White Noise Essays - White Noise, Don DeLillo, Noise Music

White Noise Thanks to everyone who voted for WHITE NOISE as October's Book-of-the- Month. WHITE NOISE is probably Don DeLillo's most popular novel, largely because most readers see it as DeLillo's warmest and most human book. In this story, the ideas that seem to captivate DeLillo are fleshed out in real life in a way that none of his other books quite achieves. Of course, there are a few stubborn souls (like me) who still feel THE NAMES, or one of his other books is better. But I think everyone agrees, WHITE NOISE is a winner. It won DeLillo the National Book Award in 1985, and it also won a larger reading audience for a great American writer. DeLillo has said that Ernest Becker's THE DENIAL OF DEATH was a book that influenced him at the time he wrote WHITE NOISE. There's certainly no denying that death, and the many things we do to avoid facing it, is a major focus of DeLillo's novel. Becker's book, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1974, has as it's thesis the assertion that the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity---activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man. Becker's point is that this is *the* driving force in the human psyche today...which I think is overstating the matter a bit...but it certainly is a reality that all of us face in some way, sooner or later. As I looked through Becker's book last month, I was surprised to discover that it's actually an exposition of the work of Otto Rank. Rank was the third of the three famous defectors from Freud's inner psychoanalytic circle early this century (the others being Alder and Jung), and he's known in the literary world to a certain extent because of his intimate involvement with Anais Nin. Like Jung, Rank developed a psychology of mythology and religion...and, in particular, Rank's emphasis was The Hero motif. This is what Jung called the puer aeternus (or the female puella)---the eternal youth...who never ages...who never dies...to whom death is nothing. In psychology, this idea is linked closely with that of narcissism, which is considered prevalent in society today. Just look at all the things we do to avoid the appearance of aging! Jack Gladney is, at best, an unlikely Hero, I think. The extreme superficiality of his life is astounding. Everything is meant to *seem* significant...Hitler studies, the robes and sunglasses, the most photographed barn in America. Like so much of what we see and hear nowadays...what it's about is *sounding* like it's about something important. Everything is sense impression. Never mind what a word really means...if it *sounds* solid and strong, then that's reason enough to use it. In this way we escape from nature. We create lives that protect us from the things that are out there somewhere. I'm not just a college professor, says Jack. I'm the head of a department. I don't see myself fleeing an airborne toxic event. That's for people who live in mobile homes out in the scrubby parts of the country, where the fish hatcheries are. Michael Valdez Moses addresses this issue in his essay Lust Removed From Nature (in Frank Lentricchia's NEW ESSAYS ON WHITE NOISE). Following Heidegger (another influence on DeLillo), Valdez Moses discusses the way technology is changing the inner experience of human beings. And in WHITE NOISE DeLillo shows us how this is done. Waves and radiation. Television serves as kind of new collective unconscious, creating a new inner frame of reference. Consider this line from William Gibson's NEUROMANCER: The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. What color? Jack Gladney says at one point, His skin was a color that I want to call flesh-toned. Stephie murmurs, Toyota Celica, in her sleep. The TV is now a member of the family. We are moving toward a postmodern mentality. One of DeLillo's refrains (leitmotifs even) that still haunts me is the question of who will die first?--Jack speaking of himself or

Usha Martin Company

Usha Martin Company Introduction Founded in 1961, the Usha Martin Company has expanded its portfolio, product line, and physical structure outside India. The company has remained one of the most successful steel wire rope product manufacturers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Usha Martin Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company’s current dilemma is how to maintain and improve the past business performance through strategic decision science within its current and future growth plans. During its six decades of operations, the company has exercised such business strategies as internationalization and vertical integration. Thus, this analytical treatise will attempt to explicitly review and evaluate the benefits and risks of Usha Martin’s vertical integration strategy and internationalization strategy. Besides, the paper will present a five-year strategic plan for Usha Martin to ensure growth and success in the lo ng term. Discussion Vertical integration strategy: Benefits and risks Vertical integration, as a management style, involves integration of the supply chain to accommodate the different products that a company deals in. The Usha Martin Company boasts of a strong vertical integration in its industrial organization. From a single location, the company controls its designing, cutting, manufacturing, distribution and marketing process for its steel wire pipe product in India. The production segments such as raw material acquisition, power plant operation and coal mining, actual production, and distribution are segmented and disfranchised within a systematic control system that monitors production progress.