Nucor Competitive Strategy Essay Example

Nucor Competitive Strategy Paper NUCOR COMPETITIVE STRATEGY ANALYSIS CONTENTS 1. Case Profile 2. Situational Analysis 2. 1General External Environment (PESTLE model) 2. 1. 1 Political/Legal 2. 1. 2 Economic 2. 1. 3 Sociocultural 2. 1. 4 Technological 2. 1. 5 Environmental 2. 1. 6 Demographic 2. 1. 7 Global 2. 1 Industry Analysis (Porter 5 Forces) 2. 2. 1 Threat of new entrants 2. 2. 2 Bargaining power of suppliers 2. 2. 3 Bargaining power of buyers 2. 2. 4 Threat of substitute products 2. 2. 5 Intensity of rivalry 2. 3 Competitive Environment Analysis 2. 3. Future objectives 2. 3. 2 Current strategy 2. 3. 3 Assumptions 2. 3. 4 Capabilities 3. Strategic Analysis 3. 1 Strategies 3. 1. 1Operational level 3. 1. 2Business level 3. 1. 3Competitive level 3. 1. 4 Corporate level 4. Core Competencies 4. 1Tangible resources 4. 2Intangible resources 4. 3Capabilities 5. Value Chain 6. Sustainable Competitive Advantage 7. Performance Appraisal 8. SWOT Analysis 8. 1 Strengths 8. 2 Weaknesses 8. 3 Opportunities 8. 4 Threats 9. Str ategy Formulation and Implementation 9. 1 New Initiatives to Sustain Growth APPENDIX 1: Top-30 producers by International Iron Steel Institute APPENDIX 2: Top Competitors Key Measures: NUCOR APPENDIX 3: FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL REVIEW FOR NUCOR (2002-2006) Case Study Analysis: NUCOR 1. Case Profile Nucor Corp. , the U. S largest mini-mill operator1 and largest steel manufacturer by tons produced2, continues to lead the industry in efficiency, technological innovation, profitability and delivery of high quality products at low cost structure, after a record of more than 16 years of rapid growth in a declining industry3. And with a strong relationship with its workers without unionization, Nucor’s employees claimed to be the industry’s most satisfied, most motivated and most productive, making them a formidable workforce. This case considers how Nucor has achieved its success and how to sustain it. 2. Situational Analysis 2. 1. General External Environment (PESTLE model4) 2. 1. 1. Political/legal. The steel industry has seen rocky labour relations since the late 19th century with fatalities to striking workers4. Majority of workers are represented by the United Steel Workers of America. We will write a custom essay sample on Nucor Competitive Strategy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nucor Competitive Strategy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nucor Competitive Strategy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another issue is the integrated steel producers have filed charges against importers of dumping steel prices, blaming them especially Japan, for declining market shares. Nucor’s plant in Hertford County was located on the banks of a fishery that required restoration in a law passed in 1997. 2. 1. 2 Economic. Steel industry is a cyclical business, subject to economic fluctuations since it depended on durable and capital goods (car, building). The industry does well during economic expansion and suffers losses and even bankruptcies during economic downturn. . 1. 3. Sociocultural. The industry became a source of employment, symbolizes American economic power and pride during good times and symbolizes economic decline and source of shame when foreign companies took over market shares5. 2. 1. 4. Technological. Technology drives major changes in the production process to increase flexibility, efficiencies and allowed automation which include the continuous casting technology, blast oxygen furnace and electric arc furnace. 2. 1. 5. Environmental. Nucor’s mill in Crawfordsville, Indianna was alleged to have violated federal and state clean air rules and discharge of 6,720 tons of pollutants into the air each year by U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2. 1. 6. Demographic. Mini-mills which are located close to customer base has moved as population of U. S. moved to south and west. Demographic shifts affect the industry since construction utilizes a significant amount of steel. 2. 1. 7. Global. U. S. steel exports were negligible although it had grown to 3% to 5% by the 1990s6. The U. S. teel industry has benefited greatly from the Japanese mill from their large investments in U. S. joint venture projects, new technologies, high productivity and quality product7. Globalization will subject U. S. steel makers to vulnerable changes. 2. 2. Industry Analysis Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 2. 2. 1) Threat of new entrants. For mature integrated steel industry, threat is low due to economies of scale, high capital inje ction, cyclical nature of business and difficult access to supply and distribution; but slightly higher for mini-mill because of lower capital commitment and scale. . 2. 2) Bargaining power of suppliers. For integrated steel makers, they have effectively neutralized the suppliers’ bargaining power by backward integration (steel makers acquiring coal/coke mines and transportation facilities). For mini-mill, their reliability on scrap metal has given supplier moderate to high bargaining power. Higher cost of scrap metal due to limited supply has forced mini-mill to more costly materials like iron carbide. Nucor reduced the bargaining power of steel scrap supplier by backward integration. 