Computer Technology In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay

Computer Technology In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay Filmmaking is a process of producing a film based on a storyline. Although many people say, a movie is good if it has a successful plot, however, a movie needs also good production in order to be classified as a good movie. The history of filmmaking can be traced back to as early as the 17th century, where magic lanterns were used. Back then, films were all made in shades of black and white only. Also, many of the times, special effects are done manually by workers. For example, an explosion, many workers will be needed to install those explosives and to clear up the scene. As time progressed, technology improved the quality of films largely, thus producing colored films. However, such improvements do not halt there. Movie makers and producers worked endlessly to create films that leave people in awe. Therefore, the creations of computer-generated imagery, animation and 3D have been invented and improved. Such creations have moved the movie industry one step forward. Using the same explosion example, compared to last time, with advance computer technologies, such a scene will not require a whole lot of work from the workers. Instead, it can be easily done in the editing room, where editors can easily ad d special effects into the movie, making it look realistic, but without much hard work. The main objective of this paper is to educate people about the movie making industry. Many people may be awed when they see sophisticated scenes in movies. However, they only know that those scenes are mostly done with the help of computers. But in reality, there are so many computer technology that the people do not know about. In the discussion in this paper, research will explain the computer technologies used in the movie industry. Computer-generated imagery, animation and 3D will be explained as brief introduction to technologies in the development of movie making. Also, the making of the movie sensation, Avatar will also be revealed. As videos are getting more attention amongst people nowadays, many people now search ways to create their own videos. Therefore, to make this paper more users friendly, an introduction of animation software, Pencil and moviemaking software, Windows Movie Maker will also be done. COMPUTER-GENERATED IMAGERY (CGI) Computer-generated imagery means computer graphics being applied into movie industry to create special effects. Compared to other physical means, CGI is a cheaper alternative because it uses computer software to create images instead of constructing real and physical settings. The first ever movie that used computer-generated imagery was Westworld in year 1973. It was a science fiction that incorporate both robots and humans. Also, famous movies like Star Wars and Star Trek II were also able to produce effects like laser guns and robot motion. In the Terminator, computer-generated imagery created digital scenes in the robot. CGI, especially in two dimensions was greatly used in traditional animated films as it replaced the role of manually illustrated cells. Since then, it became a significant technology used to create special effects in the movie industry. This then promoted and encouraged the great usage of animation and three dimensions (3D). Usually, CGI for films are about 1.4 to 6 megapixels, where one frame is generally around 2 to 3 hours long which can multiple to ten times for more complex scenes. Computer-generated imagery was also used in created the film Star Wars. ANIMATION Animation is a series of images in the form of two dimensional or three dimensional art work that are display rapidly to produce an illusion of movement. The earliest animation said to be found is the Paleolithic cave paintings. In these paintings, objects are drawn in superimposed positions that clearly try to convey the idea of motion. However, in year 1906, J. Stuart Blackton, a newspaper cartoonist, released the first ever fully animated film, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. The Paleolithic cave painting shows movement in an animation way. There are many types of animations that can be used in making a movie. The traditional animation, which is also known as cell animation or hand drawn animation, was broadly used in the 20th century. This involves many individual frames first drawn on papers that differ a little from the previous. These frames are then photocopied onto transparent sheets called cells, which can be photographed by a rostrum camera to produce motion. Classic Disney animated films like Snow White and Aladdin are produced using this technique. Traditional animation is manual and is drawn in multiple frames. As computer generated imagery (CGI) is used increasingly, animation can be done by using computers. The first entirely computer-generated animated film is Toy Story, in year 1995. Computer animation simply means creating moving objects by using programs or software designed for computers. Consequently, this has caused the invention of two dimensional (2D) animations. Figures are created and edited using two dimensional bitmap graphics or two dimensional vector graphics. However, trained professionals are required to produce animations like this as it involves techniques and skills. Toy Story, the first fully computer-generated animated film. THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) Three dimension computer graphics are graphics which use three dimensional representation data geometrically. These graphics will then be stored to calculate and render two dimensional images. These graphics often use many algorithms to generate images. A typical two dimensional image would only show height and width. However, a three dimensional image could show height, width and even depth. This gives the idea of realistic instead of virtual. Animation can also be done in three dimension. An animator can use the digital skeletal structure to control the mesh. Besides that, mathematical functions can also be used to created three dimensional animation. 