Financial Statement Analysis of Ibm - 10917 Words

Financial Statement Analysis of IBM Financial Statement Analysis of IBM I. Company Facts IBM – International Business Machines Corporation The home office of IBM is located in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. IBM was founded in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Company (CTR) through a merger of three companies: the Tabulating Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company, and the Computing Scale Company. CTR adopted the name International Business Machines in 1924, using a name previously designated to CTR s subsidiary in Canada and later South America. Standard Industrial Classification Codes are 7379 which are mainly on computer and relative stuff. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)†¦show more content†¦So we can conclude that there is threat of new competition, but the level is relatively low. Threat of substitute products or services: The threat of substitute products or services is relatively high compared with the threat of new competition. Also these threats come from the main competitors. For products, such as PC, most customers will compare the price, screen size, life time and other attributes instead of just the brand the same way as services such as IT consulting etc. Bargaining power of customers: The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs: the ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customer s sensitivity to price changes. In this factor, because customers of these two industries have many channels to access the products and services, high information availability, different choices, differentiated advantages of products and customers is also kind of price sensitive. So we can conclude that the bargaining power of customers is strong. Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is also described as the market of inputs. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Because there are plenty of suppliers in most parts, presenceShow MoreRelatedIbm and Microsoft Financial Statement Analysis5499 Words   |  22 PagesPACE UNIVERSITY- ACC-615 DR. FINN Financial Statement Analysis IBM and Microsoft Bill Jacoby 4/20/2010 Financial Statement analysis for two comparable companies; IBM and Microsoft ACC-615 Dr. Finn; William Jacoby Microsoft Corporation is the world’s largest software company. Microsoft has five operating segments; client, server and tools, online business services, Microsoft business division and entertainment and devices division. They develop personal computing software including theRead MoreBusiness Analysis Part Ii: Apple, Inc.1450 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness Analysis Part II: Apple, Inc. 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Along with these computer applications Apple IncorporatedRead MoreProposed Changes And Current Development During Post Employment Benefits1260 Words   |  6 Pagesimpact on financial statement after changes. Define Benefit Pension Plan Defined Benefit Plans pay representatives an ensured advantage. The rising options in the private division incorporate defined contribution plan, in which cash goes in and is contributed, with the annuity advantage constrained by the measure of cash in the trust after speculation returns; nothing is ensured. Companies to Analyze For the purpose of analysis we opt the two SP 500 companies namely IBM and CAT whichRead MoreMarketing Chapter 2 Essay1538 Words   |  7 Pages Chapter 2 1. (a) Using Medtronic as an example, explain how a mission statement gives a strategic direction. (b) Create a mission statement for your own career. 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These solutions draw enterpriseRead MoreAnalysis of HPs Annual Report640 Words   |  3 PagesComputer Systems industry, the company concerns itself with the sale of computers, software, and other technologies to customers from all over the world. Some of the companys main competitors in the industry include but they are not limited to Dell and IBM. Hewlett Packard HP The Main Sections of HPs Annual Report HPs annual report has four key parts, i.e. part I, II, and III. Part I largely concerns itself with the basic aspects of the business. In so doing, it first introduces the business toRead MoreData Analytics, An Integral Part Of Modern Audit Practices1202 Words   |  5 Pages-Various sources Data analytics has become an integral part of modern audit practices. Data analytics enable auditors to mould a data set of any given population and makes it simple for the user to visualize it. Auditors aim is to present financial statements showing true and fair view. Data analytics helps in minimizing the risk of an auditor. It helps in to improve the risk assessment process, substantive procedures and tests of controls. It is a simple procedure yet involves complex models toRead MoreIntel Pentium Chip Controversy1696 Words   |  7 PagesCase Analysis: The Intel Pentium Chip Controversy (A) Immediate Issue: As Andrew Grove, during my meeting of December 17,1994 with my internal team, Should I approve replacing the defective Intel chips of all concerned users with no-question asked? Also, should we also pay for the labor and other incidental costs? How should we integrate our decision into our financial books? Basic Issues: †¢ Negative Publicity: Since Oct 30th, we have encountered a self-propelled negative publicity campaignRead MoreTrends in the Industry of IT and the Business Cycles Essay1494 Words   |  6 Pagesadaption of the cloud Cloud computing market offers high profit margins that can attract many new players because the barriers to entry are very limited. The cloud market is crowded with small and mid-sized companies which could decrease the share of IBM and reduce its profits. †¢ The slowdown in the IT spending globally According to information technology industry estimates, global IT spending growth has been 2% which is smaller than the previous forecast of 4.1% for 2013. The decrease in the IT spending