8 2. 2. ) Bargaining power of buyers. It is weak to moderate since producers can threaten major distributors and wholesalers with forward integration (taking over direct distribution). But the large buyers (e. g. car makers) have more bargaining power. For example, the U. S. steel producers had to fulfill Japanese automakers’ quality and standards before they were allowed to supply the Japanese auto plants in the U. S. 9 2. 2. 4) Threat of substitute products. The threat is high in applications where strength is a not crucial concern but cost is (e. g. lastic, wood, synthetic materials, fiberglass); low for applications that require strength since substitute materials are just not strong enough10. Also, the many composition steel can be produced reduce the threat. 2. 2. 5) Intensity of rivalry. It is a highly competitive market with high exit barriers since assets are specialized, increase of mini-mill competitors taking on production of steel sheets and other steel products, stagnant demand, many global competitors, commodity-like products that minimizes switching costs and customer loyalty and excess capacity11. 2. 3. Competitive Environment Analysis Nucor has grown to become the largest steelmaker in the US by tonnage2. To have a sustainable market leader position, it must continue to compete for more market share from the large, integrated steelmakers. Although Nucor is the first mover in the mini-mill sector, it must also compete against second movers. 2. 3. 1) Future objectives. Nucor’s primary objective is â€Å"the production of high volumes of quality, low-cost steel. †12 It has an ambitious annual earnings growth of 10-15%. Nucor’s competitors would have the same objective, but unlikely the same high annual growth. Nucor’s competitors will be less risk-taking, giving Nucor a distinct advantage since a risk-aversive approach produces lower returns. 2. 3. 2) Current strategy. Nucor’s strategy is cost leadership. Even if there are changes in the competitive environment, this strategy is preferred since steel is a commodity-like product. While some mini-mill competitors follow a differentiation strategy, most follow a cost leadership strategy, though not very successfully. 2. 3. 3) Assumptions. It is a general assumption for all competitors that cyclical fluctuations are continuous. Nucor’s competitors often looked like operating under a status quo while Nucor has grown to produce sheet-fed steel and stainless steel in its mini-mills, a seemingly impossible task. 2. 3. 4) Capabilities. Nucor’s strengths include highest productivity, lowest cost structure and a high profitability (30 years of continuous profits)13 in the industry and excellent labour-management relations. Nucor’s weakness, comparing to its competitors, is more exposure to short-term losses and temporary setbacks resulting from risk-taking. The large integrated steel producers are comparatively strong in terms of size, established customer base and economies of scale. In terms of tonnage produced, Nucor ranked 8th globally with 20. 3 tons in 2006 (Appendix 1). Nucor could further strengthen its position as it is not far from the world’s 2nd largest steelmaker (Nippon Steel, Japan) of 34. 7 tons. ROE wise (Appendix 2), Nucor is much stronger than its competitors with 29. 38 as compared to Commercial Metals Co’s 22. 63 and U. S Steel’s 17. 79. ROA wise, Nucor is also much stronger than its competitors with 15. 6 as compared to 8. 33 and 7. 13. Nucor is more financially sound than its competitors with a current ratio of 2. 06 as compared to 1. 69 and 1. 59. 3. Strategic Analysis 3. 1 Strategies 3. 1. 1) Operational level. Nucor’s operational level strategy is core process re-engineering. This includes pre-heating the ladles allowing for faster flow of steel into the caster, continuous casters and a processes design that limit work-in-progress inventory, limit space and increase flexibility. . 1. 2) Business level. Nucor’s business level strategy is low cost leadership, keeping with its primary objective of the production of high volumes of quality, low-cost steel. 3. 1. 3) Competitive strategy. Nucor is the industry’s catalyst for technology innovation. It pioneered and took lead of the mini-mill concept, which later produce sheet steel and thin slab stainless steel. Also taking risk with a focus on lon g-term gains (versus short term risks). 3. 1. 4) Corporate level. To achieve its goal, Nucor diversify throughout the steel business. Nucor ventured into traditional bastions of integrated steelmakers (sheet steel, stainless steel), not constrained by the mini-mill format. Nucor has engaged in numerous upstream and downstream diversification. 4. Core Competencies Core competencies are special capabilities that are critical to a business achieving competitive edge. It is harmonizing of diverse production skills integrated with technological development. 19 4. 