3D, or stereoscopic 3D uses the illusion of the depth perception to create realistic images. It can be produced using few methods. In an anaglyph, two images are located at a superimposed position with a light filtering two colors, red and cyan. By wearing the 3D glasses, the two images are cancelled out to produce only one image. That is the earlier 3D images used in movie making. An anaglyph image. A pair of anaglyph 3D glasses. In the polarization systems, similarly, two images are located at a superimposed position through different polarizing filters. By wearing a pair of glasses that contain polarizing filters, each filter can only pass through similar polarized light but blocks different polarized lights, causing each eyes to see different images. A polarized 3D image. Polarized 3D glasses. HOW WAS AVATAR MADE? The Avatar has successfully created a sensation amongst movie lovers with its breathtaking three dimension technology. James Cameron, the director of the movie incorporated the technology as well as real human footages into the movie. Computer-generated imagery was used extensively in the movie. He used a technique called the image-based facial performance capture, which required actors and actresses to put on special headgears called skull caps that were equipped with cameras. As the recording went on, facial expressions and movies were transmitted from the camera to the virtual characters. The movements caught on tape would be six times bigger, which created authenticity in the characters. By using such technology, the facial expressions of the characters can be made to change according to how the dialog was told. The motion capture technique that animated the expressions of the actor and actresses. To do that, a new software called the facial action coding system was created. This software can trace the visualization of facial and muscle movements of the actors and actresses, which can then be animated to created computer-generated images. The incorporation of computer-generated images into live action footages. 3D was also made easier by motion capture because it allowed film-makers to add special effects as well as direct the angle of camera in . The formats used were Real D 3D, Dolby 3D, Xpan 3D and IMAX 3D. With the help of a pair of polarized 3D glasses, the movie created another sensation to be viewers. Weta Digital was the visual effects company that worked for the movie. They used Linux-based software to created graphics that made the settings in the movie looked to realistic. The company used one of the worlds largest Linux clusters as the operating system, which produced computer-generated images using 64-bit for 3D modelling. The filming camera that gives the 3D effects. WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER Windows Movie Maker is a software that allows user to create and edit videos, thus creating homemade videos. The first ever version of Windows Movie Maker was available for Windows Me back in year 2000, which then followed by Windows XP in year 2001. Its development was then improved. Its so called replacement was then named Windows Live Movie Maker, which is included with the Windows Live Essentials. The new movie maker does not share the same features with the older version. However, the 2.6 version is compatible for both Windows Vista as well as Windows 7. Furthermore, this version is strongly recommended by many video editors as it is user friendly and easy to use but at the same time, produces high quality movies and videos. Windows Movie Maker has features like effects, titles or credits, timeline narration and auto movie. New effects can also be modified using the existing ones by using XML code, thus allowing users to create one of its kind videos. Besides that, an audio track editing is also available. Basic effects like fading in or fading out can be added. And then, the tracks can be saved in a sound file instead of a video file. In the window, there is a storyboard that previews the timeline for video and audio. Video or images can be imported into the timeline. When doing so, user can choose either to capture video directly from webcam or import from collections of existing videos. Videos and audios that are in .WMV/.ASF,  .MPG (MPEG-1),  .AVI (DV-AVI),  .WMA,  .WAV, and  .MP3 formats are accepted. However, other formats like MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, MIDI, AIFF, AAC and SWF are not accepted. A window showing the first page of the program. A window showing the storyboard. Video clips or images can be dragged into these boxes to create a continuous movie. Editing videos and movies in Windows Movie Maker is a very rewarding process as it allows user to create and design the videos and movies in any way they want. The auto movie feature in the program contains premade editing styles which help users to create movies in a very quick period. However, if users choose to edit themselves, a total of 60 transitions, 37 effects, 34 titles and 9 credit animations