Comparing Two Advertisements Essay - 950 Words

Advertisements are produceed to help sell a product and to make it known. You can see advertisements in magazines, on television, in the newspaper, they come through the post and are on billboards. In my essay I intend to find the differences and similarities between adverts for a mens fragrance and a fragrance aimed at women. The mens fragrance is not a new product it is a limited edition fragrance. The product aimed at the women is a completely new product. I chose these two products because i was interested in the different ways the same product would be advertised to men and women. In the mens product Lynx, there is a picture of the deodrant and shower gel in the bottom right-hand†¦show more content†¦Two perfume bottles, one of the bottles is tall light pink bottle which is on the left with a silver J Lo necklace around it. It also has a diamantà © heart pendant overlapping the left bottle. The bottle on the right is dark pink, small and round with a round lid, it has still writtin in bold on it with jennifer lopez in italic underneath. The diamantà © heart pendant has a shiny glitter in it to show wealth and high class this is trying to connote that if you wear the perfume you would be high class and important. The dark pink fading as it gets lower down the page is to make your eyes follow the fading colour to attract your attention to the perfume bottles. The black writting against light background is also used to atract your attention. The Lynx fragrance advertisement has a comical side to it snd it is an informal asvert because of the two hills with trees on top to represent womens breasts. The type of words used in this advertisement are short and simple, with no soecific area of use. There is just one short sentance on the advert which is straight to the point GET FRESH. There is no repition of words used and there is no rhyming either. The first two words of the advert used are bold because there are the most important words and it wants to get your attention. I think the adverisers are relying more on the picture to sell this product rather thanShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparing Two Advertisements1913 Words   |  8 Pages In this essay I have chosen to compare two adverts. I chose two from a magazine called ‘VOGUE’, I chose them as they both were linked by the theme of fashion but were advertising different products, this will help me show differences between the adverts but the fashion theme will help me to also highlight similarities. The first advert I chose was by a company called ‘Garrard’ they make fashion accessories such as leather accessories, silverware and also jewellery which is what they are mainly knownRead MoreComparing the Persuasive Techniques Used in Two Charity Fundraising Advertisements1379 Words   |  6 PagesComparing the Persuasive Techniques Used in Two Charity Fundraising Advertisements The hardest thing for any charity is to raise money. There is only one way to do this, that is to persuade people to part with their money and donate it to a good cause. The â€Å" Bhopal Medical Appeal† and â€Å"Save The Children† advertisements are two examples of this. Both of these advertisements come from â€Å" The Observer† a broadsheet newspaper. Consequently it is assumed that the target audienceRead MoreMarketing Analysis : Pull Out Two Similar Products Owned By Different Companies1541 Words   |  7 Pagesbuyers. Focusing on the Scribner’s magazine in the 1916s, pull out two similar products owned by different companies at a time and compare the ways they were advertised and the significance of the single commercial. Advertisements in Scribner’s magazine had done a great job playing with classes and people’s desire. The early twenties century is all about social class and living the luxury life like there’s no tomorrow and those advertisement perfectly manipulate middle class’s desire to be in the categoryRead MoreComparison Contrast Essay1373 Words   |  6 Pageseverywhere we look we are surrounded by advertisements whether it is television commercials, billboards or advertisements. Obviously, the main purpose of advertisements is to get the consumer to purchase the product. Print advertisements are an extremely effective way to reach a mass audience because the advertisements are in print, the use of color, text and photography are all key factors in luring the consumers in to buying their product. Advertisements cannot simply attempt to sell the productRead MoreAdvertising And Its Effect On Advertising888 Words   |  4 PagesWhen comparing advertisements, cer tain ones will appeal to people differently. Advertisements are made to get someone’s attention in a quick manor. Some people are more enticed to humor, while others could be drawn to a more sexual image, or something more creative that requires intelligence to create and understand. First, by taking a sip of the Pepsi advertisement, I noticed the horizontal advertisement has a gentle light blue background. The Pepsi logo sits in the corner, not drawing much attentionRead MoreEuropean Advertising vs. American Advertising Essays872 Words   |  4 Pagesand European advertisements is that European ads use emotional blackmailing while American ads reason for you. Both European and American