company would be the industry leader in both the enterprise storage segment and the fastest growing sub-segment storage area networks. Doubling HP’s sales force, the merger would allow HP to increase account coverage and better compete for important customer engagements around the world. IT Services: Strengthened Business Provides Critical Mass in Key Growth Market- Management believed the merger would significantly strengthen HP and Compaq’s combined services business for several reasons. Financial Benefits- As predicted the merger would yield $2.5 billion in annual cost saving by mid-2004. Yes, we do believe the proposed merger is likely to address the challenges HP faces. 3. How do you interpret the market’s reaction to the proposal deal? We interpret the market’s reaction to the proposed deal to be negative. Just two months of the Merger announcement, HP’s share price trailed the preannouncement level by 27%, representing a loss of $12.3 billion of market share value at the same time comparable companies increased 9.9%. 4. If you were a shareholder of HP, how would you vote on the deal? If we were shareholders of HP, we would vote against the deal. It is obvious the company is losing a great deal of money at the same time other companies in the same industry are making money. The merger is not looking out for the best interest of the shareholders so we would not vote for the merger. Sources Bloomberg Businessweek http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-12/hewlett-packard-gains-pc-market-share-after-mulling-spinoff.html CNN Money http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/02/07/8250437/index.htm http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/22/technology/hp_ceo_fired/index.htm Hewlett-Packard Website http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/090331xa.html Hewlett-Packard Case Study â€Å"Hewlett-Packard – Compaq: The Merger Decision† Marketing Research http://www.marketing–research.com/marketing/swot-analysis-hewlett-packard Jennifer Brown Synopsis The process of completing this assignment has helped me discover how to view business decisions in a more analytical way. When approaching this one it seemed overwhelming at first. I began pulling outside sources and background information that helped me gain a better understanding of the project at hand. That extra research was very useful in explaining what the companies were going through and giving different perspectives as to why. I was able to apply what I have learned in my accounting classes when the case study and articles referred to financial ratios and provided financial reports. That was helpful when trying to answer the questions assigned. Working with a group was also beneficial because there were several times my group members made great points that I may have missed working alone. Our group has met several times since the project has been assigned. I have been present at each meeting. Before we met the first time we decided we would read the case study in full to have an understanding of what we would need to do. Our first meeting we discussed the case study and our stance on what HP should do. We also discussed the questions within the case study and started our outline for our power point. Outside of the meeting I researched articles to gain background information. Our group had several more meetings at which we outlined our strategy report and assigned each person a portion of the report. When we were finished with our portion we would submit it to the rest of the group for proofreading. Everybody completed their task as set and we came together as a group and finalized the report. I, as well as the other members of the group, contributed to the makeup and layout of both the strategy report and the power point. Charnele Hodge Synopsis Being that this has been my first time in a group doing a strategy report on a company, I took away a few key elements. I have learned, understood, and properly used the purpose of a SWOT Analysis. I know this form of analysis will be used in my future endeavors, so I know it will be very beneficial to me. Also, I learned while in a group setting how to effectively achieve a SWOT Analysis to inform and persuade others to understand and see our point-of-view on our particular position. As a Business Management major, this group project has helped me realize that in not every group setting, that there needs to be a set leader. In my group, I felt that everyone meshed well with each other and there was not a constant need for someone to be in charge. Every group member knew what was at stake and that being at meetings and pulling her part in the group was essential. My individual contribution to the group was making sure that I gave my opinion on the different positions that we would be taking on the SWOT Analysis. I made it my individual objective to make sure that I pulled my part in completing each and every task that I volunteered to work on, that it was done properly, as well as completed on time. Being a Business Management major, I believe I helped bring balance among my other peers that are majoring in different genres in the college of business. I took a more realistic, rational approach to the group, in who would be better fit for particular objectives. Sakina Middleton Synopsis Conducting a strategy report required using resources from all aspects of my undergraduate studies. I was able to read the Hewlett-Packard and Compaq merger decision and understand the different aspects used to compile the information. In utilizing marketing concepts, I was able to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of Hewlett-Packard’s present company structure. My management background allowed for an understanding of company decisions made, such as whether to undergo a merger. Finally, the accounting knowledge I have acquired thus far has enabled me to read and comprehend the many financial statements used to decide which options should be made based on the factual numbers provided. Overall, my primary takeaway was my ability to read, comprehend, and analyze a case study regarding two merging companies with the knowledge and education provided by Savannah State University’s College of Business Administration. Throughout this project I was able to increase my ability to problem solve in a group of my colleagues. No one group is perfect, but the communication skills I have acquired allowed me to handle all situations appropriately and in a timely fashion. For this strategy report, I was responsible for arranging all group meetings regarding the collection and accumulation of information for the paper. I was the initiator of correspondence and also the channel of delivery for every member’s designated portion of the paper. My personal contribution includes the compilation on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the present-day company Hewlett-Packard. I was also responsible for the editing of the final paper. Summer Wilcox Synopsis In March 2002, Hewlett- Packard’s current CEO and president, Carleton Firiona announced the acquiring of HP’s rival company, Compaq Computer. The merging of the two companies was designed to put Hewlett- Packard/Compaq in a position to challenge one of its top leaders in the industry, IBM. The merger was also designed to create a global technology powerhouse that would provide consumers with products and services demanded by profitable enterprise customers. After reading over the case, I started to feel like the merger was not going to be a success. The merger presented itself to be too risky. Although Hewlett Packard was aiming to become the industry’s leader by expanding into new markets, the idea of the merger just didn’t seem to look out for the best interest of the company. Management felt that HP and Compaq needed to improve their whole business structure to effectively compete with Dell which was the industry’s leader. They also felt that HP and Compaq’s leadership would complement each other in key markets such as the enterprise storage segment and storage area networks, and by having a broader portfolio of products and services. Management believed that HP and Compaq had a weak combination of products and services, and merging would strengthen that area. While some thought that the merger would be a success to Hewlett- Packard, there were some who were against it. Among those few were the director and son of HP cofounder William Hewlett, Walter Hewlett. Walter Hewlett was HP’s second largest shareholder and had a very powerful, important voting privilege of HP. Walter was against the merger for 4 main reasons. He felt the proposed merger would be worse, the integration risk of the proposed merger would be substantial, the financial impact on HP’s stockholders would remain negative, and the position of the company would not improve. I agree with opposing the merger of HP and Compaq. They knew from the beginning stages that the merger was going to be risky. Shareholders would lose and ample amount of value on their shares. Stockholders would get a very small amount of the combined company’s contribution to earnings. The merger would drown the stockholder’s interest in the imaging and printing business which is the most profitable of HP already. The merger would not improve the position of the company. Furthermore, HP had no experience with handling a merger of that size. All HP had to do was invest and focus more on the printing and imaging part of the company. The printing and imaging varied in low-end printers and supplies to commercial printing solutions. Instead of taking such a risky acquisition, they could have focused on something that proved already successful for the business. My contribution to the overall strategy report was to research where HP stands now. I also found official documents filed by both HP and Compaq to the SEC about the planned merger. The documents further explained forward- looking statements, assumptions, uncertainties, and risk of the planned merger between the two companies.