are available in the 2.x version. The effects and transitions that users can choose to use in order to increase the attractiveness of the movies. There are also other features like adding titles or credits into the movie. All these features can be found easily on the menu pane on the left of the window. Audio and sound effects can also be added into the movie easily through options on the menu pane. At the end, when the movie is all done editing, it is supposed to be saved. Then, it can be viewed from the computer. Besides that, the movie can also be uploaded into pocket pc like smart phones or PDA phones. It can also be uploaded back into a camera and DV recorder if the format is supported. The movie can also be sent to a website for the view of the public. PENCIL Pencil is a software for animation and drawing, which is supported by Mac, Windows and Linux operating system. It utilizes one of the most common animation method, the traditional animation which is done by drawing or sketching with a pencil. This program is great for amateur users because it is easy to use and user friendly. A screenshot of Pencil. This free drawing program is not equipped with many advance tools, but with simple toolbox that contain pencil, brush, eraser, and coloring tool. Although it seems to be simple, sophisticated 2D animation can be produced by just using these few tools. The toolbox that contains the tools for drawing. There is a timeline feature, where users are able to add layers. By saying layer, it simply means vector layer, audio layer as well as video layer. Besides that, it also allow users to use onion skinning, which enables users to check the previous and next frames to trace the animation. The default frame per second is set at 12, but this setting can be changed up to 50 FPS. The timeline feature that enables users to create different layers altogether. Besides drawing the animation in the program, sketches can be drawn on real paper and then imported into the program. To do so, the sketches can first be saved in the computer, and then imported onto the canvas, which then can be edited directly in the program itself. The camera layer enables users to create different frames through the usage of a camera. Audio can also be added into the animation, making it more interesting. As sounds and voices are essentials to animation, it can easily added into the animation by exporting music files from the computer. To do so, a sound layer is first created. The music files can be imported. The format that is supported is only WAV format on Windows OS. However, Mac users can import any formats that is readable by Quicktime. When the music file is imported, a triangular key appears, indicating where the music starts to play. A sound layer will not play if it is deactivated, which can be easily controlled by pressing the sound button in the timeline control. The feature that allows adding of sound layer. CONCLUSION It is undeniable that computer technology plays an important role in producing a good movie. We can see that as time progresses, computer technology also improves greatly. However, this does not mean that continuous research on this subject matter should stop here. In fact, such an achievement in this field simply means that producers and movie makers in the market should continue in creating breakthroughs in the industry. This is especially true because people will not be contented with what is in the market now if there is nothing new that appeals to them. The demand for more and better is always increasing. Therefore, it is pivotal to continue achieving for more. As for home users and non-professional users, there is actually much other software that allows them to create their own home videos. The market now realizes that the public can also be very good in creating home videos. Therefore, there is an increasing amount of movie making and animation software for the use of the public. Much of this software actually varies in difficulty as well as quality of products. However, it is confirmed that it allows users to create according to their creativity and that is what makes the videos one of its own. If users are having problem, they can easily obtain help from tutorials and forums that are available from the omnipotent Internet. Based on the research done on this paper, hopefully doubts and questions of many can be clarified. It is very crucial to educate people about the subject matter as it has blended into our lives and has become a part so close to us. There are some movies I can watch over and over, never get sick of. Ill put one of those on and be puttering around the house. Then a certain scene will come on and Ill just have to go over and watch. David Fincher

Linguistic culture

