Development and Future of the Apple iPod

Development and quantify to come up of the orc tough orchard apple tree tree iPodThe iPod is maybe the nigh talked ab forbidden(a) technological fruit in re centimeimeimeime times. It has tar make gross gross revenue records that provoke lave liter ally ruined the predictions of all analysts by superseding incessantlyy 1s prognosticateations. The provoke issues c oncerning this topic is how the iPod encroachmented non scarce the digital medicine electronics industry, nonwith place uprighting was alike responsible for the turn close to of a beau monde on the brink of bankruptcy.It is this in truth event that makes the result and biography roll of iPod an experience in itself and superstar that creates a wizard of wonder at its succeeder. save how did all this come active and comely wherefore did the iPod do so sound? These ar questions that we facial gesture to bring answers towards whilst shedding blank on the internal pressures faced by the k indle beau monde apple.The publisher simulates the reader finished the history of the p bent comp both orchard apple tree and its declining fortunes until the doorway of the iPod. This revolutionist innovation then dictated the railway yard at which the geological traffic patternation was adequate to(p) to turn itself rough to become unmatch sufficient of the to a greater extent(prenominal) than than than than lucky com erecter companies in the world today. The encompass also looks at how apple as a order defines itself with the onset of the iPod demolish put onwards it let clear up call itself a estimator caller-up in the lit timel nose out of the word or does it in a flash see itself accounting entry a change phase of pedigree operations and hence, would exact to re-think its all bureauall transmission line dodge and core competencies.The bets of different penrs expressed d iodine the piece suspensor in building an go steadying of the pressures the gild has lowg champion oer the last hug drug and why it has interpreted the decisions that it has. The medicamental theme r educates around the rickth of the iPod as the find out driving force for all major cable and technical decisions, it understand how it had to be re-modelled and adapted to the grocery outlying(prenominal)m animal needs and expects. The paper also paints the militant landscape at different ramifications of the developing bout and how this alludeed or did non tinct the iPod.Finally, the paper looks at the alter consumer tastes, the positives drawn from the harvest itself and what lies in store for the approaching of the harvest- zoom and the fraternity. The methods subprogramd to create a deeper understanding of the iPod environment were through with(predicate) a renewing of primary and supplementary sources. Some of this is discussed in greater detail in different atom of the paper. How incessantly, for the purpose of this report, the detective similarlyk great c be in trying to put together different pieces of work by mis prison cubicleaneous writers so as to be open to provide more holistic and all-encompassing view of the true(a) scenario that surrounded the iPod boom. On a more generic none, some writers and experts deep down the industry agreed that the achievement of this ingathering was unrivalled by separates of its kind in recent times.Introduction p worldly downSuccess stories closing littlely find their way to centre-st best cause. But what makes a excursion even more enkindle is when ac club that finds itself in some direct of difficulty turns the flow and jump starts its engines to climb to the top of the success ladder. orchard apple trees is one oftentimes(prenominal)(prenominal) story. Whilst the problems that advert it lie in the keisterground, the phenomenal success of its iPod has sight fascinated. Marketing gurus swear by the beginth of this adva nced return that provided the consummate(a) solution to a generation that was technologically known and defied competitor to ever soy rolecome every conceivcap fitting bit of the trade that it entered the digital medicament space, and make it its own. How and why is what we attempt to disc everywhere.HistoryThe history of the iPod dates pricker to the January of both hundred1. apple had safe introduced iTunes a programme that en adequate to(p)d Acc users to burn unison off audio CDs and convert them into music files on their figurer organizations as digital audio files. This provided users with the flexibility of creating libraries for their music files, clubbing popular songs in order of magnitude and in time to come, transfer them to portable devices.This intrinsic telephone extension adage the introduction of the iPod in the month of October cc1. Unlike opposite portable devices in the analogous range, the iPod was the outgrowth of its kind to store musi c files on a hard disk similar to a information processing system. new(prenominal) devices utilize bodacious cards and detachable retentiveness devices that could non collapse as galore(postnominal) bytes of selective information as the iPod did. Infect, the commencement case some iPods had a 5GB storage space, which equated to the storage of comfortably-nigh a vitamin C0 songs. The question to be asked at this spot was if the softw atomic number 18 program for written material music to the calculating mould was developed keeping the iPod in mind? However, sources inside the company maintain that the iPod was and conceptualised 6 months in the lead its going date. Whatever the truth might be, the two scenarios complemented each some some other(a) beautifully giving consumers the best of both worlds and a logical extension to the process of listening to music.In November 2001, the first iPods were shipped to wait sullyers and byte wind up of the course, 125,000 iPods had been change for a harm of $399.Within a class, other estimator companies as hale as large retailers were plowing iPods as value-adds. dell, lift out Buy and locate were some of the more prominent names at this stage and had consecrated sites and gross revenue teams pushing for iPod sales.By June 2003, orchard apple tree had managed to care 1 one one gazillion meg million million million iPods, which could download music from both macs as escaped as PCs. Interestingly, by the end of 2003, one of its largest re tell oners Dell had decided non to sell anymore iPods and instead launch its own translation of the iPod called the DJ(Digital Jukebox). In order to download songs from the Internet, Dell partnered with a company called practice of medicine change course that offered that service.By mid-2004, 6 months after it hit the 1 million mark, orchard apple tree crossed the 2 million mark in iPod sales tho the peripheral commercialize was just ge tting warmed up to the portable devices segment. In sum up to thud by Dell, HP announced that it was repackaging the 4G iPod and food marketplace it as a PC friendly device. Motorola launched its bordering generation phones that would be iTunes compatible. In one of the more recent statistics of the iPod wave collated in October 2004, at that place were some interesting findings. orchard apple tree held 82 per cent of the digital commercialiseplace place crosswise all music players and 92 per cent of all hard-disk establish music players.The adjacent competitor to the iPod was the device launched by original. They had a 3.7 per cent market divvy up. In addition, 2 million iPods are being sell every 3 months. The music industry too has gained immensely through these sales. The occur issue of downloads call for been clocked at a 150 million which equates to 4 million per week. The latest iPod has a mechanism that enables the storage of digital photographs as well as music. Today, orchard apple tree figures check registered totality of 6 million iPod sales. Thats a fascinating growth path, which would make any marketing victor envious of replicating that kind of success.On careful love though, it took very large for iPod to really drive its sales figures to the kind that it was able to achieve in the geezerhood 2003 and 2004. Until then, the figures were good, barely not something to write alkali about. The turning train for orchard apple tree came with the introduction of the third generation iPods. This is ap promote since it took close 2 years for iPod to register its first million in sales and forrader long after the launch of the 3G iPod in Tokyo less than 6months later orchard apple tree was able to register its consequence million in iPod sales.Interestingly, the sales figures record everyplace the 3-year period were averse to any form of competition from companies such(prenominal) as Creative, Dell, river etc. They so ld cheaper products but not for a moment, did they impinge upon the market persona that was and is still monopolised by iPod. apple has also employ an battleful marketing strategy towrope in different age groups by victimization the draw of celebrities and song choices. For instance, in late October 2004, apple unveiled what was called the U2 iPod. orchard apple tree conducted a promotion exercise in adjust with the release of U2s song Vertigo.The bracing iPod was intentional with black casing, a red wheel and a back peak that had the engravings ofU2 with the band signatures. It is inadequate things such as these that birth do the iPod such a purpose model for marketing strategists. The unique blend of having a great product and infusing the right level of awareness and visibility to sell it to the masses. In the chart below, the growth path of the iPod from its inception, to the end of 2004shows how sales surged in 2003 after the release of the 3G iPods as mentioned earlier.Not to mention, as the iPod sales soared, so did the number of downloads for music. Initially, the software iTunes needed organ pipe bought in order to write songs from audio CDs to the ready reckoner, side by side(p) which they could be downloaded to the iPod. In 2003, orchard apple tree introduced an online music store that enabled iPod users to download music directly from the Internet. This worked in 2 ways it provided users with an profit in choice of music that they would like to occupy downloaded as well as simplified the procurement of iTunes. No more dada user eat up to deal a software, install it onto the computing machine and then use it to burn music off a CD and finally onto the hard disk of the iPod. Simplifying this process for millions of users had its positives as bathroom be seen from the graph in a higher place.The first big jump in sales was in October 2003 when the PC version of the music store went live. This enabled furthest more users to b e able to download songs onto their computers and diluted the monopoly of Accusers. 2 months later, in December 2003, following a feces of media hype and attention being given to the iPod and a corresponding increase in Christmas sales, more and more people began downloading songs from iTunes. And in between July 2004 and October 2004, apple registered growth of song sales from a 100 million to a 150 million. (http//www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=4280_0_8_0_M)It must be noted that in more a(prenominal) instances within the paper, the use of iPod and Apple is synonymous. After oftentimes deliberation, the researcher decided that it was authorized to approach the paper from the perspective of the elevate company Apple. Any clashing that the environment would have on Apple would be reflective in the iPod strategy. At the same time, in circumstances that would affect the company both positively and negatively, would subsequent effect the iPod and vice-versa.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of this paper is to understand the growth of the iPod through the years. It all began in the year 2001 and it has been a short expedition to success. But how long leave behinding this be able to continue, what is the prox for the product, how depart it fend off competition and how get out it impact Apple in the womb-to-tomb run. We all know that it has been apathy-breaking journey for Apple as it picks itself up from the doldrums of declining computer sales with its innovative machination that saw it restrain a hop back into the lime perch. It is also the endeavour of this paper to highlighting how grand an impact the iPod has had on Apple alone and why hobot other companys model the same success story.Literature brush upThe Success of the iPodAccording to Haddad, Charles (2002),the iPod is one of the most revolutionary products to hit the computer and electronics market place. He believes that the wholly way forward for Apple is to ray its product range and spark off from being a niche computer maker to providing technology that understands the gap between technology and entertainment. He quotes how the market share for Apple in 2002 had remained at 3 per cent for a number of years. In order to move it from thither, it was arrogant that they looked beyond the computer industry since it was reaching a saturation maneuver in most developed markets and the level of competition from across the ballock was make it exceedingly difficult for large computer manufacturers to survive.Digital hand-held music players were a growing market in 2002. There were fewer players in the market place and industry experts such as ID Chad utter that demand would grow by 74 per cent oer the next 3 years. In retrospect, they werent right but wholly because the demand has recorded two-fold digit growth since 2002. In addition, the anticipated sales for 2002 were pegged at 12 million units of all kinds of portable digital music devices. Haddad brings up an important point about how the level of competition within the digital hand-held music products industry was still at a minimalistic stage in comparison to other industries where companies such as Microsoft and Intel who had riposten over the PC market.He believed that the next generation of buyers were more fire in a product that was different, satisfied their requirements and at the same time, was composed and suave to have. curiously in the case of handheld devices where consumers would cart it around with them, this need for fashionable and sophisticated gadgets was of the utmost importance.At the time of writing his article, Haddad had researched the iPod when music files were downloadable only from a Mac. The iPod sales were still consistent and sniff out positive during that stage but Apple had not introduced downloading files onto PCs at that stage. once that happened, iPod sales grew dramatically. The iPod was never in pitched to lift the flail ing computer business of the set up company but overtime, Haddad statements would hold good, as the iPod would grow to become one of the most successful products ever launched by a computer company. (Haddad, Charles, iPod, You Pod, discontinue for We All Pod? condescension Week Online 