advertising benefit in marketing, it is simply just a matter of effectiveness based on the audience. When comparing the two cultures of advertisement, American versus European, it is safe to say that no one approach is better, just simply different. It is compared as emotion versus product. America is focused on selling the product and comparing it to other competitorsRead MoreMarketing Strategies For Samsung And Apple1549 Words   |  7 Pagesproduct lines of Galaxies and iPhones, both Samsung and Apple have been extremely successful in bringing their products to the masses. However, these two companies have very different marketing strategies that are used to sell their products. The advertisements for the Samsung Galaxies tend to focus on how their product is better or more advanced, by comparing it to the iPhone. On the other hand, Apple does not do their own advertising for the iPhone, they create the large demand for their product in aRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Rights827 Words   |  4 Pagestrying to convince others to join them in the fight. Like most advertisements , the ads concerning the issue of guns rights have to be provocative and eye catching.The Moms Demand Action for Gun Safety in America, society created an advertisement around 2013 to persuade Americans to support the ban of assault weapons in America, however there advertisment fell a tad short. The ad has two elementary age girls sitting on the ground. These two girls are different races. The African American girl holds aRead MoreAnalysis on Kilbournes Argument Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pagesof violence. Over 22 million women in the United States have been raped in their lifetime according to the website, Victims of Crime. This number is significant. Advertisements could play a role in making violence more acceptable in our society. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is known for having shocking advertisements. This pro-vegan and pro-vegetarian nonprofit organization has always been a topic of interest. Many of PETA’s ad campaigns are related to sexuality, violence, discriminationRead MoreOnline Advertising As An Advertising Medium Essay1398 Words   |  6 Pagesfew years, increase the trend of shopping online (James et al, 2016). Nowadays, many companies are more concerning about how to attract customers to increase their revenue and become a lea der in competitive market. So they move towards online advertisements as many people spend more time for suffering on internet. Moreover, online advertising become popular in early 20th century in United States. It changed the dimension of growth and competition between online marketers. However, there are some

Target Canada for Fundamentals of Management-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theTarget Canada for Fundamentals of Management. Answer: Introduction Different organizations come up with different projects to meet certain predetermined objectives. However, a project can meet or fail to meet its objectives depending on how it is carried out. Project failure can be as a result of avoidable or unavoidable circumstances (Bolland, 2017). Among the common factors that lead to project failure are, having a poorly defined project scope, lack of sufficient risk management strategies, ineffective project leadership, failure to track progress and requirements, underestimation of project complexities and lack of project documentation. A good example of a failed project in Canada is Target Canada Co. Canada Co is a Subsidiary of Target Corporation which is the second largest discount retailer in the United States of America established in the year 2011.The corporation opened its doors in Canada in 2013 Target Canada opened its first store in 2013, and by January 2015 it had approximately 133 stores in different locations. Despite having an aggressive expansion initiative Target Canada finally collapsed after recording a loss of up to $2.1 billion, was declared bankrupt and officially closed all its stores by April 2015 It has since been termed viewed as a case study of what retailers should not do upon entering new markets (Daft, 2017). What went wrong Target Canada failed to carry out sufficient market research before penetrating the Canadian market and also failed to offer Canadian consumers similar prices to those enjoyed by its American customers. Failure to study the Canadian Market Before entering a new market, businesses are required undertaking sufficient market research to identify the best business models that can work in those new markets. By taking a business model that has worked successfully the in the USA and transferring it to the Canadian market in Target corporation seemed to have underestimated the importance of the Canadian consumer to their success (Rowley, 2013). The retail took Canada as small American version in which they only needed to open stores with target logs and Customers would automatically come. It was a worse undoing for the retail store was transferring its American business model to Canada merely because it had succeeded in America. The store charged higher prices and did no avail variety of products for the Canadian consumers. The failed to give consumers a reason of shopping at their stores giving Wal-mart an opportunity to tap into huge consumer groups of Chinese and South Asians (Stephens,2013). Having an over-ambitious expansion plan Another undoing for the company had an over-ambitious plan in which they intended to achieve too much within a very short time. Despite being new in the Canadian Market, the retailer went ahead to open a record of 124 stores in barely ten