1) Tangible resources. Nucor’s tangible resources include strong financial resources with a proven ability to generate internal funds and a track profitability record that gives it enormous borrowing power. Organizational resources appear slim without formal planning, coordinating or controlling systems. Physical resources include 8 high-performing mini-mills strategically located to customer base and good access to raw materials with the company’s new iron carbide plant. Nucor has considerable technological resources, mainly involving process. 4. 2) Intangible resources. Many innovative ideas come from its human resources. Human resources include knowledge of the business know-how, motivation to perform and strong worker-management trust and co-operation. . 3) Capabilities. This includes the capability to produce high volumes of quality low-cost steel, innovative technology, continuous process refinement, continuous productivity improvement, motivated workforce, strong corporate culture. Employees are encouraged to take risk and a high tolerance for failure is given. Employees have a sense of ownership, exceedingly loyal and share a common goal of ensuring Nucor’s meets i ts primary objective. These give Nucor a competitive edge that is costly and difficult to imitate17. And the costly duplication suggests that the resource or capability is inelastic in supply, earning the firm who possess it an economic rent. 18 5. Value chain analysis i. Support Activities Firm InfrastructureWith no formal planning or formal mission, possess a strong culture Human Resource ManagementNot unionized, rewards risk-taking, high tolerance for failure, performance based bonus plans, encourage employee suggestions Technology Developmentcontinuous process refinement, continuous improvement, licensing/buying technology ProcurementUpstream diversification, process innovation i. Primary Activities Inbound LogisticsOperationsOutbound LogisticsMarketing SalesService cost focused, coordinated with operational needsEfficient, low cost, high productivity, meeting or exceeding quality requirements, continuous improvementafter-sale support 6. Sustainable Competitive Advantage Sustainable competitive advantage is derived from the trust-based working relationships along with a high to lerance for failure, would allow Nucor to take the risk needed to produce sustainable growth. The source of this trust is in Nucor’s distinctive human resources strategy, which is characterized by informality, ad hoc planning, pay for performance, and employee empowerment. 14 7. Performance Appraisal For the last five years, Nucor’s sales have increased over 240% from $4. 33 billion (2001) to $14. 75 billion (2006). Average sales price per ton has increased 88% from $354 (2001) to $667 (2006). Total tons sold to external customers have increased 81% from 12,237,000 tons (2001) to 22,118,000 tons (2006) (Appendix 3) (Figure 1). This rapid growth has been derived from acquisitions, optimizing existing operations and developing traditional greenfield projects using innovative technologies. Nucor achieved record sales and net earnings in 2006 for the 3rd consecutive year due to historically high selling prices, margins and shipments. Nucor was strengthened as North America’s most diversified steel producer. With this diverse product line, Nucor’s short-term performance which is not dependant on any single market has been able to maintain profitability every year and every quarter since 1966. (Figure 2). Figure 1: Nucor’s Average Sales Price Per Ton Total Tons Sold Figure 2: Nucor’s Diversified Product Mix 8. SWOT Analysis 8. 1. Strengths 1. Strong financial resources (profits, returns) 2. Industry leading low cost structure 3. Motivated workforce 4. Strong corporate culture 5. Innovation resources 6. Trust-based relationships 7. Technological expertise 8. Strong physical resources 9. Strategic management leadership style 8. 2. Weaknesses 1. Vulnerable to losses and setbacks from risk-taking 2. Lack of formal organizational systems may reduce efficiency 3. High tolerance for failure risks potential loss 4. Vague marketing structure or strategy 8. 3. Opportunities 1. Expand into additional specialty products 2. Downstream diversification 3. Directly produce steel from iron carbide, eliminating the need for electric furnaces. 4. Growth and innovation through joint venture projects 5. Maintaining market leadership position 6. Exporting 7. Soaring global steel prices15 8. 4. Threats 1. Substitute products 2. Second mover mini-mill competitors 3. Integrated steelmaker competitors 4. Economic downturn 5. Sub-prime crisis in property industry 6. Globalization with consolidating competitors 7. Global oversupply (China slowed down by December 2004 and became net exporter) 8. A new technology called Finex (by Posco in South Korea) Weaknesses and Threats- Nucor does not have serious weakness but only unused production capacity and a non-differentiated product. Serious threats from foreign competitors (e. g. Acelor Mittal) consolidating could affect Nucor’s growth. Such intense rivalry may also lead to price wars. Weaknesses and Opportunities- With soaring steel prices, expansion and vertical integration would give a better return. Strengths and Threats- Expanding its product line could mitigate the threats from foreign and local competitors, given soaring steel prices will give better return. Consolidate with other steelmakers would make Nucor a bigger player