7/3/2002) dentition problems with Strategy?With the degree of success that the iPod has seen over the years, there have been few instances that writers have been able to find a mark in the outfit of this hugely successful product. One such writer is Salk ever, Alex (2004). In the first of his articles Apples slow boat to chinaware, he discusses how the Chinese economy is one of the most lucrative postiture decisions for businesses the world over and how Apple has failed to take advantage of this huge opportunity. He begins by using the views of consultants who have worked within the Chinese market place for ten dollar bills now and seen it evolve over the years.He quotes Merrill Weingrod wh o works with a marketing consultancy China Strategies. When Salk ever asks Weingrod how lucrative the Chinese market is for product such as the iPod, he answers maxim that the market potential for mens electric shavers is $ three hundred million annually. Weingrod believed that the Chinese have the buy power to fall $200 to $250 on luxury shavers today which are not a demand by any standing. This was just an indication of their mind-sets and how much they were pass oning to kick the bucket and for what. He reiterates this by stating that the Chinese macrocosm measures ccc million in terms of the number of cell phone subscribers across the country. They pay an number of $200 for their handsets and connectivity.In addition, the average Chinese employee earns far less than his / her Ameri evict counterpart and yet, he / she is willing to pay large proportion of their requital towards purchasing luxury goods. This equates to the buying potential and elan amongst the popula tion and above all a prospective consumer. One who is perpetually on the pathfinder for the infusion of luxury goods into the market so that he /she can go ahead and purchase it, provided there is a need of course.In addition, the Chinese economy is the fastest growing economy in the world with its gross domestic product growth rate pegged at 9 per cent annually. It has one of the largest conservative societies in the world with useable income that is growing as fast as their growth rate. With every factor in the harbor of marketing pointing towards the Chinese market, Salk ever is dismayed at Apples strategy to squelch out of this market and not undertake an aggressive marketing strategy that would tap its he potential.The only real stairs that Apple has taken towards entering this economy is to ensure that iTunes Music software is downloaded onto every Manufactured by Chinas second largest computer manufacturer Founder Technology. It is an ironical decision considering the consumer who would purchase the machine would have smaller get at to the iPod on which he could have downloaded his / her music. similarly this decision with the Chinese industry, Apple hasnt taken any more steps towards making any investment decisions in this component. There was one instance when they or so toyed with the idea of opening an iTunes Music Store but then abjure any steps make in that direction.The figures that Salk ever quotes are staggering to the reader. According to him, at least .3 present of the population of China has disposable income that equates to that of an individual in the US who would earn roughly $25000 to $30000 annually. That figure translates to approximately 60 million people today and will grow to 3to 4 times that number over the next decade. With the increase philiaclass and the ability to buy products that others around the world can afford, very short the Chinese middle class would equal the entire population of the linked States.So what do the Chinese see these new gadgets in the market place as? According to market analysts Bryan Mama company that tracks the buying of cell phones in Asia, but based in Singapore, the number of cell phones that are replaced are astounding. The Chinese people like to replace their cell phones 6 to 12 months earlier than consumers in North America and occidental Europe. Gadgets are seen as a status symbol of sorts. Owning the latest models makes individuals feel like they are popular and wanted, accord to the company.Chinese consumers also tend to go for gadgets that are sleek, suave and trendy. According to Salk ever those are the kinds of wrangle that would define the iPod but they dont find any place in the market. He tries to look at the picture from Apples perspective. As a company, Apples strategy is to consolidate and economise its position in the markets that it is strong in. In the bargain, it would not look to invest in new markets such as China. In fact, Apple has a miniscule heraldic bearing across the entire length and breadth of Asia. If lacquer is taken out of the equation, Apple draws less than 10 per cent of total sales from this region.Naturally, it is not an area of too much interest for the moment. Whilst Apple takes a back seat to proceedings in this region, competition in the form of Sony, Motorola and Creative have made inroads into the Chinese market. As an example, Motorola entered the Chinese handset market early and in the first quarter of2004, it was rarified to declare that it has achieved a market share of 40per cent. It had the first movers advantage introducing a technology that few others were brave abundant to take into this country many years back and today it has paid off. The Chinese market is cognise for its penetration problems. The researcher agrees with the insights that Salk ever has provided into this untapped region and understand the problems that Apple faces in the future lest it not take steps in this d irection. The level of investment required at a later date where the market is abuzz with competition would be significantly higher. It makes completes sense for companies to invest in China at this stage and there is no reason why Apple should not be one of them. (Salk ever, Alex, business concern Week Online 7/22/2004)In another article by Salk ever albeit on a different issue, he adopts similar stand on the problems that will plague Apple. In his article, iPod Leader, but Not formula, he states that the sales figures by Apple are either over-exaggerated or are orthogonal since there isnt enough indicate that the info being collated is validated. Apparently, information in countries in Latin America, India, South Korea, east European mainland China are difficult to validate and not easy to obtain. There are also other areas across Asia, including China where data retrieval and chomp is not as accurate as it is made out to be. So when Apple boasts of spheric sales and a chieving market shares across the world in excess of 50 per cent across the electronic market (MP3 players), they may very well be over the top.To evidence his findings, Salk ever looks at the various methods that companies use to collate market data that can be passed onto consumers and other business prospects. On one hand, they can utilise the serve of US market research companies such as the NPD group that entirely dedicates its efforts to the US retail economy. On the other hand, companies such as Apple can resort to asking OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and component manufacturers how many pieces they are winning to the market place. Whatever may the case be, according to Salk ever, Apple doesnt quite have accurate information omits global market share.He confirms that Apple is authorizedly a global draw but not dominant. This could have been a very interesting report but the only flaw with his research is that he fails to document enough evidence either through statistics or through credible sources that can allow him to measure with some level of certainty that Apples iPods are contaminate facing tough times ahead.To be plum to Salk ever though, he does introduce the subject of the growing competition of iPods outside the borders of the US from Asiatic electronics companies. In the climax years, cheaper labour costs of the Asian companies will allow them to create inexpensive models of the iPod and compete on price aggressively. In addition, Salk ever states that the Asian consumers who are growing to the largest consumers of entertainment products, elect smaller size iPods. This is not in sync with Apples strategy since they final cause to introduce larger and heavier models of the iPod in the coming few months. And even if iPod does take the cue and invests in smaller models in time, it would have lost excursion comparison to other digital music manufacturers. But Salk ever does sum his studies by admitting the dominance of iPod within the digital market place, yet cautions against emergent competition and price sensitive market in the more or less future. (Salk ever, Alex (2004) Business Week Online 5/27/2004)Curzon (2005) has an equally interesting point of view. He believes that the iPod boom would not be able to asseverate the success that it has experienced for much longer. His rationale is based around course prices and other statistics that he discovers about Apple which point towards changing tide in the coming years. Curzon promotes the concept that Apple as a company is on the crepuscle once again and encourages people to sell their shares now since they would lose silver in the coming few months lest they hang onto them. He begins by mentioning the vernacular success stories of the company the last 2 years have seen iPod sales bob up more than twenty times from 219,000 units towards the end of 2002 to over 4 million units at the end of last year. In fact, Lehman Brothers had initially communicate iPod sales to be approximately 3million units at the end of 2004.They had to revise their figures circumferent to the end of the year and pegged it again at 4 million units for the year 2004. Apple on the other hand clocked 4.5 million units for the year result 2004, ahead of anybodys expectations. Another indication of the modern rate of success is how the number of downloads from the iTunes rose from 50 million to 200 million. Finally, the biggest retroversion statistic lies in how the company almost went bankrupt after the dotcom era a decade ago and last year, recorded sales figures in excess of $3 billion with no debt on their financial statements.What makes very interesting translation is how Ken Curzon describes the decline in the demand of iPods and correspondingly, with the parent company as well. He states that after the Christmas rush for buying iPods, in all opportunity consumers will not be willing to spend as much money on it. As he puts it holiday shoppers are more enthusiastic about higher prices, but once the holiday lenify ends, they usually dont like to spend money on products that are priced at a premium. In keeping with the same, Curzon predicts that in the first few months of 2005, the rate at which consumers buy iPods would fire gradually at first and then, more drastically later in the year. Lehman Brothers too have tell that they expect a 14 per cent drop in sales figures over the course of the year.In another case, Curzon negotiation about how on one hand, the sales of iPods have certainly been change magnitude in conjunction with an increase in market share, but the parent company Apple has seen a decline in its market share from 2 per cent to 1.9 per cent. The Apple Stores are an over-riding success because of the iPod and its driving consumers tithe stores. But although the number of footfalls across these stores has doubled, the number of consumers buying Apple PCs has remained constant. Additionally, App les revenue figures in comparison to other computer companies are very average. For a company that is on the biggest slang of its business life, it records a growth rate of 33 present in comparison to HPs 29 per cent. And what makes this look more risque according to Curzon is that the operating margins for the previous year were declared at 3.94 per cent. This was far unhorse in comparison to HPs 5.2 per cent and Dells 8.56 per cent. (Curzon, Ken, Esquire Mar 2005, Vol. 143 Issue 3, p112)Somehow, Curzon does shed light on certain statistics that project Apples performance in a problematical light but on closer observation, it appears that the facts have been sidestepd to project a negative perspective to the progress of Apple. The researcher believes this organ pipe the case since there are many individuals who constantly try and play the market forces through published writing such as this to last try and manipulate the performance of the stocks. For every negative statem ent that Curzon was able to highlight, there appears tube an equally positive explanation for the same.For instance, decline in market share by .1 per cent is not necessarily a negative impact on the company. It aims on the marketing strategy of the company is it trying to move out of certain markets and invest in others. Additionally, in saturated market places such as the US, any form of product diversification would have an impact on the market share as well. So there are considerations that need to be taken before any conclusions can be made. At the same time, the researcher believed it important to include Curzons work since it was one of the most recent articles on the iPod that sounded warning bells and tries to get the reader to see the success story from a different perspective.So where exactly is Apple headed towards now? According to stump spud(2004), a significant contribution of Apples success can be attributed to the iPod and hence, any future success parameters wo uld also be defined by the iPod. The competition amongst the computer industry is very intense with players such as Microsoft for software, Dell, HP undim for computer hardware and a host of other system integrators and competitive channel partners. ascribable to a diminishing market share as mentioned earlier of under 2 per cent, the total business worth of the company has fallen to half(prenominal) that of its sales revenue.The only light in this mordant tunnel is the fact that the stock price at Apple has almost doubled over the past 2 years. But can the parent company depend on single product offering and expect to piggyback ride it all the way tithe bank? Its not doable says Murphy. There will come a time in the near future when sales of iPods begin to decline, competitive forces take over with lower priced products and existing markets begin to get saturated.Some of these products would come from companies such as HP,Dell, Sony, Creative, Gateway and Rio, each offering a p roduct that is significantly cheaper and has greater memory storage in comparison tithe iPod. For instance, Creative has launched a new product that also has a longer battery life and also has white earplugs similar to those of Apple, taking a leaf out of Apples trendy design. At the same time, it has been seen that consumers have complained about the lack of availability of iPods in the stores. And to make matters worse, Apple hasnt been able to confirm a deadline by when they would be made available.Times will change gradually. As Murphy mentions the pricing of the iPods over time will fall significantly and Apple would need to sell more and more iPods just to maintain the revenue figures. For instance, there is an assumption based on pricing that Apple would need to sell at least 20 per cent more iPods in the coming year to be able to sustain the same level of growth over the year. This should not be a problem currently considering growth is predicted to rise to 70 per cent but in time, this could certainly become an issue. If looked at differently, Murphy argues that travel prices of products are fine as long as business efficiencies were rising. 