months a move which they aimed would seal the gap that was left after the dissolution of Zellers (Kerzner Learning,2013). The retail store failed to consider the fact that some of the stores initially belonging to Zellers were located in areas not accessible by middle-class consumers. Despite having big expectations by entering the Canadian Market as displayed by the number of stores opened in a small duration the Target failed to attract customers through its offerings. Customers had many expectations of getting variety best quality products at rock bottom prices just as the American consumers, but it came as a shocker when the prices they were introduced to did not resonate with the American prices. The Retail outlet, therefore, failed to meet th e expectations of consumers in its new market segment. The over-ambitious expansion plan worked for the company in that it created supply problems due to having many stores, denied it an opportunity to offer a variety that was available in American stores and finally made it unable to compete in the competitive Canadian Market effectively (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson,2017). Failure to build strong relationships with the local communities The retail store also failed to recognize the important role played by local communities in the success of an organization and went ahead to foster ill-will immediately after entering the Canadian market (Heagney,2011). The retail entered the Canadian market just as Zellers was edging out of the market and thus went ahead to snatch most of the stores previously occupied by Zellers across Canada and laid off over 25000 employees who formerly worked for Zellers, and promised to hire them later.However, upon opening their stores, the retail store ignored the former Zellers and went ahead to hire new staff only hiring a mere 1% of the 25000 at entry pay level. The Retail also let go of the immediate staff without any prior notice. The impact of this move was the creation of ill- will with the immediate Zellers employees and the wider community as it was viewed to have treated the former employees unfairly (Elms,World Trade Organization., Temasek Foundation,2013). These undoings by the retail store led to its collapse barely a year after opening its doors in the Canadian Market. What it could have done Undertaking market research The retail should have taken time to undertake market research on the Canadian market before opening their branches. Market research is concerned with the identification of consumer needs and preferences (Thomsett, 2010). Market research would have enabled Target Canada identify existing gaps in the Canadian market and enabled it to understand the expectations of its current customers which would have informed the adoption of the appropriate business model to enable it deal with competitors such as Wal-Mart and Giant Tiger. Research would also have enabled it to understand the ideal location for setting up their locations (Lowe Graves,2016). Systematic market penetration Some of the challenges associated with supply and availability of a variety of goods for consumers were as a result of the overambitious expansion plan for the retail outlet. Being in a new market, the Company should have undertaken a systematic penetration by only opening a only a few stores instead of opening 133 stores in short span of time.This would have solved the problems associated with a shortage of supplies (McKenzie-Mohr,2011). Maintaining strong relationships with the community With the significant role played by communities, it would be suicidal for an organization to ignore them. The retail outlet would have retained most if not all former Zellers Employees and offer them fresh training if need be instead of terminating their employment contracts (Harned,2017). Conclusion In conclusion Target case can be summarized as the case of failure due to circumstances which could have been avoided. Among the cause of the failure of the retail chain, were the failure to undertake market research, having an over-ambitious plan, implementation of the wrong business model and failure to strengthen relationships with the local communities. Reference List Bolland, E. R. I. C. J. (2017). COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT. Place of publication not identified: EMERALD Group Publishing. Daft, R. L. (2017). Management. Boston, MA, USA ; Cengage Learning Elms, D. K., Low, P., World Trade Organization., Temasek Foundation. (2013). Global value chains in a changing world. Geneva : World Trade Organization Harned, B. (2017). Project Management for Humans. Rosenfeld Media. Rosenfeld Media Heagney, J. (2011). Fundamentals of Project Management. Amacom Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2017). Strategic management: Competitiveness et globalization : concepts and cases. Boston, MA Cengage Learning Kerzner, H. R., Learning, I. I. (2013). Project management - best practices: Achieving global excellence. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley Lowe, G. S., Graves, F. (2016). Redesigning work: A blueprint for Canada's future well-being and prosperity. Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2011). Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing. New York: New Society Publishers. Stephens, D. (2013). The retail revival: Reimagining business in the new age of consumerism. Toronto: J. Wiley Sons Canada. Rowley, L. (2013). On Target: How the world's hottest retailer hit a bullseye. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley Thomsett, M. C. (2010). The little black book of project management. New York: American Management Association.