globally. Using its market dominance, Nucor could negotiate with the government for better regulations against the foreign competitors. With its financial and leadership resources, Nucor should secure more backward integration into scrap steel market. Joint venture with Posco (South Korean steelmaker) to leverage new technology. Strengths and Opportunities- Nucor has the financial, human and technological resources to penetrate new market, to expand product range, to compete in the stainless steel market and to joint with Japan to open new market in the Asian region. . Strategy Formulation Implementation Nucor’s current strategy is working. Its unique corporate culture and distinctive human resources strategy which produced a non-substitutable trust-based relationship, give Nucor a sustainable competitive advantage, contrasting the antagonistic relations in the steel industry. This trust enables Nucor to take risk which facilitates its growth. As an engineer from a major integrated mill said upon visiting a Nucor plant, that Nucor’s culture were such that everyone work hard and help each other, collectively survive and meet with success. But theirs is one of aggression, confrontation and lack of trust. 16 9. 1. New Initiatives to Sustain Growth Nucor should further leverage its sustainable competitive advantage by expanding more aggressively, taking the following steps: 1. To build an additional iron carbide plant to increase the availability of low-cost raw materials. 2. To carry out market research to ascertain: a) Expand product line and downstream steel business (e. g. steel for building, bridges, highways, roof decking, flooring); b)Export market; c) Competitors’ current strategies, weaknesses and strengths; d) Joint venture partners and projects ) Expand domestic markets f) Backward integration (e. g. scrap brokerages) 3. To develop strategic marketing program 4. Add an employee stock ownership program to further reinforce employees’ sense of ownership and loyalty. REFERENCES 1. http://www. bizjournals. com/charlotte/stories/2008/04/21/daily34. html 2. http://www. anbhf. org/laureates/keniversen. htm 3. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases, Prentice Hall, London 4. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/U. S. _Steel_Recognition_Strike_of_1901 5. John H. Sheridan, 1996 â€Å"New Era – Or Breather? Industry Week, 5 February, pp 49 6. Brian K. Boyd Steve Gove, â€Å"Nucor Corp. And the U. S. Steel Industry,† In: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization by Michael A. Hitt, R, Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), pp C479 7. Bryan Berry, (1996) â€Å"World Steel: Competing Strategies in Metallics, Melting, and Casting,† Iron Age New Steel, 12(4), April, pp 74. 8. Bryan Berry, (1996) â€Å"World Steel: Competing Strategies in Metallics, Melting, and Casting,† Iron Age New Steel, 12(4), April, pp 76. 9. Bryan Berry, (1996) â€Å"World Steel: Competing Strategies in Metallics, Melting, and Casting,† Iron Age New Steel, 12(4), April, pp 76. 10. Brian K. Boyd Steve Gove, â€Å"Nucor Corp. And the U. S. Steel Industry,† In: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization by Michael A. Hitt, R, Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), p. C483 11. Brian K. Boyd Steve Gove, â€Å"Nucor Corp. And the U. S. Steel Industry,† In: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization by Michael A. Hitt, R, Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), p. C480 12. Brian K. Boyd Steve Gove, â€Å"Nucor Corp. And the U. S. Steel Industry,† In: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization by Michael A. Hitt, R, Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), p. C498 13. Brian K. Boyd Steve Gove, â€Å"Nucor Corp. And the U. S. Steel Industry,† In: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization by Michael A. Hitt, R, Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson (Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2001), p. C477-C507 14. Ted Kuster (1995) â€Å"How Nucor Crawfordsville Works,† Iron Age New Steel, 11(12), December, pp 36-47 15. http://www. usatoday. com/money/autos/2004-10-13-steel-prices_x. htm http://www. taipeitimes. com/News/worldbiz/archives/2004/03/26/2003107844 16. Bryan Berry (1996) â€Å"The Importance of Nucor,† Iron Age New Steel, 12(7), July, pp 2. 17. Barney, J. B. (1997) Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, Wesley Publishing, Addison 18. McTaggart, D and Findlay, C and Parkin, M (2006) Economic, Wesley Publishing, Addison 19. Prahalad, C. K. and Hamel G (1990) The Core Competence of the Corporation, Harvard Business Review, Mar, 1979 APPENDIX 1: Top-30 producers by International Iron Steel Institute MtonSteelmaker 1117. 2ArcelorMittal (Global) 234. 7Nippon Steel (Japan) 332. 0JFE (Japan) 430. 1POSCO (South Korea) 528. 2Tata Steel (India) Including Corus Group 622. 5Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation (China) 721. 2United States Steel Corporation (United States) 820. 3Nucor Corporation (United States) 919. 1Tangshan (China) 1018. 2Gruppo Riva (Italy) 1117. 5Severstal (Russia) 1216. 8ThyssenKrupp (Germany) 1316. 1EvrazHolding (Russia) 1415. 6Gerdau (Brazil) 1515. 