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Benefits Reflectively, the vertical integration strategy has shielded the company from market swings, which create fluctuations in th e supply chain in terms of input availability and price. As earlier predicted by Mr. B.K Jhawar, the chairman of the Usha Martin Company, the vertical integration strategy enabled the company to save more than one billion Indian rupees. Besides, the company has been in a position to have full control of the quality of inputs used in manufacturing the steel wire pipes. Since the company operates and fully owns its sub production branches, it has been able to benefit from the aspect of cost competitiveness in production and the final price of the products. The topological structure of the Usha Martin Company consists of communication and operations management systems, which help in determining efficient performance and optimal resource use. As confirmed by Mr. B.K Jhawar, the company stresses on quality products, customer satisfaction, and cost effective production within accepted standards at the forefront. The vertical integration process has allowed the Usha Martin Company to produ ce, design, sell, and distribute its products globally within a short time span. This is possible due to internalization of a direct and complete control of the distribution and production process for its steel wire pipe brands. Basically, the vertical integration process at the Usha Martin Company includes the aspects of cost, dependability, speed, quality, and flexibility. These variables determine success or failure in business. These variables are achievable through value delivery, value addition, and creativity within a single production chain.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Usha Martin Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reflectively, these concepts are techniques and tools, that are essential in the art of integrating the production and distribution processes. Besides, this process is inclusive of the scientific aspects, such as a technical process of understanding the operations involved in operations management, their application, and evaluation criteria. Risks The major part of the success puzzle for the integrated management operates on the periphery of the soft skills that involve the timeless vision of organizational principles, defining value of the business, determining requirements, clarifying the vision, building teams, mitigating task, resolving issues, and providing direction as incorporated in the vertical integration process at the Usha Martin Company. However, the vertical integration strategy may prove to be challenging when one of the above soft skills is not balanced. Besides, the strategy is costly to implement and manage. Since the Usha Martin Company operates in the sensitive manufacturing industry, its vertical integration strategy within the production department may become obsolescent as production technologies change frequently. Thus, a possible change in the production process for the steel wire pipe product may force the Usha Martin Company to invest in the new technology to remain competitive even if it is very expensive. Keeping up with any changes in technology would translate into additional costs to match the integrated process with the new technology.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This might hurt the profitability and business sustainability in the long run. Besides, the company may become a victim of disregarding the potential loss within the streams of existing income and eventually forget the initial specialization focus. Internationalization strategy: Benefits and risks Internationalization is vital in business management and operations, especially when a company intends to localize production tools such as labor, distribution, and culture in the market of operation. At its inception, the Usha Martin Company concentrated on the local market of India. The company has experienced growth in the last sixty years and has substantially expanded its markets beyond the traditional domestic market of India. The Usha Martin Company has successfully implemented its internalization strategy by penetrating and establishing sub branches in more than four countries. The company has active sub branches in the UK, Netherlands, Brunton, Singapore, Canada, Australia, Vietna m, and Indonesia. Benefits The company has adopted the strategies of product proliferation and product development to not only achieve the goal of internationalization, but also to maintain its competitiveness in the international steel wire pipes market. Reflectively, product proliferation is a strategy that companies adopt to create opaque barriers for their competitors. Through this approach, the market share leader will automatically have the discretion to reap maximum benefits ahead of its closest competitors. For instance, the internalization strategy has ensured that the Usha Martin Company has a market share for steel wire pipes within international markets such as the UK, Netherlands, Brunton, Singapore, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Product development entails the innovation process aimed at modeling the existing product or improving on it to balance with the changing preferences of the customers. The company is associated with new innovations and attractive d esigns that appeal to their customers across the world. For instance, a steel wire pipe produced in the international branches is customized to meet the demands of foreign customers. This strategy guarantees increase in the market share for the companies in the UK, Netherlands, Brunton, Singapore, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Risks When operating leverage, fixed and variable costs of labor should be separated from each other as outsourcing. When implementing the internalization strategy, outsourcing tends to change balance of this ratio. In addition, in contracting an outside source as a factor of production, there is a need to improve quality of duty for which such a job is required. This is possible when contract is constituted within acceptable levels of service agreement duly signed. Thus, the company is exposed to market dynamics such as labor laws, cost of production, and product prices within the foreign branches. Five-year strategic plan Essentially, the succes