When I finished read Laura Bohannan’s essay â€Å"Shakespeare in the Bush† I felt that I was smiling. Can you beat it: Elizabeth Bowen-Smith (who will became Laura Bohannan later), intelligent student of Oxford university, sits on the calabash, drinks beer and explain the story of Hamlet to group of tribesmen. Some of them are a very experienced, old person who knows things. It seems that Laura met very interesting company: they are bilingual (but their English is much worse than their native Tiv language (Tiv-Batu sub-group of the Bantoid branch of the Benue-Congo subdivision of Niger-Congo)), they know only own culture and believe that people in all world are the same. This concept of â€Å"universal understanding† brought her audience to idea that this young European girl (because all whites should be Europeans) do not remember this history exactly. She made a lot of mistakes and some details of Hamlet history were so strange for Tiv traditions that they were even fain to acknowledge that Europe is really another world. Bohannan told about Hamlet in very simple words and Tiv understood Hamlet plot, but very generally. Different cultural backgrounds not only make the Tiv and Bohannan have very different interpretations of Hamlet status (â€Å"son of chief†) or the general ideas of life and death. But the Tiv people interpreted several specific aspects of the story much differently than the modern Western culture. Almost from the beginning of Bohannan’s tale, tribe members interrupted to question and disagree with her about most of the key elements in the story. There was the appearance of Hamlet’s father’s ghost, Claudius’ marriage to Gertrude, the fact that Hamlet couldn’t marry Ophelia, Hamlet’s madness, Polonius’ death, Ophelia’s drowning death and the poison for after the final duel. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appeared in the castle to inform Hamlet of the truth about his death. The most of modern people could easily explain what is a ghost. The Tiv thought otherwise. The tribesmen scoffed at the notion that Hamlet's father is a ghost because they don't believe that any individual part of human personality survives after death. Tiv culture believes in witches and witchcraft, and then Hamlet’s father image must have been a zombie sent by witches as an omen. I like this passage from Bohannan’s essay: â€Å"The old men muttered: such omens were matters for chiefs and elders, not for youngsters; no good could come of going behind a chief's back; clearly Horatio was not a man who knew things† (Bohannan). It seems that witches and their magic power were reality for Tiv people. You know that their religious beliefs were centered around the concept of akombo, defined as magical forces and their emblems. Between concepts of â€Å"ghost† and â€Å"akombo† we have intercultural gap. These words cannot be translated to other language without loosing some sense. Any translation is approximation only. For full understanding people should be members of certain society. Let’s go on. In the story of Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. This marriage was only two months after Claudius’ brother, the King, was killed. The modern Western culture feels that this marriage was incestuous. It also took place too soon after the death of her husband. The Tiv, however, found no problem with it. It was a custom for the natives for the brother of a deceased man to marry his wife. This way, the fields could be taken care of and the farms could be managed. Another detail: one of the younger Tiv men asked Laura who had married the other wives of the â€Å"dead chief† (King). When she told that the King had only one wife they were surprised. â€Å"But a chief must have many wives! How else can he brew beer and prepare food for all his guests?† (Bohannan). Laura explanation about European tradition to have only one wife and to use servants for homework (and especially mentioning taxes) makes Tiv men to adduce an argument: â€Å"It was better for a chief to have many wives and sons who would help him hoe his farms and feed his people; then everyone loved the chief who gave much and took nothing† (Bohannan). As you remember, in the Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet could not marry his true love, Ophelia, because he was royalty and she a commoner. The Tiv disagreed with this also. They felt that the marriage should be permitted because since Hamlet was royalty, then he could shower Ophelia’s father, Polonius, with gifts and money. This seemed to be very rational to the Tiv, although it seems to be an odd to the modern Western culture. Since Hamlet was not permitted to marry Ophelia, he went mad. In the western tradition the positive imaging of love madness appeared probably in troubadours’ songs, probably in more ancient times. But for African tribe it was impossible to attribute madness to unhappy love affair. The Tiv felt that Hamlet’s madness was attributed to more serious cause – to witchcraft. They said her that â€Å"only witchcraft can make anyone mad, unless, of course, one sees the beings that lurk in the forest† (Bohannan). Laura did the best to explain relations between Hamlet, his uncle and his mother. These episodes of the play were absolutely unclear for Tiv people. They had several arguments for their position. Hamlet scolded his mother for her sin but man should never scold his mother. Hamlet wanted to kill Claudius who killed his father but nobody can kill or attempt to kill his elders (in Tiv traditions). Tiv men said Hamlet should have contacted his father’s friends to avenge the murder of King but do not try and avenge the murder himself. I found no Tiv reactions (and no explanation by Laura) to the moment when Hamlet went to kill Claudius but found him praying. He did not kill him because he believed that killing Claudius while in prayer would send Claudius’s soul to heaven. We know that Tiv do not believe in the beyond. So this motive should not be clear for them. Laura missed this episode. May be she felt that she had no chances to explain this for her audience? She also did not tell about Hamlet’s words about Polonius’ murder â€Å"Heaven hath pleased it so / To punish me with this, and this with me† (Hamlet, III.iv.157–158) and about Polonius’ body â€Å"The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body† (Hamlet IV.ii.25–26). When Hamlet killed Polonius, Ophelia’s