3Anshan (China) 1614. 6Shagang Group (China) 1714. 6Steel Authority of India Limited (India) 813. 8Wuhan Iron and Steel (China) 1913. 6Sumitomo Metal Industries (Japan) 2012. 8Techint (Argentina) 2112. 5Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (Russia) 2211. 5Jinan (China) 2310. 9Magang Group (China) 2410. 8Laiwu Steel (China) 2510. 7China Steel (Taiwan) 2610. 5Shougang (China) 279. 9Valin Steel Group (China) 289. 8Imidro (Iran) 299. 5Industrial Union of Donbas (Ukraine) 309. 1Novolipetsk (Russia) Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_steel_producers This is a list of the largest steel-producing companies in the world according to the International Iron and Steel Institute. The list is compiled from its page Top Steel Producers 2006, but updated below from other sources. (Output in million metric tons crude steel; the country/region of producers basing specified in brackets) Total world steel output in 2005: 1,131. 8 million metric tons (mmt) Total world steel output in 2006: 1,239. 5 million metric tons (mmt) APPENDIX 2: NUCOR’S TOP COMPETITORS KEY MEASURES NUCORCOMERCIAL METALS CO U. S. STEEL— VALUATION PRICE/EARNINGS (TTM)11. 9910. 5616. 34— PRICE/CASH FLOW9. 9610. 7617. 40— PRICE/SALES (TTM)1. 060. 430. 85— PRICE/BOOK3. 672. 222. 59— PER SHARE DATA LAST DIVIDEND36. 4719. 512. 71— BOOK VALUE18. 7714. 2948. 33— EPS (TTM)5. 092. 277. 08— REVENUE16. 59 B8. 32 B16. 87 B— PROFITABILITY EBIDTA3. 02 B684. 52 M1. 72 B— OPERATING MARGIN15. 38%6. 93%6. 79%— PROFIT MARGIN8. 87%4. 27%5. 21%— GROSS PROFIT MARGIN18. 86%13. 94%10. 28%— DIVIDEND DIVIDEND YIELD2. 77%1. 2 6%0. 55%— PAYOUT RATIO36. 4719. 6512. 71— ANNUAL DIVIDEND (TTM)176. 5 M——— DIVIDEND YIELD 5 YEAR AVERAGE3. 17%0. 90%0. 66%— GROWTH NET INCOME1. 47 B355. 43 M879 M— EPS (TTM)5. 09%2. 27%7. 08%— REVENUE16. 59 B8. 32 B16. 87 B— PEG1. 24%1. 58%0. 71%— FINANCIAL STRENGTH QUICK RATIO (MRQ)8. 874. 275. 21— CURRENT RATIO (MRQ)2. 61. 691. 59— LT DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO (MRQ)45. 9239. 0854. 38— TOTAL DEBT TO CAPITAL (MRQ)29. 6231. 4437. 07— ROE29. 3822. 6317. 79— ROA15. 608. 337. 13— ROIC (RETURN ON INVESTED CAPITAL)22. 0419. 0213. 41— ASSETS ASSET TURNOVER1. 692. 401. 08— ASSET PER EMPLOYEE545,895. 66667272,793. 63708557,714. 28571— INVENTORY TURNOVER9. 518. 637. 54 SOURCE: HTTP://FINANCE. AOL. COM/COMPANY/NUCOR-CORPORATION/NUE/NYS/TOP-COMPETITORS APPENDIX 3: FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL REVIEW FOR NUCOR (2002-2006) FOR THE YEAR20062005200420032002 Net sales14,751,27012,70 0,99911,376,8286,265,8234,801,777 Costs, expenses and other: Cost of products sold11,284,60610,108,8059,174,6115,993,4924,335,409 Marketing, administrative and other expenses592,473459,460374,730165,369175,589 Interest (income) expense, net(37,365 4,20122,35224,62714,286 Minority interests219,121110,65080,84023,90479,408 Other income— (9,200 (1,596 (11,547 (29,900 12,058,83510,673,9169,650,9376,195,8454,574,792 Earnings before income taxes2,692,4352,027,0831,725,89169,978226,985 Provision for income taxes935,653709,834607,9065,18166,899 Net earnings1,756,7821,317,2491,117,98564,797160,086 Net earnings per share: Basic (1)5. 734. 193. 530. 210. 51 Diluted (1)5. 684. 153. 00. 210. 51 Dividends declared per share (1)2. 150. 930. 240. 200. 19 Percentage of net earnings to net sales11. 9 10. 4 9. 8 1. 0 3. 3 Return on average equity38. 3 33. 8 38. 2 2. 7 7. 0 Capital expenditures338,404331,466285,925215,408243,598 Depreciation363,936375,054383,305364,112307,101 Sales per employee1,2731,1591,107637528 AT YEAR END Current assets4,683,0654,081, 6113,182,1321,639,7841,429,305 Current liabilities1,421,9171,228,6181,042,776615,067573,697 Working capital3,261,1482,852,9932,139,3561,024,717855,608 Cash provided by operating activities2,251,2332,136,6151,024,756493,801497,220 Current ratio3. 3. 33. 12. 72. 5 Property, plant and equipment, net2,856,4152,855,7172,818,3072,817,1352,932,058 Total assets7,893,0187,148,8456,140,3914,511,5774,394,944 Long-term debt922,300923,550923,550903,550894,550 Percentage of debt to capital15. 3 17. 0 20. 2 26. 1 25. 8 Stockholders’ equity4,857,3514,312,0493,481,2812,370,8732,349,770 Per share16. 1413. 9010. 917. 547. 51 Shares outstanding300,949310,220319,024314,361312,720 Employees11,90011,30010,6009,9009,800 Source: http://www. secinfo. com/d14D5a. u7c82. c. htm#1stPage

English of Video Games Essay Example

English of Video Games Essay Example English of Video Games Essay English of Video Games Essay 2003) With the aim of make the most of videotapes in the learning process, cheer have to be very selective and accurate at the moment of choosing the material for a dynamic class, in order to avoid possible counterproductive effects or behaviors in students. To offset this weakness, we have to take into account that videotapes contain imaginary situations, and the most important is to make students or even our children be aware of it. So it meaner that those situations supposedly lived through the game are projected and created from the mind and idea of a person; we could refer to this person as the programmer of the videotape, hat programmer has set a determined number of situations that will respond to many different commands executed by the player.