s of product management depends on a proper alignment of a functional idea with the creation of flexible, involuntary, and quantifiable measurement of perception by the target audience. Reflectively, this idea should have essential elements that can easily sway the mind, either positively or negatively. Knowing how to improve quality is crucial for the growth of a business. In fact, consumers normally go for products that perform best. Besides, quality improvement will serve the organization’s needs to improve on performance, durability, maintain economic viability, maintain visual and aesthetic appeal, maintain superiority in service delivery, and maintain good reputation due to quality assurance. Thus, quality improvement deployment and organizational change action plans present an a strategy that would facilitate the business gain in the long term operations through value and quality improvement in the global manufacturing industry. This is summarized in the strategic plan table below. Strategic Plan Therefore, the company should consider cross franchising in the business policies aimed at expanding and improving its position, without having to incur much cost. Cross platform franchising will enable the company to gain a strategic competitive advantage in a number of ways. Further, it will give a company the possibility to reduce the risk of market flop that results from the failure to carry out adequate market research. Conclusion The main activities in the control matrix of strategic management is the input and output tracking for the case of the Usha Martin Company. The activities are influenced by environmental, internal, and external factors in the business management strategy. Reflectively, the process should include organization charts, status reports, process map, compliance requirements, review structure, activities, dates, and resources employed within a specified period of time through benchmarking. The benchmarking initiative will involv e streamlining control activities to ensure efficiency via a proactive quality mitigation channel that reports progress of the intended quality improvement system.

Taxation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Taxation - Assignment Example It was the first ever increase as the highest rate of income tax in the history of UK for over three decades. In 2010,the Chancellor Alastair Darling announced the 50% tax rate. With effect from April 2010 onwards, taxable income above  £150,000 in UK will be subject to a new top rate of income tax of 50%.The 50% additional rate of income tax was announced by the erstwhile labour government in 2010 was mainly intended to rescue the UK’s economy after the 2008 financial crisis. As per HMRC data,  £10 bn was raised during the three years when the top 50% rate was in force. The present UK government has reduced the top rate to 45% with the effect from April 2013 onwards. Evidence from UK and around the globe demonstrates that punitive tax levels either 50% or 45% will result in poor revenue collection as compared to modest rates. Young & Saltiel (2013) study found that behavioural reaction to the higher tax rates is more robust, and this is likely to hurt UKs tax receipts. The 50% additional rate of income tax in UK had a bad impact on UKs economy as its architects themselves confessed that the scheme was introduced without economic objectives. Young & Saltiel (2013) found that the policy is heading for failure as it resulted in the flat growth for a decade and ended in  £350bn of lost revenue. This essay will analyse whether the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax?† or not . As per Ed Balls of Labour Party, that his party will reintroduce 50% additional rate of income tax for those whose annual income is above  £150,000 if it is voted to power in the coming election. According to him, as per recent statistics, those who are earning more than  £150,000 paid  £ 10bn more by way of taxes in the last three years starting from April 2010 when the rate was 50% for them. Again, it was reduced to 45% in 2013 by the present Coalition government. As per Ed Balls, when the

The Movements of Employees at Work Abstract Essay

The Movements of Employees at Work Abstract - Essay Example Employee monitoring can be defined as the act of surveillance and monitor employees’ actions during stipulated working hours by use of employer equipment (Stanton & Stam, 2006). It entails the use of computers to record, evaluate and observe an employees’ use of a computer, plus communications like websites visited and emails sent or received besides telephone calls made. However, it is legal for employers to use computer programs to monitor employees (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, 2008). Employee surveillance has gained prominence as a prerequisite and in the same breath a contentious issue due to the complexity and prevalent use of technology in the workplace. Employers are worried about employees’ proper behavior and conformity to work-related regulations. Hence some critics believe employee monitoring is an inalienable responsibility. To others, it is an invasion of privacy. Managers employ different ways of monitoring employees’ internet use, emails, an d their location to capitalize on employee productivity, uphold the integrity of the firm and to defend the interest of clientele and workmates (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, 2008). When managers start to probe into employees’ private life, mistrust and acrimony are built between employees’ and managers. Many workers have lost their employment and a lot more companies have had to face lawsuits filed against them because people believe that the use of internal company communications should remain confidential (Bassick, 2007). Managers and owners of private firms have had several reasons to scrutinize the activities of their employees. Some are driven by the displeasure when employees misuse company money and waste time to carry out non-work related tasks.  