father, she was so distraught after hearing about this that she committed suicide by drowning herself. The Tiv were strongly opposed to this. They felt that only witches could make someone drown because water alone cannot hurt someone. â€Å"It is merely something one drinks and bathes in† (Bohannan). They understood that Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, killed her to sell her to the witches because he ran out of money. Also, at Ophelia’s funeral, Laertes jumped into her grave to say his last goodbye. Hamlet then jumped into the grave to say his last goodbye, also. The Tiv thought that Laertes was trying to steal the body so he could sell it to the witches. Since Hamlet jumped in, then he saved Ophelia’s body from being sold. They felt that Laertes wanted to kill Hamlet because he prevented him from selling Ophelia’s body. And I like Tiv explanation very much: â€Å"Hamlet prevented him, because the chief's heir, like a chief, does not wish any other man to grow rich and powerful.† (Bohannan) About understanding the duel between Hamlet and Laertes. King Claudius gave Laertes a poisoned rapier (probably Laura translated it as â€Å"machete†) so that Hamlet would die even if he was just scratched by the sword. Laertes has his sword poisoned in an effort to do Hamlet in once and for all. Claudius wanted Hamlet dead because he knew the truth about his father’s death. Just in case Hamlet survived the battle, a glass of poisoned wine was waiting for the victor. The wine unfortunately fell into the wrong hands, and Hamlet’s mother drank it and died. The modern Western culture believes that the wine was intended for Hamlet in case he survived the duel. The Tiv believe otherwise. They felt that the wine was intended for the victor of the match, either Hamlet or Laertes. They thought that it would be used to kill Hamlet because he knew true about the murder of his father, or it would be used to kill Laertes so no one would know about the conspiracy between him and Claudius to kill Hamlet. I think that the main point of Bohannan’s essay was to illustrate that different cultures interpret things differently. What we accept is influenced by our own cultural and linguistic values. Both interpretations of Hamlet are correct according to the cultural values of the two different cultures. (May be Tiv opinion is more correct because they proposed for Laura to tell them some more stories of her country. They said â€Å"We, who are elders, will instruct you in their true meaning, so that when you return to your own land your elders will see that you have not been sitting in the bush, but among those who know things and who have taught you wisdom.† (Bohannan)) It seems that the author intentions is not a matter. If our interpretation is different than that of the author, but the story still influenced our life, then that is all that matters. Word is just symbol and everyone can understand it how he can. But if you want to communicate with other people you should learn their culture and to speak their language. References: Bohannan, Laura (1971), from Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, eds. James P. Spradley and David W. McCurdy Boston: Little Brown and Company. Ethnographic Atlas of the Center of Social Anthropology and Computing. University of Kent at Canterbury William Shakespeare. Hamlet The Oxford Shakespeare.1914   

Five Forces Model for Industry Analysis Essay

New Entrants The online bookstore industry that Amazon.com has pioneered in was, at first, very hard to penetrate. There were different barriers such as distributing capabilities and the variety of the selection offered that are supposed to be hurdled. Amazon successfully solved the tricky parameters as being the first one to get into the whole idea of online retail. With being the first, they had the luxury to set what were the norms for the industry. Factors that may lower these barrier tactics would be a wider selection and the ability to go to an actual bookstore to exchange or return books or other products. This network of â€Å"actual† retail spaces makes it easier for the consumer to return or exchange the products they were not satisfied with. These handicaps of Amazon were the basis for the emergence of book retail giants Barnes and Noble and Borders in the online shopping industry. Industry Competitors The major competitors of Amazon are Barnes and Noble and Borders. Barnes and Noble is a retail giant offering books and CDs both in their outlets all over the country. It opened their online industry in 1997 and has become the fourth largest e-commerce sites today. Focused largely on the sale of books, music, software, magazines, prints, posters, and related products, the company has capitalized on the recognized brand value of the Barnes & Noble name to become the second largest, and one of the fastest growing, online distributors of books. Their â€Å"advantage† to Amazon is the brand name and the availability of actual retail outlets in which consumers could go in to exchange or return products easily. They also have an established book selection based in their retail operations. Borders is another multi-media retail store found in major cities around the country. Started out as a small bookshop in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, it has since expanded into one of the finest bookstores. In 1992,  Borders was bought by the Kmart group which further flourished the company into a Multi Media Giant with a wide selection of Audio, Video and Books found throughout the United States. The Online