To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-14 free essay sample

To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-14? After the 1905 revolution Russia was in need of reforms both economically and politically, to allow it maintain its role of a great power and to prevent another revolution occurring the answer to this was the October Manifesto. However, due to the stubbornness of the Tsar who was determined not to relinquish his autocratic powers, what may have appeared as reforms were largely superficial making little change in particular to the Russian political system. In early 1906 the October Manifesto was published as a result of the 1905 revolution and as a way to appease the peasants and appear as a revolutionary change, when truly very little was changed by this. Political activity was now legal so political parties now no longer needed to remain secrets; freedom of speech was also introduced along with the introduction of a state elected Duma. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-14? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Most of these changes were made as a bid to make the peasants content and prevent the chances of another revolution; however this also banned trade unions and newspapers. The introduction of the first Duma was short lived due to to the disapproval of the Tsar, who dissolved it under the Fundamental Law, after only 73 days. This was due to the number of members that were revolutionaries, who wanted to push through more moral ideas and reforms than the Tsar was willing to do, only 2 out of 391 made it into the law. This then led to the Vyborg manifesto, which was a group of frustrated Duma members teaming up to go against the Tsar’s action of raising taxes unfortunately this backfired, leading to all 200 members being banned from standing in the next Duma. The next Duma followed a similar suit, just with the gaining of the Social Revolutionaries and the Social Democrats gaining seats, it was the third and fourth Dumas that raised the most change within Russian society, but this may have been due to the Electoral Reform. In order to make sure that the government gained the best support, voting was restrained to the wealthy, meaning that only 30% of Russia could vote. This meant that the majority of the revolutionaries supporters could not vote, leading to to mostly pro-government parties winning the vote. The Duma was never seen as political institution and was never meant to be, it was supposed to be a simple forum to please the masses and make them believe that the autocracy was listening. The Third Fourth Dumas managed to make some successful reforms as the government were more inclined to listen to them, they managed to replace the biased Land Captains, introduced universal primary education, create health and accident insurance programmes and made improvements to the army and navy. Despite the fact that the Duma were never supposed to be parliamentary, they still successfully managed to have the Duma debates reported in the press, meaning that the reformers and radicals participating managed to influence public opinion legitimately something that had been denied to them previously. This reform had helped helped create political reform, as it had created a space where a forum for political debate could be taken note of, and could be published without being censored. It meant that political parties had been established legally, and despite the fact that the Third and Fourth Dumas thwarted many reforms, they helped too, as not all of the seats in this institution had been pro-government. Another factor affecting the amount of political change over the years is the use of Peter Stolypin, the Russian Prime Minister from 1906 1911. It is hard not to see Stolypin as a reformer, as he evidently saw what policies and laws needed to be changed or created in order to vanquish any repeat of the revolution, as he brought great changed to the Russian countryside, giving peasants the freedom to leave their communes, offering them cheap land in Siberia, or helping them to own their pieces of land through the redistribution of peasant wealth through the Land Bank. This had a big impact, as it lead to 50% of peasants having ownership of land, and agricultural production had risen from 45. 9 million tonnes to 61. 7 million tonnes in 1913. It is said by historians that had war not broken out, Russia could have developed a more stable, loyal and prosperous peasantry, as Stolypin envisaged. On the other hand, despite the rise on crop yields and production, not much was done about the living and working conditions of Russia’s industrial workers. This was definitely shown after his assassination, where a plague of Russian unrest came around again, only leading to the Lena Goldfield massacre of 1912 in Siberia, which led to strikers being killed by the police. This was then a tipping point for more strikes and demonstrations, reminiscent of the 1905 revolution, to take place, showing that despite the fact Stolypin had helped reform a little economically, it was immediately undone by the wrath of popular unrest amongst the lower classes once more. From these two arguments it is very easy to see points helping question the extent of the Russian economic and political changes over the years, but I believe that the true tipping point comes to the Fundamental Law. This Fundamental Law, created in 1906, created the constitution of the Russian Empire, creating a national parliament with the lower house (the Duma), being elected. This all sounds very good, and sounds like political reforms were in their heights in 1906 but this was completely changed in Article 87. This gave the right for the Tsar to govern by decree, thereby ignoring his ‘faithfully created’ parliament. This basically meant that the creation of the Duma was practically pointless, as the Tsar could still change his mind as to what laws he wanted created, and which laws he would go against, putting incredible restrictions on how much could be done within the Russian Empire. Therefore, I find that the extent to which the Russian Empire underwent economic and political changes were the smallest possible, as Nicholas was not willing to create any reforms.