Outline and illustrate two ways in which an action may be both self-interested and altruistic Essay Example for Free

Outline and illustrate two ways in which an action may be both self-interested and altruistic Essay Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping ot hers. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self  interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping ot hers. Another way in which and action can be both altruistic and self interested is aided by the concept that altruism may lead others to think more highly of you, which is in beneficial for you and makes you feel better about yourself, so is therefore also in your self interest. An example of this is giving to charity. This may give you positive feelings as you enjoy helping others and seeing that your own actions can benefit people other than yourself. Therefore you’re being altruistic and still acting in your self interest. This then illustrates that being altruistic coincides with your self interest as you get positive outcomes by helping others.

Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Essay examples -- Sports G

Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Throughout history, society has clearly defined the roles that men and women were expected to play. In these roles, men were seen as both physically and mentally stronger, and women were seen as more gentle, caring and physically and mentally weaker. As such, men participating in sports which demonstrate grace and elegance was not, and to some extent, still is not considered to be the norm. Likewise, women participating in sports which demonstrate or require a great deal of physical strength is considered to be un-ladylike. Additionally, there has been a certain physical image associated with both men and women, and when a person is physically different from what is considered the norm, then they are open to ridicule and prejudice from society. Traditionally, the image of women is that of curvaceous, maternal-looking people. Thus a woman who is exceptionally physically fit, or who has large and well-defined muscles is seen as strange. In fact, an "overly" muscular woman is generally seen as very masculine, or as someone who is trying to be manly. It is for this reason that many female athletes have been branded as "butch" or as lesbians. Conversely, men who do not carry the image of testosterone-filled, macho, muscular and physically strong people are seen as less manly than they should be. Society seems to believe that men should participate in sports which promote the macho image, such as those sports which have a violent aspect to them, and those sports which base themselves in a demonstration of physical strength. As such, men who participate in sports such as boxing or power lifting are far more easily accepted than men who participate in sports such as synchronized swi... ...pread and secretarial jobs are considered to be women's jobs. There are many incongruities between what is considered acceptable for men and what is considered acceptable for women, and this can be seen in all walks of life. It stems from the traditional images of what men and women should look like and how they should behave which have been imposed on us by both our society and the traditions passed on to us from our ancestors. These incongruities and prejudices are most clearly seen and acknowledged in the world of sports, but in truth they pervade almost every aspect of our lives. This is not an issue which has an easy solution, but it is an issue which must be addressed if there is to be an end to the ridicule which many people are subjected to as a result of following a career path or making life decisions which do not conform to this set of unspoken rules. Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Essay examples -- Sports G Men, Women, and Sports: What is Acceptable? Throughout history, society has clearly defined the roles that men and women were expected to play. In these roles, men were seen as both physically and mentally stronger, and women were seen as more gentle, caring and physically and mentally weaker. As such, men participating in sports which demonstrate grace and elegance was not, and to some extent, still is not considered to be the norm. Likewise, women participating in sports which demonstrate or require a great deal of physical strength is considered to be un-ladylike. Additionally, there has been a certain physical image associated with both men and women, and when a person is physically different from what is considered the norm, then they are open to ridicule and prejudice from society. Traditionally, the image of women is that of curvaceous, maternal-looking people. Thus a woman who is exceptionally physically fit, or who has large and well-defined muscles is seen as strange. In fact, an "overly" muscular woman is generally seen as very masculine, or as someone who is trying to be manly. It is for this reason that many female athletes have been branded as "butch" or as lesbians. Conversely, men who do not carry the image of testosterone-filled, macho, muscular and physically strong people are seen as less manly than they should be. Society seems to believe that men should participate in sports which promote the macho image, such as those sports which have a violent aspect to them, and those sports which base themselves in a demonstration of physical strength. As such, men who participate in sports such as boxing or power lifting are far more easily accepted than men who participate in sports such as synchronized swi... ...pread and secretarial jobs are considered to be women's jobs. There are many incongruities between what is considered acceptable for men and what is considered acceptable for women, and this can be seen in all walks of life. It stems from the traditional images of what men and women should look like and how they should behave which have been imposed on us by both our society and the traditions passed on to us from our ancestors. These incongruities and prejudices are most clearly seen and acknowledged in the world of sports, but in truth they pervade almost every aspect of our lives. This is not an issue which has an easy solution, but it is an issue which must be addressed if there is to be an end to the ridicule which many people are subjected to as a result of following a career path or making life decisions which do not conform to this set of unspoken rules.