Bookstore industry have become a fierce business which involves discounts, varied selections and fast delivery in which all three companies are challenging each other. Buyers The consumers of this industry can be found in every corner of the population. These are mostly people who have had some form of higher education and have access to the Internet and computers. The segment of online shoppers has increased dramatically in recent years due to the convenience of shopping in the comforts of the home and the accessibility of the Internet. These developments have made it easier for consumers to log on and buy on the Internet. Consumers also tend to compare prices among the retail leaders such that buyers are able to buy products with very big discounts compared to ones bought in â€Å"actual† retail outlets. The bargaining power of the consumer is based on the competitive strategies of each active firm in the industry. Thus, consumers can challenge one firm for charging more than the other one such that the firm will beat the price of the competing firm. Suppliers Amazon’s suppliers range from the publishing and media houses to electronics’ manufacturers. Amazon buys all their books, videos and audio CDs from the multi media houses and publishing giants such as Time Warner, Doubleday etc. Amazon also has alliances with other bookstores to cover orders that they cannot serve. Substitutes The substitutes for Amazon and other online bookstores are the â€Å"actual† book  retailers and music stores such as Barnes and Nobles, Virgin Megastore, Tower Records, Sam Goody and other small mom-and-pop outlets. With the rise of online retail, there will be little impact from these substitutes. One impact would be some consumers who would like to hold or listen to their purchases prior to buying and those who are into the whole â€Å"shopping experience†. Barnes and Nobles have jumped into online retail and have succeeded into diversifying into the new e-commerce industry. Industrial Organization Model Degree of Competition Due to the shift of focus for Amazon, it has become the â€Å"Earth’s biggest anything store†. Its competitors have expanded from just online book retailers Barnes and Nobles and Borders to top audio retailers CDNOW.com and online auction house EBAY.com. Amazon has an overall lead of 40% market share against the other online retail firms. Their international business has more than doubled over the past 2 years and this growth increased Amazon’s share in the online business market. Life Cycle Amazon, in it’s first years, had negative income but the rise of e-commerce sites and being the pioneer made the succeeding years led to boom time for them. Their growth period was during 1994 to 1995 when they were the first of its kind in the world. They incurred very high costs in terms of distributions to customers. Still with a negative income, Amazon went public in 1997 and had one of the biggest IPOs of the time. With investors banking on future positive cash flow for this company, Amazon’s market value soared. Many people caught on with the idea of online shopping, thus, Amazon’s success. Amazon’s success as an online retailer prompted bricks-and-mortar rivals Barnes and Noble and Borders to join in. Competition decreased Amazon’s profitability so in the past couple of years, Amazon has expanded to more than books, audio and video to electronics and other retail concepts. Social Relevance Amazon’s products are marketed for every consumer possible. Books, audio, video and electronics are appreciated by majority of the population especially those who have access to the Internet. Amazon is active in pursuing literacy programs for young children by collaborating with the makers of the Dr. Seuss books. They have actively participated in the Dr. Seuss shops, story telling sessions and Dr. Seuss days. Degree of Globalization Amazon’s strength internationally lies within its networks in major ports and cities around the Globe. Amazon first started out in Seattle but as soon as they have established a niche market, they have opened shop all over the nation and in cities such as London, Berlin, The Hague, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore and many more. These branches overseas improves their delivery service to a wide consumer base. Extent of Government Control There has not been many government regulations regarding online retailing. A group of CEOs whose firms that are engaged in such practices have formed an organization called Global Business Dialogue. This GBD group supports the development of a seamless global system that delivers the broadest array of goods and services to the largest number of consumers at the most competitive prices. This work effort will: offer recommendations to the WTO, including making the moratorium on online tariffs permanent; and collaborate with governments to target and eliminate discriminations against, or other non-tariff barriers to global trade in, electronic commerce. This working group will also provide an avenue for the GBDs to consider and promote the growth of the electronic marketplace in an environment unencumbered by detrimental taxation. Degree of Vertical Integration Amazon’s primary value chain includes purchasing/sourcing, marketing, distribution and after-sales services, which includes returns and exchanges from unsatisfied customers. Their main focus is in the purchasing/sourcing and in the distribution of the products to the consumers. Their investments are therefore, geared towards warehouses in key points of high consumer demand areas and an