scary movie essays

scary movie essays  ¡Ã‚ °Mom, there ¡Ã‚ ¯s a spider on my bag, ¡ cried seven-year old Jimmy.  ¡Ã‚ °Just stomp on it, honey, ¡ Jimmy ¡Ã‚ ¯s mom, Sandra replied. Following his mother ¡Ã‚ ¯s instructions, Jimmy scanned his eyes over his bag, found the spider, raised his right foot, and stomped hard onto the newly waxed tile floor. Afterwards, Jimmy called out to his mother and said,  ¡Ã‚ °Mom, I killed the spider. ¡  ¡Ã‚ °Well was that hard, Jimmy, ¡ Sandra called back from the kitchen.  ¡Ã‚ °I guess not, ¡ Jimmy doubtfully replied. Unknown to Sandra and Jimmy, himself, this led to a 360  ª change in him. From thereon, the once timid and shy Jimmy warped into a distorted and abusive urchin. He stomped on everything his eye was able to find: spiders, ants, bugs, or frankly anything that was smaller than him. Moreover, he was watching movies such as the  ¡Ã‚ °House of the Dead ¡ and he used his stuffed animals as mannequins to imitate the slaying scenes in the movie. Jimmy ¡Ã‚ ¯s recent behavior made Sandra disturbingly  ¡Ã‚ °sick. ¡ Being a toddler, Jimmy had always played and chased the chickens around in the barn. However this has now turned into a horrendous act of rage. He began to behead chickens with an ax that he found in the mother ¡Ã‚ ¯s toolbox. On afternoon, all the chickens in the farm met their fate as dozens of heads lay in their pool of blood. Making a routine visit to the barn to feed the chickens, Sandra was petrified at the sight of the blood-curdling scene. Immediately thinking that this was the act of Jimmy, Sandra demanded to see Jimmy at once. Yelling frantically, he did not answer to her calls. The furious Sandra marched into the house and called out for Jimmy.  ¡Ã‚ °Mommy, I ¡Ã‚ ¯m here, ¡ Jimmy replied. Turning to the direction of the voice, Sandra was scared stiff. It was Jimmy who was wearing a wine-colored shirt and carrying a blood-stained ax that was posi...

Mrs. Sen Essay Example

Mrs. Sen Essay Example Mrs. Sen Paper Mrs. Sen Paper Essay Topic: Interpreter of Maladies Sassouni English 10 H Mrs. Tunick 11 September 2011 When moving from one country to another, most people face difficulty in combining both cultures, and fail to adapt to their new country. In the book of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri, the protagonists are often placed in an uncomfortable or unknown position. The reader is able to judge the characters based on how they act during their uncomfortable position. In the short story â€Å"Mrs. Sen†, Mrs. Sen is unable to find the right balance between her original Indian heritage and American culture, while the protagonist in â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† is successful in striking the best balance between the two cultures. In the short story, â€Å"Mrs. Sen†, Mrs. Sen only displays her Indian heritage through view of India as well as her material Indian possessions because she did not want to leave in the first place. Throughout the story, Mrs. Sen expresses her love for the fish in Calcutta, India. While the fish from her local grocer is indeed fresh and reserved for her, She constantly remarks that the fish is not as fresh in America. For Sen, the fish isn’t just food, it’s a piece of India. She is showing that, in her mind, India will always be superior to America. She didn’t choose a new country as well as a new fish. Moreover, Mrs. Sen displays her culture through her traditional cutting blade and her saris. She constantly is using the blade because it reminds her of gatherings with fellow Indian women. She holds on to these gatherings because in America, she is a prisoner in her own home, lacking social relationships. At the same time, her saris are symbolic of her Indian customs and how she will never stop â€Å"wearing† them. Furthermore, the story ends with Sen attempting to drive to the market to purchase the fish, but she crashes the car in the process. Sen attempting to buy the fish is a symbol for her attempt to finally â€Å"buy† into American culture. By ending the story with a crash, Lahiri shows that for some immigrants, assimilation will not be possible. As a result, Sen will stay miserable and uncomfortable in America. While placed in an unfamiliar America, Mrs. Sen proves that a balance between her original heritage and her new culture is not possible for her because she lacks the opportunities to assimilate. In the short story, â€Å"The Third and Final Continent†, the protagonist shows that assimilation to America is possible by eventually achieving a perfect balance between Indian and American Cultures. For his flight to America, he purchased â€Å"The Student Guide to North America†, even though he was no longer a student. By reading