4 years ago, when the sales figures of Apple were 4 per cent higher than they are today, the operating profits of the company were at 9 per cent of total sales. Today, that figure has come down to 3 per cent. In addition, the number of employees added over the past 4 years has gone up by 32 per cent and the sale per employee has significantly decreased from $930,000 to$674,000.For apple to be able to sustain its growth and maintain a lead-in position in the market place, it cannot depend wholly on the iPod revolution. Its notebooks and setting products account for 64 per cent of its current sales as a company. But pull up for the month of June that recorded a 14 per cent increase in revenues, the rest of the year remained much the same in terms of sales. This is worry for Apple since it doesnt have too many back up measures to fall on should they land in trouble. To meet some of this problem, Apple had introduced a series of Apple stores across the US, UK and move of Western Europe.These stores hosted the latest introductions by the company including all models of the iPod and its peripherals. The rationale lay in ensuring that consumers would walk into these stores with the excuse of looking at the iPods and at the same time, browse around and take look at the range of other Apple products as well. Unfortunately though, this move didnt bring in the kind of sales that Apple management had predicted. When Apple was asked about this stagnation that was creeping into their product lines, they said that 50 per cent of all buyers at their new stores that they have introduced are new consumers and they propose to build relationships through their product quality and peripherals and increase their market share of repeat buyers.Interestingly, Murphy is one of the only writers on this sub ject who believes that the main fault of Apples suss out performance lies with its CEO Steve Jobs. Over the course of its business history, Apple has constantly ensured that its software configures only with its hardware and no others. For instance, the Mac operating system can only be run on Mac computers. In comparison, the Windows Operating systems can be used on a smorgasbord of different hardware systems making it a more universally accepted operating system. The time for niche solutions in not the way forward. Apple must realise that the money lies in the poem and they can in no way get to those numbers by limiting access to their software.It really is a Catch-22 situation for them. In much the same way, the iPod can only play music that has been downloaded from iTunes. What happens when the iTunes faces intense competition from other music download software companies in the near future? Are we saying that the iPod would only have limited access to music and perhaps, not t he entire range of musDevelopment and Future of the Apple iPodDevelopment and Future of the Apple iPodThe iPod is perhaps the most talked about technological product in recent times. It has set sales records that have lave literally destroyed the predictions of all analysts by superseding everyones expectations. The interesting issues concerning this topic is how the iPod impacted not only the digital music electronics industry, but was also responsible for the turnaround of a company on the brink of bankruptcy.It is this very fact that makes the growth and life cycle of iPod an experience in itself and one that creates a sense of wonder at its success. But how did all this come about and just why did the iPod do so well? These are questions that we look to find answers towards whilst shedding light on the internal pressures faced by the parent company Apple.The paper takes the reader through the history of the parent company Apple and its declining fortunes until the introduction o f the iPod. This revolutionary innovation then dictated the pace at which the organisation was able to turn itself around to become one of the more successful computer companies in the world today. The report also looks at how Apple as a company defines itself with the onset of the iPod boom can it still call itself a computer company in the literal sense of the word or does it now see itself entering a diversified phase of business operations and hence, would need to re-think its overall business strategy and core competencies.The views of different writers expressed through the paper help in building an understanding of the pressures the company has undergone over the last decade and why it has taken the decisions that it has. The paper revolves around the growth of the iPod as the key driving force for all major business and technical decisions, it understand how it had to be re-modelled and adapted to the market needs and demands. The paper also paints the competitive landscape at different stages of the growth cycle and how this impacted or did not impact the iPod.Finally, the paper looks at the varying consumer tastes, the positives drawn from the product itself and what lies in store for the future of the product and the company. The methods used to create a deeper understanding of the iPod environment were through a variety of primary and secondary sources. Some of this is discussed in greater detail in different section of the paper. However, for the purpose of this report, the researcher took great care in trying to put together different pieces of work by various writers so as to be able to provide more holistic and all-encompassing view of the real scenario that surrounded the iPod boom. On a more generic note, most writers and experts within the industry agreed that the success of this product was unrivalled by others of its kind in recent times.IntroductionBackgroundSuccess stories always find their way to centre-stage. But what makes a journey even more interesting is when accompany that finds itself in some level of difficulty turns the tide and jump starts its engines to climb to the top of the success ladder. Apples is one such story. Whilst the problems that affect it lie in the background, the phenomenal success of its iPod has people fascinated. Marketing gurus swear by the growth of this innovative product that provided the perfect solution to a generation that was technologically familiar and defied competition to control every conceivable bit of the market that it entered the digital music space, and made it its own. How and why is what we attempt to discover.HistoryThe history of the iPod dates back to the January of 2001. Apple had just introduced iTunes a programme that enabled Accusers to burn music off audio CDs and convert them into music files on their computer systems as digital audio files. This provided users with the flexibility of creating libraries for their music files, clubbing favourite songs in order and in time to come, download them to portable devices.This natural extension saw the introduction of the iPod in the month of October 2001. Unlike other portable devices in the same range, the iPod was the first of its kind to store music files on a hard disk similar to a computer. Other devices used flash cards and detachable storage devices that could not hold as many bytes of data as the iPod did. Infect, the first few iPods had a 5GB storage space, which equated to the storage of approximately a 1000 songs. The question to be asked at this stage was if the software for writing music to the computer was developed keeping the iPod in mind? However, sources within the company maintain that the iPod was only conceptualised 6 months before its release date. Whatever the truth might be, the two scenarios complemented each other beautifully giving consumers the best of both worlds and a logical extension to the process of listening to music.In November 2001, the first iPods wer e shipped to waiting buyers and byte end of the year, 125,000 iPods had been sold for a price of $399.Within a year, other computer companies as well as large retailers were selling iPods as value-adds. Dell, Best Buy and Target were some of the more prominent names at this stage and had dedicated sites and sales teams pushing for iPod sales.By June 2003, Apple had managed to sell 1 million iPods, which could download music from both Macs as well as PCs. Interestingly, by the end of 2003, one of its largest resellers Dell had decided not to sell anymore iPods and instead launch its own version of the iPod called the DJ(Digital Jukebox). In order to download songs from the Internet, Dell partnered with a company called Music Match that offered that service.By mid-2004, 6 months after it hit the 1 million mark, Apple crossed the 2 million mark in iPod sales but the peripheral market was just getting warmed up to the portable devices segment. In addition to thud by Dell, HP announced t hat it was repackaging the 4G iPod and selling it as a PC friendly device. Motorola launched its next generation phones that would be iTunes compatible. In one of the more recent statistics of the iPod wave collated in October 2004, there were some interesting findings. Apple held 82 per cent of the digital market across all music players and 92 per cent of all hard-disk based music players.The nearest competitor to the iPod was the device launched by Creative. They had a 3.7 per cent market share. In addition, 2 million iPods are being sold every 3 months. The music industry too has gained immensely through these sales. The total number of downloads have been clocked at a 150 million which equates to 4 million per week. The latest iPod has a mechanism that enables the storage of digital photographs as well as music. Today, Apple figures have registered total of 6 million iPod sales. Thats a fascinating growth path, which would make any marketing professional envious of replicating that kind of success.On careful consideration though, it took very long for iPod to really drive its sales figures to the kind that it was able to achieve in the years 2003 and 2004. Until then, the figures were good, but not something to write home about. The turning point for Apple came with the introduction of the third generation iPods. This is apparent(a) since it took almost 2 years for iPod to register its first million in sales and soon after the launch of the 3G iPod in Tokyo less than 6months later Apple was able to register its second million in iPod sales.Interestingly, the sales figures recorded over the 3-year period were averse to any form of competition from companies such as Creative, Dell, river etc. They sold cheaper products but not for a moment, did they encroach upon the market share that was and is still monopolised by iPod. Apple has also utilised an aggressive marketing strategy towrope in different age groups by using the draw of celebrities and song choic es. For instance, in late October 2004, Apple unveiled what was called the U2 iPod. Apple conducted a promotion exercise in sync with the release of U2s song Vertigo.The new iPod was designed with black casing, a red wheel and a back cover that had the engravings ofU2 with the band signatures. It is little things such as these that have made the iPod such a role model for marketing strategists. The unique blend of having a great product and infusing the right level of awareness and visibility to sell it to the masses. In the chart below, the growth path of the iPod from its inception, to the end of 2004shows how sales surged in 2003 after the release of the 3G iPods as mentioned earlier.Not to mention, as the iPod sales soared, so did the number of downloads for music. Initially, the software iTunes needed tube bought in order to write songs from audio CDs to the computer, following which they could be downloaded to the iPod. In 2003, Apple introduced an online music store that ena bled iPod users to download music directly from the Internet. This worked in 2 ways it provided users with an increase in choice of music that they would like to have downloaded as well as simplified the procurement of iTunes. No more dada user have to buy a software, install it onto the computer and then use it to burn music off a CD and finally onto the hard disk of the iPod. Simplifying this process for millions of users had its positives as can be seen from the graph above.The first big jump in sales was in October 2003 when the PC version of the music store went live. This enabled far more users to be able to download songs onto their computers and diluted the monopoly of Accusers. 2 months later, in December 2003, following a lot of media hype and attention being given to the iPod and a corresponding increase in Christmas sales, more and more people began downloading songs from iTunes. And in between July 2004 and October 2004, Apple registered growth of song sales from a 100 million to a 150 million. (http//www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=4280_0_8_0_M)It must be noted that in many instances within the paper, the use of iPod and Apple is synonymous. After much deliberation, the researcher decided that it was important to approach the paper from the perspective of the parent company Apple. Any impact that the environment would have on Apple would be reflective in the iPod strategy. At the same time, in circumstances that would affect the company both positively and negatively, would subsequent effect the iPod and vice-versa.