Biography of Mary Boleyn, the Boleyn Survivor

Biography of Mary Boleyn, the Boleyn Survivor Mary Boleyn (ca. 1499/1500–July 19, 1543) was a courtier and noblewoman at the court of Henry VIII of England. She was one of the king’s earlier mistresses before being supplanted by her sister Anne and marrying a soldier with little income. However, her absence from court allowed her to escape blame when her sister fell, and she was permitted to inherit what remained of the Boleyn property and fortune. Fast Facts: Mary Boleyn Occupation: CourtierKnown For: Sister of Anne Boleyn, mistress of King Henry VIII, and survivor of the Boleyns downfallBorn: circa 1499/1500 in Norfolk, EnglandDied: July 19, 1543 in EnglandSpouse(s): Sir William Carey (m. 1520-1528); William Stafford (m. 1534-1543)Children: Catherine Carey Knollys, Henry Carey, Edward Stafford, Anne Stafford Early Life in England and France Because of the shoddy record-keeping in the Tudor era, historians cannot pinpoint Mary’s exact date of birth or even her place in the birth order among the three Boleyn siblings. Most agree, however, that she was born around 1499 or 1500 at the Boleyn family home, Blickling Hall in Norfolk, and that she was the eldest child of Thomas Boleyn and his wife Katherine, nà ©e Lady Katherine Howard. The couple soon had another daughter, Anne, and a son, George. Mary was educated at her family’s primary seat, Hever Castle in Kent, along with her siblings. Her education consisted of basic school subjects such as math, history, reading, and writing, as well as the various skills and crafts required of a lady of noble birth, such as embroidery, music, etiquette, and dancing. When she was about fifteen, Mary’s father secured her a position in the royal court of France as a maid of honor to Princess Mary Tudor, soon to be Queen Mary of France. A Royal Mistress Twice Over Although young, Mary quickly established herself in the new queen’s household. Even when Queen Mary was widowed in 1515 and returned to England, Mary was permitted to stay behind at the court of Francis I. Her father Thomas, now the ambassador to France, and her sister Anne joined her. Between 1516 and 1519, Mary remained at the French court. While there, she apparently gained a reputation for her romantic behavior, having multiple affairs, including one with King Francis. Modern historians question whether contemporary accounts of her affairs were exaggerated or not; it certainly didn’t help that Francis infamously called her â€Å"a very great whore, the most infamous of all.† The Boleyns (aside from Anne) returned to England sometimes in 1519, and Mary was married to a respectable and wealthy courtier, William Carey, on February 2, 1520. She was given a position as a lady-in-waiting to the queen, Katherine of Aragon. Although King Henry was still fairly happy in his marriage to Katherine, it was well-known at this point that he often had affairs with the ladies of the court. One such affair, with a woman named Bessie Blount, resulted in an illegitimate son: Henry Fitzroy, whom the king acknowledged as his bastard. The queen, who had suffered several miscarriages and stillbirths and was approaching the end of her childbearing years, had no choice but to look the other way. At some point, though historians are unsure as to precisely when, Henry’s gaze fell on Mary, and they began an affair. In the early 1520s, Mary had two children: a daughter, Catherine Carey, and a son, Henry Carey. The rumor that King Henry fathered Catherine, Henry, or both has persisted and gained popularity, but there is no actual evidence behind the theory. The Other Boleyn For a time, Mary was the favorite of the court and the king (and thus of her family). However, in 1522, her sister Anne returned to England and also joined the queen’s court, although she and Mary likely moved in different circles, given Anne’s intense intellectual interests which Mary was not known to share. Anne became one of the more popular ladies at court, and, like so many before her, caught the attentions of the king. Unlike others, however, she refused to become his mistress. Many historians have interpreted this as an early sign of her ambitions to be queen, but other scholars have suggested that she simply was uninterested and would have preferred he cease his attentions so she could make a good, legitimate match. By 1527, however, Henry had made up his mind to divorce Katherine and marry Anne, and in the meantime, Anne was treated as de facto queen. Mary’s husband William died when the sweating sickness swept through the court in 1528, leaving her with debts. Anne took over guardianship of Mary’s son Henry, giving him a respectable education, and secured a widow’s pension for Mary. Anne was crowned queen on June 1, 1533, and Mary was one of her ladies. By 1534, Mary had remarried for love to William Stafford, a soldier and the second son of a landowner in Essex. Stafford had little income, and the couple was married in secret. When Mary became pregnant, however, they were forced to reveal their marriage. Queen Anne and the rest of the Boleyn family were furious that she had married without royal permission, and the couple was banished from court. Mary attempted to get the king’s advisor, Thomas Cromwell, to intervene on her behalf, but King Henry either never got the message or was not moved to action. Likewise, the Boleyns did not relent until Anne did; she sent Mary some money but did not reinstate her position at court. Between 1535 and 1536, Mary and William are believed to have had two children of their own: Edward Stafford (who died at the age of ten), and Anne Stafford, whose whereabouts as an adult are lost to history. Final Years and Legacy