the guide, the protagonist shows that he is willing to and plans to learn how to adapt to his new society. He later successfully makes adaptations due to his determination to assimilate to America. Although the protagonist proves to welcome American culture, he does not forget his roots in his Indian heritage. He proves his preservation of Indian customs through food: â€Å"In the end I bought a small carton of milk and a box of cornflakes. That was my first meal in America. I ate at my desk. I preferred it to hamburgers or hotdogs†¦ at the time I had yet to consume beef† (Lahiri 88%). Although the protagonist does not show that he is Hindi, he still feels that he should not eat beef, because it is part of his past culture. The protagonist keeps the customs of his past culture because a shared custom gives a sense of unity to other Indians for the protagonist. By the end of the story, the protagonist recognizes his balance between his two cultures: â€Å"We are American citizens now, so that we can collect social security when it is time. Though we visit Calcutta every few years, and bring back more drawstring pajamas and Darjeeling tea, we have decided to grow old today. I work in a small college library. We have a son that attends Harvard University. Mala now longer drapes her sari over her head†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lahiri 99%). The balance translates into a more complete life for the protagonist and his family. By deciding to grow old in America happily, Lahiri shows that assimilation was possible for the protagonist because he had the materials and opportunities to be successful in his assimilation. The protagonist is able to achieve a favorable balance of his original heritage and American culture by eventually assimilating to America, while still keeping some of his original Indian customs. In the short story, â€Å"Mrs. Sen†, Mrs. Sen fails to accept American culture by only expressing her Indian side while, the protagonist in â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† achieves a balance of both of his cultures. The assimilations translate into a miserable life for Sen, while the protagonist of â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† eventually obtains a complete life. For Sen, it was impossible for her to assimilate, partly because she originally had no intent on mixing cultures and partly because she is an Indian woman, who is not given the opportunities and sources to assimilate to America. The protagonist of â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† on the other hand, is able to prove that with the right opportunities, assimilation is possible and favorable. Making such a drastic culture change leaves immigrants in a difficult position to assimilate.

Languages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Languages - Essay Example Language assumes many forms the most common of which is the spoken language which human beings used because they have the brain structure and vocal tracts to do it. Other members of the animal kingdoms also use other forms of communications. Language is not only limited to the spoken language. Animals can also communicate with each other by sounds to survive. The vervets utter and respond to sounds appropriately in order to avoid predators. Animals mode of language is not only limited to sounds. They could also use symbols. Bonobos for example communicate with each other using road signs built of smashed plants. Most animals communicate through sounds and symbols but there are also indications that animals could also understand languages just like human does. There are indications that other animals could also learn to understand languages just like human beings. Studies were made with baboons if they could communicate using a keyboard of 400 symbols and found that they could learn to understand languages just human beings. Study showed that baboon can pick up words in a normal conversation. Researcher found Kanzi’s (a baboon) â€Å"understanding of new sentences to be about equal to that of a two-and-a-half-year-old-child. Noam Chomsky may disagree with this perspective saying that animals does not have the brain structure. Studies however showed that with the aid of keyboard, baboons can also communicate just like human beings albeit it is limited. Other animals learn language just like human beings although not as complex as our spoken words. Language can indeed assume many modes and forms because communication is necessary for living things not only to survive but to understand each other. Language comes in many forms because it is necessary for survival just like the vervets who need to communicate to avoid their predators. They are also