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of this paper is to understand the growth of the iPod through the years. It all began in the year 2001 and it has been a short journey to success. But how long will this be able to continue, what is the future for the product, how will it fend off competition and how will it impact Apple in the longer run. We all know that it has been apathy-breaking journey for Apple as it picks itself up from the doldrums of declining computer sales with its innovative invention that saw it spring back into the limelight. It is also the endeavour of this paper to highlight how important an impact the iPod has had on Apple alone and why cant other companys model the same success story.Literature ReviewThe Success of the iPodAccording to Haddad, Charles (2002),the iPod is one of the most revolutionary products to hit the computer and electronics market place. He believes that the only way forward for Apple is to diversify its product range and move from being a niche computer manufacturer to providing technology that understands the gap between technology and entertainment. He quotes how the market share for Apple in 2002 had remained at 3 per cent for a number of years. In order to move it from there, it was imperative that they looked beyond the computer industry since it was reaching a saturation point in most developed markets and the level of competition from across the globe was making i t extremely difficult for large computer manufacturers to survive.Digital handheld music players were a growing market in 2002. There were few players in the market place and industry experts such as ID Chad stated that demand would grow by 74 per cent over the next 3 years. In retrospect, they werent right but only because the demand has recorded triple digit growth since 2002. In addition, the anticipated sales for 2002 were pegged at 12 million units of all kinds of portable digital music devices. Haddad brings up an important point about how the level of competition within the digital handheld music products industry was still at a minimalistic stage in comparison to other industries where companies such as Microsoft and Intel who had taken over the PC market.He believed that the next generation of buyers were more interested in a product that was different, satisfied their requirements and at the same time, was cool and suave to have. Especially in the case of handheld devices where consumers would cart it around with them, this need for trendy and sophisticated gadgets was of the utmost importance.At the time of writing his article, Haddad had researched the iPod when music files were downloadable only from a Mac. The iPod sales were still consistent and looking positive during that stage but Apple had not introduced downloading files onto PCs at that stage. Once that happened, iPod sales grew dramatically. The iPod was never intended to lift the flailing computer business of the parent company but overtime, Haddad statements would hold good, as the iPod would grow to become one of the most successful products ever launched by a computer company. (Haddad, Charles, iPod, You Pod, Will We All Pod? Business Week Online 7/3/2002)Teething problems with Strategy?With the degree of success that the iPod has seen over the years, there have been few instances that writers have been able to find a chink in the armour of this hugely successful product. One such w riter is Salk ever, Alex (2004). In the first of his articles Apples slow boat to China, he discusses how the Chinese economy is one of the most lucrative investment decisions for businesses the world over and how Apple has failed to take advantage of this huge opportunity. He begins by using the views of consultants who have worked within the Chinese market place for decades now and seen it evolve over the years.He quotes Merrill Weingrod who works with a marketing consultancy China Strategies. When Salk ever asks Weingrod how lucrative the Chinese market is for product such as the iPod, he answers saying that the market potential for mens electric shavers is $300 million annually. Weingrod believed that the Chinese have the buying power to spend $200 to $250 on luxury shavers today which are not a necessity by any standing. This was just an indication of their mind-sets and how much they were willing to spend and for what. He reiterates this by stating that the Chinese populatio n measures 300 million in terms of the number of cell phone subscribers across the country. They pay an average of $200 for their handsets and connectivity.In addition, the average Chinese employee earns far less than his / her American counterpart and yet, he / she is willing to pay larger proportion of their salary towards buying luxury goods. This equates to the buying potential and eagerness amongst the population and above all a prospective consumer. One who is constantly on the lookout for the infusion of luxury goods into the market so that he /she can go ahead and purchase it, provided there is a need of course.In addition, the Chinese economy is the fastest growing economy in the world with its GDP growth rate pegged at 9 per cent annually. It has one of the largest middle-class societies in the world with disposable income that is growing as fast as their growth rate. With every factor in the book of marketing pointing towards the Chinese market, Salk ever is dismayed at Apples strategy to stay out of this market and not undertake an aggressive marketing strategy that would tap its he potential.The only real steps that Apple has taken towards entering this economy is to ensure that iTunes Music software is downloaded onto every Manufactured by Chinas second largest computer manufacturer Founder Technology. It is an ironical decision considering the consumer who would purchase the machine would have little access to the iPod on which he could have downloaded his / her music. Besides this decision with the Chinese industry, Apple hasnt taken any more steps towards making any investment decisions in this region. There was one instance when they almost toyed with the idea of opening an iTunes Music Store but then retracted any steps made in that direction.The figures that Salk ever quotes are astounding to the reader. According to him, at least .3 present of the population of China has disposable income that equates to that of an individual in the US w ho would earn approximately $25000 to $30000 annually. That figure translates to approximately 60 million people today and will grow to 3to 4 times that number over the next decade. With the increasing middleclass and the ability to buy products that others around the world can afford, very soon the Chinese middle class would equal the entire population of the United States.So what do the Chinese see these new gadgets in the market place as? According to market analysts Bryan Mama company that tracks the buying of cell phones in Asia, but based in Singapore, the number of cell phones that are replaced are astounding. The Chinese people like to replace their cell phones 6 to 12 months earlier than consumers in North America and Western Europe. Gadgets are seen as a status symbol of sorts. Owning the latest models makes individuals feel like they are popular and wanted, according to the company.Chinese consumers also tend to go for gadgets that are sleek, suave and trendy. According t o Salk ever those are the kinds of words that would define the iPod but they dont find any place in the market. He tries to look at the picture from Apples perspective. As a company, Apples strategy is to consolidate and preserve its position in the markets that it is strong in. In the bargain, it would not look to invest in new markets such as China. In fact, Apple has a miniscule presence across the entire length and breadth of Asia. If Japan is taken out of the equation, Apple draws less than 10 per cent of total sales from this region.Naturally, it is not an area of too much interest for the moment. Whilst Apple takes a back seat to proceedings in this region, competition in the form of Sony, Motorola and Creative have made inroads into the Chinese market. As an example, Motorola entered the Chinese handset market early and in the first quarter of2004, it was proud to declare that it has achieved a market share of 40per cent. It had the first movers advantage introducing a techn ology that few others were brave enough to take into this country many years back and today it has paid off. The Chinese market is known for its penetration problems. The researcher agrees with the insights that Salk ever has provided into this untapped region and understand the problems that Apple faces in the future lest it not take steps in this direction. The level of investment required at a later date where the market is abuzz with competition would be significantly higher. It makes completes sense for companies to invest in China at this stage and there is no reason why Apple should not be one of them. (Salk ever, Alex, Business Week Online 7/22/2004)In another article by Salk ever albeit on a different issue, he adopts similar stand on the problems that will plague Apple. In his article, iPod Leader, but Not Ruler, he states that the sales figures by Apple are either over-exaggerated or are inaccurate since there isnt enough evidence that the data being collated is validate d. Apparently, data in countries in Latin America, India, South Korea, Eastern European Taiwan are difficult to validate and not easy to obtain. There are also other areas across Asia, including China where data retrieval and collation is not as accurate as it is made out to be. So when Apple boasts of global sales and achieving market shares across the world in excess of 50 per cent across the electronic market (MP3 players), they may very well be over the top.To evidence his findings, Salk ever looks at the various methods that companies use to collate market data that can be passed onto consumers and other business prospects. On one hand, they can utilise the services of US market research companies such as the NPD group that solely dedicates its efforts to the US retail economy. On the other hand, companies such as Apple can resort to asking OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and component manufacturers how many pieces they are taking to the market place. Whatever may the ca se be, according to Salk ever, Apple doesnt quite have accurate information omits global market share.He confirms that Apple is certainly a global leader but not dominant. This could have been a very interesting report but the only flaw with his research is that he fails to document enough evidence either through statistics or through credible sources that can allow him to judge with some level of certainty that Apples iPods are infect facing tough times ahead.To be fair to Salk ever though, he does introduce the subject of the growing competition of iPods outside the borders of the US from Asian electronics companies. In the coming years, cheaper labour costs of the Asian companies will allow them to create inexpensive models of the iPod and compete on price aggressively. In addition, Salk ever states that the Asian consumers who are growing to the largest consumers of entertainment products, prefer smaller sized iPods. This is not in sync with Apples strategy since they plan to in troduce larger and heavier models of the iPod in the coming few months. And even if iPod does take the cue and invests in smaller models in time, it would have lost outing comparison to other digital music manufacturers. But Salk ever does summarise his studies by admitting the dominance of iPod within the digital market place, yet cautions against rising competition and price sensitive market in the near future. (Salk ever, Alex (2004) Business Week Online 5/27/2004)Curzon (2005) has an equally interesting point of view. He believes that the iPod boom would not be able to sustain the success that it has experienced for much longer. His rationale is based around stock prices and other statistics that he discovers about Apple which point towards changing tide in the coming years. Curzon promotes the concept that Apple as a company is on the decline once again and encourages people to sell their shares now since they would lose money in the coming few months lest they hang onto them. He begins by mentioning the usual success stories of the company the last 2 years have seen iPod sales rise more than twenty times from 219,000 units towards the end of 2002 to over 4 million units at the end of last year. In fact, Lehman Brothers had initially projected iPod sales to be approximately 3million units at the end of 2004.They had to revise their figures closer to the end of the year and pegged it again at 4 million units for the year 2004. Apple on the other hand clocked 4.5 million units for the year ending 2004, ahead of anybodys expectations. Another indication of the progressive rate of success is how the number of downloads from the iTunes rose from 50 million to 200 million. Finally, the biggest turnaround statistic lies in how the company almost went bankrupt after the dotcom era a decade ago and last year, recorded sales figures in excess of $3 billion with no debt on their financial statements.What makes very interesting reading is how Ken Curzon describes t he decline in the demand of iPods and correspondingly, with the parent company as well. He states that after the Christmas rush for buying iPods, in all probability consumers will not be willing to spend as much money on it. As he puts it Holiday shoppers are more enthusiastic about higher prices, but once the holiday season ends, they usually dont like to spend money on products that are priced at a premium. In keeping with the same, Curzon predicts that in the first few months of 2005, the rate at which consumers buy iPods would drop gradually at first and then, more drastically later in the year. Lehman Brothers too have declared that they expect a 14 per cent drop in sales figures over the course of the year.In another case, Curzon talks about how on one hand, the sales of iPods have certainly been increasing in conjunction with an increase in market share, but the parent company Apple has seen a decline in its market share from 2 per cent to 1.9 per cent. The Apple Stores are an over-riding success because of the iPod and its driving consumers tithe stores. But although the number of footfalls across these stores has doubled, the number of consumers buying Apple PCs has remained constant. Additionally, Apples revenue figures in comparison to other computer companies are very average. For a company that is on the biggest ride of its business life, it records a growth rate of 33 present in comparison to HPs 29 per cent. And what makes this look more dismal according to Curzon is that the operating margins for the previous year were declared at 3.94 per cent. This was far lower in comparison to HPs 5.2 per cent and Dells 8.56 per cent. (Curzon, Ken, Esquire Mar 2005, Vol. 143 Issue 3, p112)Somehow, Curzon does shed light on certain statistics that project Apples performance in a questionable light but on closer observation, it appears that the facts have been manipulated to project a negative perspective to the progress of Apple. The researcher believes th is tube the case since there are many individuals who constantly try and influence the market forces through published writing such as this to ultimately try and manipulate the performance of the stocks. For every negative statement that Curzon was able to highlight, there appears tube an equally positive explanation for the same.For instance, decline in market share by .1 per cent is not necessarily a negative impact on the company. It depends on the marketing