of Survival By 1536, Queen Anne had fallen out of favor, and she was arrested (along with her brother George and several male courtiers) and charged with treason, witchcraft, and adultery. Mary did not communicate with her family at this time – indeed, there is no record of contact after Anne’s brief gift following Mary’s exile. Anne was executed on May 19, 1536 (her brother had been executed the day prior), and the remains of the Boleyn family were disgraced. Mary, however, escaped notice. She and her family continued to live off their lands. Mary died on July 19, 1543; her specific cause of death is unknown. Mary never returned to court, but her daughter, Catherine Carey, was summoned by the head of the Howard/Boleyn clan to serve as a lady-in-waiting, first to Anne of Cleves, then to her distant cousin Catherine Howard. Eventually, she became the first lady of the bedchamber (a high-ranked lady-in-waiting) to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Through Catherine and her husband Sir Francis Knollys, Mary’s lineage remains in the British royal family to this day: Queen Elizabeth II is her descendant through her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Mary was mostly forgotten by history in favor of the more colorful and influential figures of the Tudor era. She featured in a few historical fiction and non-fiction texts, but she gained attention in popular culture following Philippa Gregory’s 2001 novel The Other Boleyn Girl and its subsequent 2008 film adaptation. Because many details of her life were not recorded (she was noble, but not especially important), we only know bits and pieces about her. More than anything, her legacy is not one of being the â€Å"unimportant† Boleyn, but of being the Boleyn who survived and thrived. Sources Gregory, Philippa. The Other Boleyn Girl. Simon Schuster, 2001.Hart, Kelly. The Mistresses of Henry VIII.  The History Press, 2009.Weir, Alison. Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings.  Ballantine Books, 2011.Wilkinson, Josephine. Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIIIs Favorite Mistress. Amberley, 2009.

Ethics for toy industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics for toy industry - Essay Example wever, attractive and large though the business is, there are certain concerns associated with the safety standards used in the manufacture of toys and the health implications for their children. There is added concern for this as today the toys’ manufacturing units are located in far off offshore places with varying manufacturing standards (Becker, 2008). These concerns are based on several researches that have found toxic and harmful substances in popular toys. More recently, an environmental research group has found that in a sample of 15,000 toys taken from various toy stores across the US, 1 in 3 contained large amounts of lead, flame retardants and arsenic (Clifford, 2008). These toys were manufactured in the US, China and other parts of the world and freely available in the US, a fact that indicates that either there is lack of adequate legislation or that there is inadequate monitoring of the standards. There may be a lack of legislation that targets specific harmful s ubstances due to inadequate research or due to low public awareness about the harmful impacts of certain substances. For example, it is only recently that research and public opinion against the use of phthalates in toys has led to the development of laws covering this chemical. However, even in the case that there are not adequate legislation or enough public awareness, the continued use of substances like phthalates and lead cannot be justified by the toy manufacturers on an ethical ground.

Art criticism paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art criticism paper - Assignment Example From 1995, Jackson has been serving as the owner of Peoria’s home of contemporary Art center called the Raven Gallery. It is here that I got to see his painting entitled A Fishing Party displayed as one of the exhibits. This painting shows a group of fishermen and women who have come together to celebrate their fishing endeavours (Art Museum image). This is evidenced by the man on the right who is holding a fishing rod, women dancing and the man behind who is holding a spoon and seems to be eating. The party takes places in an open area during the night. The painting is about the economic status of fishermen in the society. The main underlying them is the disparity in investment capacity between the blacks and the white in the current American society which consequently determines their economic status (Art Museum image). The group represented has one fishing rod. This shows that despite their long existence in America, the African-Americans are still limited access to economic resources. Though they are in a party, the people are not really happy. This means that they do not really appreciate the achievements they have gained so far from their fishing. This is definitely a result of their limited capacity to acquire modern fishing technologies that could have given them results worth joyous celebrations. At the same time, it is ironical to call it a Fishing Party yet the people are not really celebrating as expected of them. And worst of all they are fishermen and women but where is fish tonight? This shows that the pressure to meet their economic obligations cannot allow them to have a share of the valuable meal. Such a reality makes their party to have mixed mood. The artist has correctly brought out the state of mixed mood by using a range of bright and dark colours as well as light shades and dark shades of colour and painting faces with mixed emotional expressions.