efficient delivery and distributing system to service all its consumers. Thus, Amazon controls most of its distributing system that spans across borders. Inter Organization of Network Economics Amazon in its efforts to sustain its market leadership in the online retailing industry has tied up with various online organizations. Netscape Navigator and Amazon will offer members of Netscape Netcenter a co-branded storefront where Earth’s Biggest Bookstore will be easily accessed through Netscape Netcenter (home.netscape.com). In addition, Amazon.com has multi-year exclusive and premier bookseller relationships with 5 of the top 6 sites on the World Wide Web: AOL.com, Yahoo!, Netscape, GeoCities, and Excite. These partnerships widen Amazon’s presence in the World Wide Web. Sensitivity to Business Cycles The Online retailing business has a very quick cyclical growth. Amazon being one of the firsts to venture in this type of commerce are all ready in what seems to be in their decline stage where market share is declining. Therefore, Amazon is expanding to different industries within online retailing. Amazon and other online retailing firms are very sensitive to business cycles due to the speed of technology involved in the services they offer. Dynamics of New Knowledge Generation Online retailing relies on the work of an excellent distribution system. Amazon has invested their money into expanding their network of distribution centers around the globe. They also have investments in creating better  technology for tracking orders and giving efficient delivery systems for their customers. Amazon.com has remained on top of the online retailing business despite the entrance of giants such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders. Their success is attributed to two factors; timing and continuing to invest heavily into the inventory and distribution systems. Amazon, by being the first of its kind, has a big lead over the nearest competitors due to their experience and its reputation as the first movers. Their thrust remains on improving efficient delivery systems across borders and to build name recognition as the number one retailing firm in the Internet. They have also ventured into different retail options to keep that lead. Marketing, Innovative inventory and distribution systems, and name recall have helped Amazon build a sustainable competitive advantage. In order for any online retail company to remain prosperous and income generating, they must invest a lot of time and money into research and development of more efficient operations and distributions systems. This proved to be key for the Market Leader in online retailing, Amazon.Com.

Why is It Important to Learn about the Holocaust Essay

Learning about the Holocaust is important because it is a big part of world history. It teaches us about the traumatic events of World War II (WWII). It also shows us how people suffered, starved, and even died. Another thing it shows us is what events can occur when there is an abuse of power. The word Holocaust means, sacrifice by fire. We have learned many different things relating tot he Holocaust. The first thing is Hitlers Rise to Power. Hitler was a powerful and convincing speaker. He attracted lots of Germans, especially unemployed people, young people, and lower middle class people that wanted change. In January 1933, Hitler was assigned to be head of the German government. Adolf Hitlers party was called The National†¦show more content†¦During WWII Germany took over a lot of Europe. German soldiers used the Blitz Krieg Tactic to get the other troops to surrender. In this order, the Germans invaded or conquered Poland, Norway and Denmark, Western Europe, Yugoslavia, and Greece, the Soviet Union, the Volga, Stalingrad, and France. Anne Frank was one over a million children that died during the Holocaust. The Frank family was in hiding for quite some time before they were found. The Nazis finally found them and took them to concentration camps. Anne Frank went to a total of three camps. At her first camp, she, her sister Margot, Mrs. Van Daan, her mother, and other people that were hiding with them immediately got separated from the boys in their family. One lady that worked at the camp told Anne she would never see her father or anyone ever again. Anne and her sister Margot always stuck together. Sadly though, Anne only made it to three camps. She died at age fifteen. Margot was the only one who made it through the whole war. She recently passed away in 2010. Anne and her family has very hard lives during the Holocaust. They treat you so poorly in the concentration camps. The fact that they hid for a very long time instead of registering, made them prisoners so they were treated even worse. We learn about the Holocaust because it is an important part of history. It teaches us about a lot of different contries and what all they have been through. It also teaches us what we lost, who we lost, andShow MoreRelatedWhy is it Important to Learn About the Holocaust? Essay741 Words   |  3 PagesStuding the Holocaust is very importnant, there are many different categories in this topic that you can break it down into. Hitlers rise to power, the Holocaust itself, World War II, Anne Frank, and why it is important to learn about the Holocaust. These are vey large topics in this subject, they are important things to hit on. The holocaust caused a lot of confusion durnig this time period. Hitler was superb at convincing people to believe everything he said. 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