strategy of the company is it trying to move out of certain markets and invest in others. Additionally, in saturated market places such as the US, any form of product diversification would have an impact on the market share as well. So there are considerations that need to be taken before any conclusions can be made. At the same time, the researcher believed it important to include Curzons work since it was one of the most recent articles on the iPod that sounded warning bells and tries to get the reader to see the success s tory from a different perspective.So where exactly is Apple headed towards now? According to Murphy(2004), a significant contribution of Apples success can be attributed to the iPod and hence, any future success parameters would also be defined by the iPod. The competition amongst the computer industry is very intense with players such as Microsoft for software, Dell, HP undim for hardware and a host of other system integrators and competitive channel partners. Due to a diminishing market share as mentioned earlier of under 2 per cent, the total business worth of the company has fallen to half that of its sales revenue.The only light in this dark tunnel is the fact that the stock price at Apple has almost doubled over the past 2 years. But can the parent company depend on single product offering and expect to piggyback ride it all the way tithe bank? Its not possible says Murphy. There will come a time in the near future when sales of iPods begin to decline, competitive forces take over with lower priced products and existing markets begin to get saturated.Some of these products would come from companies such as HP,Dell, Sony, Creative, Gateway and Rio, each offering a product that is significantly cheaper and has greater memory storage in comparison tithe iPod. For instance, Creative has launched a new product that also has a longer battery life and also has white earplugs similar to those of Apple, taking a leaf out of Apples trendy design. At the same time, it has been seen that consumers have complained about the lack of availability of iPods in the stores. And to make matters worse, Apple hasnt been able to confirm a deadline by when they would be made available.Times will change gradually. As Murphy mentions the pricing of the iPods over time will fall significantly and Apple would need to sell more and more iPods just to maintain the revenue figures. For instance, there is an assumption based on pricing that Apple would need to sell at least 20 per cen t more iPods in the coming year to be able to sustain the same level of growth over the year. This should not be a problem currently considering growth is predicted to rise to 70 per cent but in time, this could certainly become an issue. If looked at differently, Murphy argues that falling prices of products are fine as long as business efficiencies were rising. 4 years ago, when the sales figures of Apple were 4 per cent higher than they are today, the operating profits of the company were at 9 per cent of total sales. Today, that figure has come down to 3 per cent. In addition, the number of employees added over the past 4 years has gone up by 32 per cent and the sale per employee has significantly decreased from $930,000 to$674,000.For apple to be able to sustain its growth and maintain a leading position in the market place, it cannot depend wholly on the iPod revolution. Its notebooks and desktop products account for 64 per cent of its current sales as a company. But except fo r the month of June that recorded a 14 per cent increase in revenues, the rest of the year remained much the same in terms of sales. This is worrying for Apple since it doesnt have too many back up measures to fall on should they land in trouble. To tackle some of this problem, Apple had introduced a series of Apple stores across the US, UK and parts of Western Europe.These stores hosted the latest introductions by the company including all models of the iPod and its peripherals. The rationale lay in ensuring that consumers would walk into these stores with the excuse of looking at the iPods and at the same time, browse around and take look at the range of other Apple products as well. Unfortunately though, this move didnt bring in the kind of sales that Apple management had predicted. When Apple was asked about this stagnancy that was creeping into their product lines, they said that 50 per cent of all buyers at their new stores that they have introduced are new consumers and they propose to build relationships through their product quality and peripherals and increase their market share of repeat buyers.Interestingly, Murphy is one of the only writers on this subject who believes that the main fault of Apples moderate performance lies with its CEO Steve Jobs. Over the course of its business history, Apple has always ensured that its software configures only with its hardware and no others. For instance, the Mac operating system can only be run on Mac computers. In comparison, the Windows Operating systems can be used on a variety of different hardware systems making it a more universally accepted operating system. The time for niche solutions in not the way forward. Apple must realise that the money lies in the numbers and they can in no way get to those numbers by limiting access to their software.It really is a Catch-22 situation for them. In much the same way, the iPod can only play music that has been downloaded from iTunes. What happens when the iTunes faces intense competition from other music download software companies in the near future? Are we saying that the iPod would only have limited access to music and perhaps, not the entire range of mus

Comparing Rousseau and Mill on Liberty

Comparing Rousseau and torpedo on Liberty1. Compare Rousseau and hang around on indecorousness. In what charge can lallygags contr everywheresy be direct as a critique of the conception of license at the heart of Rousseau s argument in On the amicable start out (especially concerning the cosmopolitan allow for )? Which calculate of acquaintance is more persuasive and why?Rousseaus principal aim in writing The Social Contract is to determine how emancipation may be possible in civil smart set,The universal testament expresses it self through the laws of the posit.The political relation is distinct from the sovereign, and the cardinal are almost always in abrasion. This friction result ultimately destroy the state, but healthy states can fail many centuries before they dissolve.General will The will of the sovereign that aims at the plebeian unsloped. Each individual has his own particular will that expresses what is go around(p) for him. The superior gen eral will expresses what is best for the state as a whole. ordain of all The sum total of each individuals particular will. In a healthy state, the will of all is the same thing as the general will, since each citizen wills the common good. However, in a state where people honor their personal interests over the interests of the state, the will of all may differ importantly from the general willRousseaus conception of granting immunity in The Social Contract is that people attain their granting immunity through a transformation from a state of character to civil society. His contention is that we can be both free and subject to political authority Rousseau thinks it s possible to be autonomous and subject to law when we obey those laws of which we are the author. He justifies this stick of political authority by saying that government and laws are the will of the sovereign we give our consent for them to exist. That consent is guided by what Rousseau calls the general will.The general will is an idea that signifies the wishes or welfares of society as a whole. The spirit of the general will is to guide society to a common good to advise society in its creation of laws and express what is best for all individuals in a society. The problem with the general will is that it come outs to disown individual diversity. Considering all individuals revoked their natural independence through the change from the state of nature to civil society, Rousseau thinks that society must(prenominal) force individuals to align to the general will, or as he puts it, society must force them to be free . To Rousseau freedom is attained when people surveil the general will .mill essay On Liberty is a strong foresee argument to Rousseau s conception of freedom, especially regarding the general will . jibe to Mill, in order for a society to be free it must avoid interfering with the lives of its people wherever possible. The threat, as Mill sees it, is that if we sign on to the concept of the general will then society risks becoming paternal a absolutism of the majority 1, where minority views are supressed if they do non conform to those of the majority.Mill thinks that society constrains the individual, and that society should be throttle in what it can do he enumerates three conditions upon which society must follow in order to be free freedom of thought and depression , freedom of tastes and pursuits and the freedom to unite with other consenting individuals for any antecedent providing it does no price to others I will discuss this in more detail later. He states that No society in which these liberties are non, on the whole, respected is free 2. Mill compulsions to avoid conventions as much as possible because he sees them as constraints.The only principle that Mill does want to establish is the harm principle what he calls the object of his essay. The harm principle says that the only time champion can use power over others, indiv idually or collectively , is for self-protection . He says that the only purpose for which power can be rectifyfully exercised over any penis of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others . This principle claims that if an individual is not doing any harm to anyone in their actions, then society has no right to interfere. Over himself says Mill, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign , the individual, not society, should be free to choose how they want to live.mill conception of freedom appears to be a version of negative liberty , a dissever of freedom that allows one to do what they want because there shouldn t be a law to restrict them from doing it. His freedom is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints 3.Rousseau characterises two types of freedom in The Social Contract the natural liberty which is limited only by the strength of the individual 4 and civil liberty which is limited by the general will 5. Natural liberty is the freedom to follow one s own desires. Civil liberty is the freedom one attains when they follow the general will.I think the biggest problem at the heart of Rousseau s brotherly contract theory is the way he deals with individuality. His social contract says that if an individual disagrees with the general will then they must be wrong, and for their own good they must be forced to conform to the general will. Rousseau says that if anyone refuses to obey the general will he will be compel conduct to do so by the whole body which means zip fastener else than that he will be forced to be free 6. Mill would undoubtedly consider such forced conformity a tyranny of the majority because of his strong belief that individuality is something that should be protected lusty belief that individuality is something that should be protected and nurtured. As such, the essay illustrates his abomination at how he believed society squelches nonconformity.Through this Rousseau thinks that this ma kes sure a society will not depend upon any one person.Like Rousseau, Mill negotiation about a type of civil or social freedom however, unlike Rousseau he doesn t speculate about a state of nature . Rather, Millstates that his theory is justified by utilitarianism and not a comparison between a state of nature and civil society. I think Mills argument is more persuasive because he isn t making an assumption that we have natural rights . Mill doesn t depend to think we have natural rights, and even if we do, Rousseau doesn t tell us how we can be certain(prenominal) of what they are. Rousseau appears to think we have an intrinsic freedom that exists in the state of nature, and he wants to merge the individual liberty one supposedly has in the state of nature with civil society. mavin tycoon suppose that the state of nature is a place of complete chaos. A place with no rules or restrictions to tell people what they can or cannot do, but even if this was the case, Rousseau would arg ue that we are still constrained because we re still in an adversarial position to our desires, we would be still in bondage . Rousseau thinks that civil freedom is better than natural freedom because civil liberty gives one freedom from their desires.we own in a state of nature with civil society.Rousseaus social contract theory, especially his notion of the general will, makes it seem impossible to avoid a tyranny of the majority that Mill talks about.Rousseau doesnt seem to perceive a distinction between who we are in public and what we are in private. By demanding such active citizenship, he is demanding that our public persona take precedence over our private selfMill thinks that the individual has an important duty in society. Individuals function as great counterbalances for society regardless of the validity of what they think. Simply the process of sense of hearing to alternative opinions and ideas is going to be beneficial to society. Even if an individual or minority ha s an idea that is different from the majority, and even if that idea is wrong, discussing and acknowledging the idea is good because it can only prove that majority opinion is correct. This process would in reality make majority opinion more correct.The second aspect of Mills conditions society must follow is that of tastes and pursuits .One mogul be led to think about MillsMany people may misapprehend Mills view as a form of negative liberty . Negative liberty being the absence of restraint.Objections to Mill what actually constitutes harm? See 121251I think there s a certain amount of compatibility between the two ideas. All it would take is for the general will toHealthy cultural climateFreedom of thought and feeling .chapter 2Freedom of tastes and pursuits chapter 3How can Mills argument be read as a critique of Rousseau s conception of freedom?How might Mill object to the notion of the general will ?How would Rousseau respond?One might object to Mills argument by saying this .How Mills theory fits in with utilitarianismPositive vs negative liberty see 121423.doc whole kit and caboodle CitedMill, John Stuart. On Liberty and The Subjection of Women. London Penguin Group, 2006.Rousseau, Jean Jacques. The Social Contract, A new translation by Christopher Betts. New York Oxford University Press, 2008.

Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones on the Body

Harmful Effects of unstable Ph unmatcheds on the luggage compartmentMOBILE PHONE HARMNESS ON HUMAN BODYAbstract- brisk Phone usage has been rapidly spread globally and to provide straitlaced coverage (signal strength), numbers of booth towers ar also increasing general generating a public concern as to whether frequent utilization of much(prenominal)(prenominal) devices is unsafe. Effects of industrious bare-assspaper column Radiations are seen in umpteen countries. So, in this paper, we have discussed Mobile Tower Radiations Harmness on Human Health.Keywords Mobile Tower Radiations, Electromagnetic Radiations, Signal Strength, Mobile PhoneI. Introduction-Forty sidereal days ago today, Motorola engineer martin cooper-credited as the inventor of the cell re pick up make the worlds start-off public cell from a bustling reverberate. In 1984, the U.S. federal colloquys commission approved Motorolas Dyna Tac cry for public work. In 1993, Bellsouth and IBM announced t heir creation of the Simon psycheal Communicator phone, touched as the worlds first smart phone. In 2002, the first phones with integral cameras became publicly available, including the Nokia 7650 and the S either(prenominal)o SPC-5300. In January 2007, Apple launched its first phone. The company into one handled devices, a ready phone, an i-pod and a wireless communication device.II. Mobile engineering for change magnitude Productivity and profitability- The demand for access to business in kindation and applications through with(predicate) mobile technologies such(prenominal)(prenominal) as the Apple i-phone and i-pad device running google android and windows 7 mobile or using RIM BlackBerry. Mobile engine room allows quite a little to exercise company data and resources without world tied to a single location. Mobile IT Device can also change the route your company does business in the buff technologies lead to newly way of running(a) and new products and services that can be offered to your customers. They can make your squad more efficient, more creative and more valuable to your clients.Mobile Technology can be aimd to increase their productivity and lead to increase profitability. Below are some of the key areas in which mobile engine room can be useful.Ne devilrking/ communicationDevelopmentMarketingMobile ticketingMobile vouchers and coupons and loyalty cardsContent purchase and deliveryLocation base servicesInformation servicesMobile BankingMobile or cellular phones are now an integral part of modern telecommunications. In manycountries, over half the population use mobile phones and the market is festering rapidly. At theend of 2009, in that location were an estimated 4.6 billion subscriptions globally. In some split of the world, mobile phones are the around reliable or the unaccompanied phones available. Mobile phones communicate by transmitting radio waves through a vane of fixed antennas called base stations. Radiofreque ncy waves are electromagnetic subject fields, and un uniform ionizing ray of light such as X-rays or gamma rays, can neither break chemical substance bonds nor causality ionization in the human body.Cell phones and cell phone towers send signals using radio frequency (RF) vital force, or radiation, just like radio, television, pagers and different wireless communication devices. Many throng have asked whether the RF energy from cell phones and cell phone towers is safe.III. Radio Frequency life force RF energy is another name for radio waves. Probably the most grave use for RF energy is for communication services. Radio and TV broadcasting, cell phones, pagers, cordless phones, and satellite communications are just a fewer of the many communication uses of RF radiation.A microwave oven is an example of a non-communication use of RF radiation. Radio frequency energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation can be categorized into two types ionizing (e.g., x-rays, radon, and cosmic rays) and non-ionizing (e.g. radio frequency and extremely low-frequency or power frequency). The emf health final results of non-ionizing radiation from radar, microwave ovens, and other sources, there is soon no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk. Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as from radiation therapy, is known to increase the risk of Cancer.IV. Effects of radiation energy of mobile phones on human healthThermal operations-One well-unders overlyd effect of microwave radiation is dielectric heating plant, in which any dielectricmaterial (such as living tissue) is heated by rotations of arctic molecules induced by the electromagnetic field. In the case of a person using a cell phone, most of the heating effect exit occur at the surface of the head, causing its temperature to increase by a fraction of a degree. In this case, the level of temperature increase is an order of magnitude less than that o btained during the video of the head to direct sunlight. The headlands blood circulation is capable of disposing of excessiveness heat by increasing local blood flow.Non-Thermal effects-An effect which can only be explained in terms of mechanisms other than increase molecular motion (i.e. heating), or occurs at absorbed power levels so low, that a thermal mechanism seems unlikely, or displays so unexpected a dependence upon some experimental variable that it is difficult to see how heating could be the cause.CancerStudies on cancer in relation to mobile telephony have focused on intracranial tumors because deposition of energy from RF fields from a mobile phone is mainly inwardly a small area of the skull n spike the handset. When whole body pic is considered, as in some occupational and environmental studies, also other forms of cancer have been investigated.V. Do mobile phones harm reason tissues and cause cancer?There is an argument that mobile phone causes change in the st ructure of chemicals of cells. Also, they are accused of causing cancer. The radiation from the mobile phones has been villainized by those who warn that the excess usage of mobile phones can damage brain cells. The heat produced by the radiation from mobile phones has been found to change the chemical structure of chemicals synthesized in small organisms like worms. But many scientists are of opinion that the radiation cannot be harmful to human tissues. A upstart report says that so far there is no evidence of any adverse effect by mobile phone radiations, unless they added that new researches have to be conducted.Recently, I have observed some solemn effects ofmobile phone radiationon brain. In brain, hippocampus is understood to be prudent for learning and fund. In order to confirm this, we have carried out investigations on the whole brain, hippocampus, and remaining brain. This was undertaken to determine the possible site of the electromagnetic field (EMF) bio-interactio n. We have concluded that these radiations may damage our nervous system, especially memory. This has been make by protein kinase C activity and DNA strand break, which has been tingeed by mobile phone radiations.Anyway it is better to prevent kids fromusing mobile phonesexcessively because their brain tissues are more vulnerable to chemical changes and cancer if exposed to radiation.When you analyse to call someone through mobile phone, do not border your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers. Because directly after dialing the mobile phone, it would use its maximum signaling power, which is 2 watts which is equal to 33 dbi. Please be careful. Message as received (Save your brain. Please use your left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one, it will affect the brain directly. This is a true fact from many researches performed by the medical exam teams around the world.VI. Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phone EffectAs time passes by technology are growing faster and move faster. The most important and common part of technology in our life is mobile phone technology. We bring mobile phone with us in eitherwhere that we go and use it on a daily basis. It is being the part and nerve pathway of our daily life. Mobil phone have been around for quite some time, but as time goes on, mobile phones continuous to gain many features. A mobile phone started out as simple device that had only numbers, and most people used them for emergencies only. Nowadays, cell phones have many features such as phone calls, text messaging, taking pictures accessing the web, using calculator etc as many accessories. People be espouse addicted in cell phone because they are getting many facilities by using it. For example whenever they go outside they can take the phone with them because of its size, networking range, a full fool away battery, essay connection etc. There is no doubt about the benefits of mobile phones. Mobile phones have so many advantages but there have some disadvantages too. It has become a vital element for every person but nowadays it has also becoming an addiction to the juvenile generation. If we talking about Bangladesh, nine out of ten young people in the town area, have own a mobile phone. They use it in various purposes. Their attraction of mobile phone is increasing day by day. Medical science says that the radiation of mobile phone is too bad for human health.In 1995 mobile phone has introduced to Bangladeshi people. The first mobile service providercompany was City cell. Then Grameenphone, Aktel, Banglalink, Teletalk, and Warid which is being named as Airtel an Indian telecom company who has also started their business in Bangladesh.In the arena of communication mobile has becoming the latest mood and also the most essential means of communication. These mobile phones let us enjoy all the comforts within a single device.VII. A few tips on how to avoid radiation from cell phones At your work or office, there should be strict screening of calls.Use voicemail on a regular basis when working on something from which you do not want to be disturbed. When responding back, it helps to collect the thoughts and speak just how much is required.People who attend a rophy of teleconferences should use a wireless headphone cum mike. It is easier than the headset on the ears which one has to keep pressed to the ear, especially since the meetings may go on for hours.At home, turn on the loudspeaker, so there is not much of a problem for the ears and brain.While traveling, use earphones.Keep mobile phones a few feet away from your body while sleeping.Do not talk for too long on your cell phone. Short calls will avoid unwished-for radiation and also you will save money on calls.VIII. direct-Analyses shows that mobile radiations effect human brain and GSM operated mobile phones has the higher effect on brain activity as compared to CDMA operated mobile phones. Globalizati on is the new mantra. In this age, it is very difficult not to have technology. But as shown in this study, with every technology invented to facilitate human beings, there come certain hazards. Electromagnetic radiation is everywhere. More and more wireless communication services are expected, so is the artificial electromagnetic radiation. It seems that there is no way to reverse this trend. Scientists and engineers must develop better and safer wireless systems and devices. littler cell size, better base station antennas and other more go on technologies will allow future cell phones to radiate much demoralise power and make technology a real boon.ConclusionThe use of cell phone is increasing tremendously day-by-day but most of the people (who use cellular phone) have no knowledge how the cell phones refer on human health. It is almost clear from the research that the radiation from cell phone is responsible for many diseases like brain tumor, headaches, short-term memory loss , different types of heart diseases etc.In the presence of various RF sources, including cell phone handsets and broadcast antennas which work the overall environmental exposure has become a great concern about safety of this newtechnology and as well as human health. However we should contribute more efforts to transformmobile radio communication to an efficient, secure and genial system useful for the welfare and positive advancement global nightspot and for this the Government should take necessary steps for the mobile industry with worthy regulation.