The Squeaky Horn

| The Squeaky Horn| Assignment A| Company Overview The Squeaky Horn is a musical instrument repair store which specialized in all major and minor repairs for band and orchestra instruments. Over the past ten year, The Squeaky Horn has established a great customer relationship with the music professionals from all over the country, and has been operated in a relatively less competitive environment as there were no many similar stores in the town.However, as the new store Best Instrument Repair opened across the town recently, the Squeaky Horn faced a lot pressure on lowering the price for minor repairs in competing with the new price that the Best Instrument Repair offers for the similar services. Eugene Decker, one of the three owners of The Squeaky Horn, was trying to figure out the reason for losing $50745 in their planned profit from the actual operating results, with the information that the store has been going through significant changes within the year.In order to explain the change in profit, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the musical instrument repair industry from both macroeconomic and microeconomic aspects first. Industry Background Macroeconomic Analysis Canadian GDP has been showing an increase trend from 2001 to 2010 as showed in Appendix 1, even though between 2008 and 2009, GDP had a negative growth rate of 2. 8%, the 3. 3% of increase in GDP at 2010 pull up the figure again to make an overall increase trend. Because of the significant increase in GDP over the past decade, consumers have more money spend on entertainment and education.Thus, more people tend to go to watch art shows and learn to play musical instruments. If looking at Appendix 2, the first chart shows clearly that the average household spends more money in entertainment outside home in 2003 than 1998. For example, people spend $20 more on performing arts on average per year. It implies that an increasing number of people will go listen to a concert, which stimul ates performers to keep a peak condition of their instruments for better performances. The musical nstrument repair industry therefore, attracts more repair jobs and technicians in order to satisfy the increasing demand on musical instrument repairs. The average Canadian music technician’s salary is $48,000, which is $9,000 higher than the other instrument repair technician’s as showed in the Appendix 3. Beside the facts that music technicians needs spend a lot of time work on the music repair certificate in order to perform their jobs, $9,000 difference in salary makes the musical technician jobs more attractive than others. As a result, the musical instrument repair industry is competitive.At the last, the industry is also affected by researcher’s studies. According to a cross-sectional study of Canadian school children, E. Glenn Schellenberg (2006) as referred in Appendix 4, kids who play musical instrument perform better in both cognitive tasks and general i ntelligence tests. Therefore, more parents would like to have their kids learn one of the musical instruments in order to explore the kids’ IQ potential. As a result, the musical instruments repair business is much more prosperous than before. Microeconomic Analysis The musical instrument repair industry is competitive.As a pure repair store, The Squeaky Horn faces competition not only in its own town, but also across the province. Because musical instruments are fragile, long distance travel increases the possibility of instrument breaking, music professionals prefer to have their instruments repaired in the local area. Therefore, there are not so many competitions outside the province. Since a lot of musical instruments retailers and individual music technicians also provide the similar services, the overall competition The Squeaky Horn is facing is heavy.Appendix 5 offers 3 of the most popular musical instrument repairs store in Ontario. The first two stores specialized in difference instruments repairs (guitar and violin); the last one is basically covering repairs and restorations for all instruments. Appendix 5 also shows the instrument repair price that another store in the industry offers. The average major repair (overhaul and refinish) is priced over $300 for band instruments (trumpet, trombone and horn) compare to The Squeaky Horn, which shows that The Squeaky Horn is cost efficient.The Squeaky Horn has various suppliers for