Research REport On HUman Beings :: essays research papers

In my report you will find that I researched and wrote about the species known as homosapiens. Also better known as human beings. I learned a lot of information about their life styles, their behaviors, their nocturnal urge to love and their hunger for knowledge. I also learned where they fit into the grand scheme of things. I learned why they are classified how they are and how they obtain food. Humans are classified in the Kingdom of Animalia because all animalia share the common bond that they are required to eat. They cannot make there own food and they can move on there own free will through their movements. Humans are in the Phylum of Chordata because all of the Chordates have elongated symmetrical bodies and all begin life with gills to breathe in a liquid environment. Vertebrata is the subphylum where humans are put because they develop a spinal chord that stretches from the head to a paired of sense organs. Vertebrata is the most advanced and numerous subphylum of the chordates. The Class of Humans is Mammalia because they all conceive there young in the reproductive tract of their mother and then after birth their mothers nourish them with milk from their birth. Humans are in the infraclass Eutheria because the mothers of this class carry there young in their uterus before birth and this is made possible because of the umbilical cord and the placenta. The order of H umans is Primates because all of the organisms in the order of Primates share the common bond that they are all upright, breathing, non-self food producing mammals. Humans are in the suborder of Anthropoida. The Superfamily of Hominoidae. The Family of Homiadidae. The Genus of Homo and the species of Sapiens. The Habitat of Human Beings is pretty much every where. They can live on almost all terrains and they can even live in the ocean and in outer space. However the range that they live in is on the land surfaces of Earth in any kind of conditions because you have Eskimos that live in the extremely cold conditions of the arctic regions, the Californians that live in a varying set of conditions that vary from 60 degrees and raining or foggy to sunny and 100 degrees. Then there are the people of most African desert nations that battle temperatures of over 100 degrees almost every day of the year.

Internet Phishing Essay

Internet Phishing is the 21st century crime with stories running all over the globe on how victims are succumbing to this attack. While the people carrying out this task, have continually developed more sophisticated methods of crime, while on the other hand, businesses have been continuously searching for solutions on how to protect their customers’ personal data and increase their email security. While most of the organizations around the world are battling for better and safer solutions, most of them are taking intermediary steps to prevent phishing. This paper intends to discuss the technologies and security flaws that are used by Phishers to exploit data. Along with this, the some neutral advise is also presented on how to combat the growing issue of Phishing. The word â€Å"phishing† initially comes from the equivalence that early Internet criminals used email lures to â€Å"phish† for passwords and economic data from a group of Internet users. The use of â€Å"ph† in the terminology is partly lost with time and has been most likely associated with other hacking words like â€Å"Phreaks† which traces back to early hackers who were involved in â€Å"phreaking† _ the hacking of telephone systems. Phishing makes use of most of the popular internet communication channels, spoofed messages in order to lure victim into their trap in order to steal the electronic identity of the victim. Phishing is related to the act of tricking customers with their confidential information for despicable use. Phishing targets the use of mass emails like Spam and most often make the use of bots to automatically target victims. Any online business may find Phishers masquerading as them and targeting their customer base. The size of the organization does not matter much over here but it is the value of the information that is reaped by such types of attacks. There has been an escalating amount of increase in the number of phishing attacks and now the Phishers attack an audience size in the range of millions of users around the world. These email addresses have been found at the large online retail websites where internet users tend to submit their email id’s at the click of a mouse. Some of these websites have also been found to be fake and illegal which allow the Phishers to easily fool the users into submitting their personal information very easily before identifying any kind of safety issues. While the method of Spam was quite annoying and burdensome, Phishing has the potential to directly attack the important data and create losses due to illegal currency transfers. As the study suggests, over 57 million internet users in the United States have already identified the links in their emails to phishing scams. An astounding number of 1. 7 million people have already fallen prey to these phishing attacks and have been tricked into submitting their personal information. According to R James, â€Å"With various experts extolling proprietary additions or collaborative improvements to core message delivery protocols such as SMTP, organizations may feel that they must wait for third-party fixes to become available before finding a solution to Phishing. While the security failures within SMTP are indeed a popular exploit vector for Phishers, there are an increasingly array of communication channels available for malicious message delivery. † With time, the concept of Phishing has increased by many folds and now Phishers are luring the victims by a variety of ways to divulge their personal as well as financial information. Fake websites, installation of Trojan horse key-loggers and screen captures, and man-in-the-middle data proxies are some of these tools used by Phishers. These websites also include job sites and even lucrative job offers. People who are looking for huge amounts money on the internet within a short span of time, are the ones who are lured easily on these websites. These users open up a bank accounts and use this bank account to receive money and then transferring this money to their own personal bank accounts. These websites actually lure the victims by making them perform a number of safe looking actions that ultimately provides access to the user’s personal account information. Most of the communication channels that are most popularly used on the interne such as email, landing pages, IRC, messaging systems, are also used freely for the purpose of Phishing. In these cases, the phisher has to imitate a faithful source for the victim to believe. Till date the most successful of the phishing scams have been done with the help of emails. In these scams the Phisher copies some sending authority (e. g. spoofing the source email address and embedding appropriate corporate logos). For example, an internet user recives an email from an email address like support@bank. com and the email contains the subject line â€Å" security update† and contains a request as to validate their personal account information in order to stop a security threat that has been initiated on their account. After reading this emails, over 70% of the internet users would be willing to send their personal account information in order to get verified by contacting the email sender and requesting them to cancel the order or the transaction. After this the phisher now asks them to divulge their personal information and thus easily lures the victim into his trap. Countering the Threat As already stated above there are a number of phishing methods that can be used by the Phishing community. To combat these threats, there are a mix of information security technologies and techniques that are available for the internet users in order to safeguard their personal data from Phishing scams. For the best results and safety, these safety measures should be put onto the three logical layers of the system in question.