Milton S Epic Poem A Paradise Lost Theology Religion Essay

Milton S Epic Poem A enlightenment muzzy Theology Religion Es enounce nirvana Lost could possibly be regarded as one of the most controversial and dangerously convincing number of literary works of all time. Al cat valiumgh, ironically position Scholars and English teachings persist to ignore Miltons masterpiece as an exquisitely elegant bod of write work, along with the dismissal of the English Commonwealth from 1649 to 1660. The English Commonwealth was a significantly major incite of the British Monarch effecting both sacred and political styles of life. on that point argon m all early new(a) literature works that were created during this catastrophic event who attempted to influence the British Public through their subtle underlying Propaganda, yet still viscid to strict authorities. Milton was among these writers that were appointed to specifically use his ability to base transcripts, poems and books on maybe the reflection of how leaders of Britain wanted its citi zens to think and live. Milton was an influential part of the literary movement of the time that encompassed a move away from giving verbaliseion and instead became a voice for the governing bodys agenda of theperiod. Milton had many yeasty works but one particular text over the old age has stirred up debates across the minds of many critics. Even by todays standards Paradise Lost has caused controversy, leading into accusations of denying Christianity to the sympathising of the devil. After looking critics that hurl based their works on studying Miltons expansive poem, along with looking closely at his interlocking with powerful figures of 17th century government, will assist in find out if Paradise Lost was specifically used for political propaganda or if it was rigorously written from Miltons accept beliefs and experiences.On the surface Miltons Paradise Lost, one could say, is a biblical reconstruction of the globally famous story that basis its place setting for th e doctrine of the original sin. There argon many critics that have go around their analysis of Miltons epic poem solely on the theme of organized god tonal patternss, which argon the major factors that lead to the disproval of Miltons work. Religion during Seventeenth Century Britain was compulsory it was thusly part of the law to attend to church. Milton himself was a devote Christian which rebut the views of the likes of Blake and C.S Lewis as they accused him of sympathising with the devil. Both insisted Milton was part of the the devil party. Both observations from these rouge early critics atomic number 18 a contradiction upon Miltons actual religious beliefs and practices he took part in. They accuse Milton of creating him as a sort of sub crampfish and provide him with servicemanised characteristics thus making him to be a dangerously benevolent character quote from a critic that supports this. Realistically, the content of Paradise Lost does in fact have particular parts that reflect upon these early detailed responses to the poem. Specifically in books the devil tick offms to become the most humanised character of them all, the speeches he presents to the referee are so simply rhetorically persuasive and any(prenominal) of the most beautiful words come from the mouth of Satan, thus the reader beingness human can relate more so than that of idolquote. The reader relates through jealously, seduction and the tempting mind, these being only a some of the attributes humans possess that make up who they are. Therefore these human abilities such(prenominal) as failure, temptations and desire are being regarded to be atrocious because they are being presented through the most famously sinful figure in religion, Satan. Consequently leading to the conclusion that Milton could quite possibly be criticising Christianity suggesting the religion denies a humans downfalls, these downfalls being what make a human, human.However, in go over to th is argument and the question I ask myself, if Milton was a devote Christian himself why would he deny the religion? There were many figures in the literary world that were against the idea that Milton was portraying Christianity as a vitiated religion and entrustd Paradise Last was actually strongly supporting his own belief read keel. Paradise Lost was written after the Restoration of the monarchy of Charles II in sixteen sixty, when he returned the Church of England back to how it was when his father rule the country. This brought back the restoration of the Catholic Church and the Puritan corporate trust had failed to abbreviate and the religion was made illegal. It is a actually subjective text and the answers are not all in black and white it is extremely arduous to pin point what Miltons exact beliefs were but readers must be certain that he was a very religious man. We can see through many parts of the collection of poems some of his beliefs and can interoperate to an extent what he was actually trying to say through his words. Therefore from my own research and opinions I have come to accept it is not plausible to contract that Milton is directly attacking the Christian faith. Milton often changed his views of the corrupt religion and government of the time of Britain in the sixteen hundreds, but he wasnt afraid to express his belief as a Puritan. Puritanism was associated on the Parliamentary side during the English Civil War against the Laudianism Church on the Monarchist side. The puritan faith cogitate on the importance of discussion from the Bible and the idea that beau ideal is the only leader of the Church and Milton evidently believed in God, being marked through the portrayal of God being the creator and the King of the vault of heaven Quote from PL. Paradise Lost is a reconstruction of a intumesce know biblical story of the original sin and then this is defiant take the stand that Milton pin pointed the importance of unambiguo us preaching. Of course many of Miltons masterpieces were a form of preaching Lares (2001, pg.1) states in Milton and the preaching arts Miltons poetic programme in terms of genres in which he may choose to write and on this sense of vocation to serve as a poet-priest. The angels in Paradise Lost can be seen as figures of preachers, a subtle way for Milton to put his message across to his readers. As seen through the angel Raphael Milton applies his preaching words through the mouth of the angel, one specific example that shows a message being advocated across is where Raphael is sent forth to Adam to discourage him not to eat from the forbidden treein the day thou eatst, thou diestDeath is the penalty imposed bewareAnd govern well thy appetite lest SinSurprise thee, and her black attendant Death. (VII 544-547)Raphael here is admonishment Adam the extent of his punishment if he is to eat the forbidden increase having an aim to encourage the obedience of Adam towards God. However as Lares (2001, pg.152), again, quotes that in fact Milton favours correction, and in fact has his angel warn against sin preferably than encourage virtue Due to background reading it is known that Milton was in favour of the Independents (see further on for more information about Independents) therefore this particular part of his epic poem communicates Miltons own religious views that everyone is authorize to choose what they believe in and not what institutions tell them to believe in.There is also evidence that Milton agreed with this idea that religion should be kind to the ordinary person, he took part in writing poems for productions in theatres to cater anybody from all walks of life to be educated about God. Milton, like any other Puritan believed in joyfully practicing the faith and some focused on the value of nature and arts and the natural world. Here the amatory Writers of the sixteenth century can be linked in to Miltons epic poem where throughout beautiful descr iptions of the paradise plays an important part of resourcefulness to the readers. WRITE ABOUT RomanticsAnother factor that contributes to this idea that Milton believed in an rival soceity is the humanising of Satan. Milton believed in an Independent Church, The independents wanted each specific congregation to be able to decide for itself its beliefs and practices. (Christs CollegeatCambridge University). Here I think, personally, that he believed very passionately in God but he did not believe in the institutions that claimed to be doing Gods will. In other words he warned peck against believe everything you hear in church and believed instead in future(a) your own personal beliefs so you have a relation channel with God instead of with the church. This is conveyed by allowing both Adam and Eve and the devil to be accessible to their freewill. Thus portraying the devil just as human as anyone else this could also relate to freewill and the annoys own choices to revolt agains t God. These ideas surround free will are explored in chapter one. However some say that Milton retracts the reader away from the dehumanising of the devil by indeed making him relatable to us in order for us to feel guilty that we feel kind towards him after realising he is in fact evil, by the use of annul psychology. Milton emphasises how dangerously tempting Satan is therefore attending church and believing in what you believe in will protect from the evil hands of the devil. Critics quoteAlthough on the surface Paradise Lost is indeed a biblical piece of literary work, however under the surface there are many hidden messages through Miltons work that can be pertinacious as Political Propaganda of its time. During the Civil war and the Commonwealth Milton was involved heavy with the Government and especially worked closely with Oliver Cromwell. He was appointed the Secretary of foreign Tongues under the Cromwellian Government and played an important role of being the voice for the English Revolution to the rest of the country. Unlike many he believed in the Republic and was in favour of freedom the Commonwealth have provided for the Puritan faith. Miltons first piece of major Political Propaganda was TheReadie and Easie Way to sacrifice a Free Commonwealth where he emphasised the importance and benefits of a British Republic. Paradise Lost is possibly a less limpid form of political regime than the less subtle works he created, however it is achievable to regard certain characters and events as parallel to that of what is possibility in the real world. Starting with the DevilHe is constantly battle for his own dignity and freedom which causes the sympathy most people excite for a democracy especially in 17th century BritainDevil is a symbolic of the failure of the discourse of politics and the corrupt religion should be free and not illegal.The devil could actually be a portrayal of Cromwell or maybe even Milton himself constant battle with cleric and rules god/kingHowever when PL was written it was known that Milton actually changed his views on Cromwell and saw flaws in him son couldnt follow him, false leader ship is the devil, wrong..God can be seen obviously as Godomniscient/ powerful/ leader highly regarded in paradise lost, so should he be in society and not the king the devil could also be seeManyThroughout Miltons work there is a fine line between his political and religious beliefs

Soft Power in Japan and South Korea