musical instruments parts. Appendix 6 provides all the musical instruments manufacturers across Canada, and over half of the suppliers are from Ontario. Various supplier choices make The Squeaky Horn a price maker, which allow it to lower the repair price to attract more clients. The Squeaky Horn has customers all over the country. The customer line spreads from the music professionals to amateur players, from orchestra to individual household.Since the store has been operated for more than 10 years, a lot of old customer s prefer to have their instrument repaired there because of the already-established reputation. In addition, because of the musical instrument repairs need very specific skills, and technicians normally needs to obtain certain music degree and musical instrument repair certificate in order to perform their jobs, it is relatively hard to become a musical instrument repair technicians than others. As a result, the musical instrument repairs industry has a barrier to entry. There are not so many substitutes for musical instrument repairs.Since musical instruments is considered to be expensive goods, and most individuals and families can only offered one piece of the musical instrument (ex. piano), periodic repair and examination become the most popular method to keep a peak condition of their instruments. Unless the price of music instruments become so cheap that an average music player can offer to pay a new one when they found problems with the instruments, or the second hand market become so popular that the selling price of the instrument are enough for getting a new one, people will stick on instrument repair.If comparing The Squeaky Horn’s operating result with the maintenance and repair industry’s average (Appendix 7), we will find that The Squeaky Horn’s actual revenue of $664,170 is almost as twice as much of the industry average of $334,900. However, the total actual expense is $354,070 higher (calculation is provided at the end of Appendix 7), which results the overall profit fall below the industry average of $28,100 in 2008. Therefore, The Squeaky Horn is an absolute industry leader in revenue sector, but did not do well in maintaining high profitability through expenditure control. Appendix 1: GDP and GrowthBetween 2001 and 2010, GDP for all industries in the Canadian economy increased from $1,041 billion to $1,234 billion. In each year of the period, GDP growth has been positive with the exception of 2009 in which we saw a decl ine for the Canadian economy. The compound annual growth rate of GDP between 2001 and 2010 measured 1. 7%. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP Growth: 2001-2010 Canadian Economy (NAICS 11-91) GDP growth in 2001 and 2002 was much slower, with annual growth rates below the 10 year compound annual rate. However, in 2003, annual GDP growth slipped to 2. 1, corresponding with a down-turn in the United States economy.GDP growth rates went on to rebound and remained steady around 2% and 3% until 2008, when a global recession trimmed annual GDP growth to 0. 6% falling again in 2009 to an all time low of 2. 8%. In 2010, we begin to see another rebound with the GDP growth increasing to 3. 3%. Source: Statistics Canada, http://www. ic. gc. ca/eic/site/cis-sic. nsf/eng/h_00013. html Appendix 2: Consumer Demand for Entertainment Services Outside the Home In recent years, Canadians have spent more on entertainment. For their homes, demand has risen for such goods as home entertainment systems an d computers.Expenditures on these services comprised 0. 44% of the average household's overall spending budget in 2003, up from 0. 41% in 1998. This shift in preferences and growth in incomes, population and prices caused the consumer market for entertainment services to expand from $2. 3 billion in 1998 to $3. 2 billion in 2003, an increase of 41%. The chart below shows the household spending on entertainment services outside the home in 1998 and 2003, respectively. Chart 2 at the right shows the average household spending on entertainment services outside the home in both 1998 and 2003.Source: Yusu Guo and Don Little, Analytical Paper Series, Consumer Demand for Entertainment Services Outside the Home. http://publications. gc. ca/Collection/Statcan/63F0002XIE/63F0002XIE2006050. pdf Appendix 3: Comparison of Average Music Technician Salaries and Average Instrument Technicians Salaries The average salary for music technician jobs in Canada, KY is $48,000. Average music technician sa laries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. Source: http://www. simplyhired. com/a/salary/search/q-Music+Technician/l-CanadaThe average salary for instrument repair technician jobs in Canada, KY is $39,000. Average instrument repair technician salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. Source: http://www. simplyhired. com/a/salary/search/q-instrument+repair+Technician/l-canada Appendix 4: Study of Music and Intelligence Musicians perform better on cognitive tasks A study of 4 to 6-year olds found that musically-trained kids performed better on a test of working memory Other research indicates that musicians perform significantly better on tests of †¢ Spatial-temporal skills Math ability †¢ Reading skills †¢ Vocabulary †¢ Verbal memory †¢ Phonemic awareness Musically-trained people perform better on general intelligence tests. In a cross-sectional study of Canadian school chi ldren, E. Glenn Schellenberg (2006) found that kids who took music lessons had slightly higher IQs. The effects were general, cutting across several different intellectual abilities (e. g. , verbal, mathematical, and temporal-spatial). Music lessons were associated with abilities associated with fluid intelligence, such as †¢ Working memory †¢ Perceptual organization Processing speed They were also associated with increased verbal comprehension and better high school grades. These differences remained significant after controlling for a child’s age, nonmusical activities, family income, and parent’s education. Source: http://www. parentingscience. com/music-and-intelligence. html Appendix 5: Competitors * Folkway Music Repairs ; Restorations  · Fine Fretted Instruments Folkway Music is Canada's premier acoustic guitar shop. We specialize in the sale, repair and restoration of fine vintage, new and used guitars, mandolins, and banjos.There are always many vi ntage Gibson guitars, vintage Martin guitars, vintage Gibson mandolins, and other vintage guitars for sale in the store, as well as a large selection of new C. F Martin & Co. Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Santa Cruz Guitars, National Guitars, Larrivee Guitars, and others. C. F. Martin & Co. Authorized Warranty Repair Centre. World-wide shipping. 163 Suffolk Street West, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 2J7 Source: http://www. folkwaymusic. com/ * Armenious Violins In our workshop we do any kind of instrument repairs/restorations such as crack repairs, bridge, sound post, fingerboard planning, peg fitting, etc.After all we are violin, viola, and cello makers ourselves. The following are some highlights of instrument related works. Bridge Cutting, Sound Post , Fingerboard, Nut & Saddle, Install/Improve Pegs, Neck Repairs, Bass Bar, Internal Table Patches, Various Crack repairs and Anatomic Corrections, Clean and Polish the Varnish. Locations: 903 Willowdale Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M2M 3C 2 Source: http://www. armenious-violins. com/instrument_services. html * Cosmo Music – A Music Instrument Superstore Cosmo Music operates one of the largest and most prestigious instrument repair shops in Canada.Each year hundreds of schools, students and professional musicians trust Cosmo Music to restore their instruments to like-new playing condition. In addition to customer repairs the shop also maintains a fleet of well over 10,000 rental instruments which are used by students across Ontario each year. Led by its original technician, Kevin Rohm, the shop now employs 18 technicians and specializes in all types of wind instruments, guitar and electronic repairs. Cosmo Music has made a significant investment in equipment so that its technicians have access to all of the latest and best tools and techniques to service your instrument uickly and properly – the first time! Location: 10 Via Renzo Drive, Richmond Hill ON L4S 0B6 Source: http://cosmomusic. ca/contact-us. h tml Source: http://www. heidmusic. com/PDFs/repairs. pdf Appendix 6: Suppliers Source: http://www. profilecanada. com/category. cfm? cat=3931_Musical-Instruments Appendix 7: Industry Average Source: Statistics Canada, http://www. ic. gc. ca/cis-sic/cis-sic. nsf/IDE/cis-sic811bece. html#bec1 Total Expense for the average industry = $165,800 + $137,300 = $303,100 Total Expense for the Squeaky Horn = $664,170 – $7,000 = $657,170 $657,170 – $303,100 = $354,070