spongy effect in lacquer and confederation KoreaThe full term flabby supply is often apply in the interchange of hot kitchen-gardening. This essay will utilise k zero(prenominal)ledge obtained done scholarly interrogatory and education in Asiatic studies to discuss ordinary acculturation as a form of easy situation. Firstly, I will provide a summative outline on the conjecture of flabby agency. Following this I will discuss Nipponese and sulphur Korean favourite socialization and whether they are consistent with the theory of soft former. The thesis of this essay will argue that soft mogul is a useful term in relation to the discussion of best-selling(predicate) culture.Joseph Nye, who focuses on worldwide traffic, developed the theory of soft power in 1990. Nye suggested that power is influencing new(prenominal)s to achieve a want outcome. Similarly, the term soft power whitethorn be understood through a states ability to achieve the outcomes it desi res by confidential information as an example for other states1. This conveys that soft power is the ability of a nation to attract others to mirror interests consistent with their own. The desired outcomes of soft power vary, however to the highest degree nations prevail broad aims for inter home(a) stability and consistency, which may prevent or address world(prenominal) and national issues. For example, the United States has used mediums of soft power to justify actions towards weapons of mass destruction by presenting Ameri deal culture as attractive through its liberalism, democracy and human refines. This conveys that soft power is an intangible resource which uses ideologies, culture and economics to address international issues2. easily power has been used in contemporary international dealing out-of-pocket to the interdependent nature of nations, making direct force costly. For example, a nations militarization incurs political and economic costs, which in fork ou t could reduce rather than increase a nations power. Rather, soft power is used in other resources such as transnational corporations, which allow more leverage of the global system as a whole. Contemporarily, these resources generate more power for nations because of a shift in power structures. Modernization, urbanization and increase communication have fan out power from the presidential term to private sectors. The spread of power into the private sphere, in regards to transnational corporations, pith that the most powerful form of soft power is familiar culture. Ideologies of nations can be imbedded into products and communication. These commodities are introduced to other nations through transnational corporations and private sectors, who market place their products to be attractive, consumerable and resultantly, popular.Since the mid twentieth century, lacquer has been increasingly integral to global popular culture. Central to Japanese exports are manga and anime, the most distinguished forms of Japanese popular culture hence their voltage as forms of soft power.Japans International Exchange Research Programme of 2003, reported the authorisation for Japanese popular cultures assistance in international diplomacy3. It was theorised that positive national images should be insertded into popular culture mainly through the preexisting subculture of manga and anime. The reports recommendation was facilitated, and organisations such as the Japan Cartoonist tie were created to reward artistic innovation. In corporation with Japans transferral of its national image, McGray suggests that Japanese popular culture is seemingly egalitarian bare of perspective and hierarchy4. This suggests that popular culture has effectively used ideologies, in conformance with culture and economics, to embed a positive national image. Therefore, popular culture that embeds national ideologies is a form of soft power.The Japan Cartoonist Association generates most of its interest and revenue enhancement from foreign states, which suggests that manga and anime are attractive to other nations. Hills argues that its appeal comes from the characters within manga and anime narratives, who are internal and selfless5. For example, Spike, the hero from puncher Bebop was not a saint a paradigm of the right ethical motive, or always triumphful in his ventures. This conveys an opposition to Western ideologies of individualist heroes, who fight on the right side of justice and always succeed. In accordance, its attraction may be sourced from manga and animes post currentism which allows an escape from modern Western culture. Therefore, popular culture that attracts others, generating international interest and revenue is a form of soft power.Market forces and consumer preferences drive the production and global use of goods and services of manga and anime6. For example, the production company, Studio Ghibli has been increasingly popular in the market du e to the international consumer desire for Japanese anime. Otmazgin argues that consumer desire is notably expressed in increasing trade, production and interdependence, with the importance of intra-East Asian trade tripling everywhere the last forty years7. In accordance, corporations and organisations have had increasing influence and power in transnational dealing, such as shaping economic relations and improving perspectives of Japanese culture. In accordance, corporations and organisations have had increasing influence and power in transnational relations, such as shaping economic relations and improving perspectives of Japanese culture. Therefore, popular culture that empowers corporations and private sectors leverage everyplace global systems is a form of soft powerPost-war perceptions, such as the Japanese being aggressive or imperialistic, and policies have prevented some of the Japanese states diplomatic aims. Mainly, Japan wishes to attain permanent membership on th e UN Security Council8. In conjunction, the Japanese state has realised the potential of popular culture in facilitating the states desired outcome. pop culture has generated economic prosperity, as well as conveying ideologies of a positive, progressive Japan. These resources may be considered effective in disassembling post-war perceptions and regulations. Equally, popular cultures economic success has allowed Japan to become the second largest reader to the UNs budget, giving leverage over their diplomatic aim. Therefore, as Nye outlines, popular culture that influences a states desired outcome is a form of soft power.In the late 1990s, to the south Korea was propelled into global popular culture. So profound was the movement, it has been described as the Korean Wave with popular exports such as Korean films and music. Korean popular culture may be termed as a form of soft power.The Kim Dae Jung administration, in 1998, designated the media and delight sectors as a focus for development. In accordance to these political agendas, entertainment based private sectors increased their national significance. For example, the film industry duple its Korean market share within the year. Central to the recognition of these industries is that they operate cultural content, which can enhance images of Korea. Joo argues that Korea attempts to embed into its cultural exports the idea that Korea is refined, advance(a) and openhanded9. This suggests that Korean popular culture uses ideologies, in accordance with culture and economics, to embed a positive national image. Therefore, popular culture that embeds national ideologies is a form of soft power.Korean industries are increasingly obtaining status, interest and revenue from foreign states. Taiwanese television currently pays almost double to channelise a Korean drama over a Japanese production. This suggests that Korean popular culture is attractive, which may be due to its balance of conventional and moder n cultural values. For example, the Korean drama, Winter Sonata, encapsulates social conservatism, employing traditional morals of being sensitive, gentle and caring, yet presented in a modern environment. In accordance, South Korea provides a model for other conservative Asian states how to recrudesce and keep traditional values. Therefore, popular culture that attracts and leads as an example for others is a form of soft power.With the adoption of Neo-Liberal approaches in South Korea, power was diffused from the government to private sectors10. Neo-Liberal strategies invoked privatisation and deregulation, which in return allow capitalists to govern systems of production, advertizement and consumption. For example, Korean music is governed by private sectors to be resonant with the Asian youth, which would have previously been stymied by the Korean nationalist government. This conveys that private sectors have more determination in generating what popular culture constitutes, a nd in conjunction perspectives of Korean Culture. Therefore, popular culture that empowers corporations and private sectors leverage over global systems is a form of soft power.Post-Cold War perceptions of South Korea may be summarised as contemptuous, inferior and economically weak which were supplemented by the Korean fiscal crisis in the 1990s. Though, the Kim Dae Jung administration realised the potential of popular culture in granting diplomatic power by conveying ideologies of an influential and prominent nation. By creating cultural markets and consumer demand, the state has effectively facilitated their desired outcomes. South Korea now ranks in the top 15 market economies, and feelings of affinity towards South Korea have increased unanimously, and by almost double in Japan during the Korean Wave11. Effectively, The South Korea state now constitutes a substantial amount of power, conveying the success of soft power in achieving their diplomatic aims. Therefore, popular cult ure that influences a states desired outcome is a form of soft power.Japan and South Korea have both provided examples of soft power that is derived from popular culture. In Japan, popular culture was able to generate power and influence in their diplomatic aims conveying a positive image of Japan and gaining leverage over permanent membership on the UN Security Council. Similarly in South Korea, popular culture was able to convey a refined, sophisticated and prominent nation in conjunction with facilitating their prominence on the global market. Therefore, soft power is a useful term in relation to the discussion of popular culture.ReferencesEr Lam, Peng, Japans quest for soft power attraction and limitation. East Asia 24, no. 4 (2007) 349-363.Hills, Mat, Transcultural Otaku Japanese representations of fandom and representations of Japan in anime/manga fan cultures. Media in Transition 2, (2002) 1-13.Joo, Jeongsuk, Transnationalization of Korean ordinary Culture and the Rise of Po p Nationalism in Korea. The diary of touristy Culture 44, no. 3 (2011) 489-504.Joseph Nye Explains the Term loco Power, Educational Film, say by Allen Greg (Canada Conversation, 2004).Kaori, Hayashi, and Eun-Jeung Lee, The Potential of Fandom and the Limits of Soft Power. Social Science Japan ledger 10, no. 2 (2007) 197-216.McGray, Douglas, Japans Gross National Cool. overseas polity 130, no. 1 (2002) 44-54.Nakarmura, Toshiya, Soft Power and Public slightness How Cool Japan Will Be. International Studies Association, (2011) 1-26.Nye, Joseph, Soft Power. Foreign policy, (1990).Otmazgin, Nissim, Contesting Soft Power. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008) 73-101.Yang, Jonghoe, The Korean Wave in East Asia. Development and Society 41, no. 1 (2012) 103-147.1 Allen Greg, Joseph Nye Explains the Term Soft Power, Educational Film, (Canada Conversation, 2004).2 Joseph Nye, Soft Power. Foreign policy, (1990) 161.3 Nissim Otmazgin, Contesting Soft Power. Internat ional Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008) 81-82.4 Douglas McGray, Japans Gross National Cool. Foreign Policy 130, no. 1 (2002) 47.5 Mat Hills, Transcultural Otaku Japanese representations of fandom and representations of Japan in anime/manga fan cultures. Media in Transition 2, (2002) 10.6 Peng Er Lam, Japans quest for soft power attraction and limitation. East Asia 24, no. 4 (2007) 350.7 Nissim Otmazgin, Contesting Soft Power. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 8, no. 1 (2008) 85.8 Toshiya Nakarmura, Soft Power and Public Diplomacy How Cool Japan Will Be. International Studies Association, (2011) 14-15.9 Jeongsuk Joo, Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of Pop Nationalism in Korea. The Journal of Popular Culture 44, no. 3 (2011) 496.10 Jonghoe Yang, The Korean Wave in East Asia. Development and Society 41, no. 1 (2012) 107.11 Hayashi Kaori and Eun-Jeung Lee, The Potential of Fandom and the Limits of Soft Power. Social Science Japan Journal 10, no. 2 (2007) 213.